(If you don’t have time to read this now, please take note of the buttons on the right. They are free for the taking, for you to use on your Web site. Click on a button to pick up the html code.)

This is a busy season for parish Webmasters! Lent started at its earliest possible date, barely after the Christmas rush, it seemed. With election season coming into full swing, Catholic voters are going to be searching the Web for answers about this important penitential season. And let’s not forget that Pope Benedict is coming to the United States in April! It’s going to stay busy for a while.

We want to remind you of what AmericanCatholic.org offers this Lent to link to on your parish Web site. First, of course, is our annual feature, “Lent: Call to Conversion,” which has been active since just before Ash Wednesday. As in the past, we offer suggested daily activities, weekly radio homilies, news and inspiration. This year, Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M., has added a warm welcome message that you can check out on YouTube, along with other seasonal videos. Link to it from your site using our attractive link button.

A highlight of our Lent program has become Lenten Radio Retreat, a Catholic Communication Campaign project that features audio homilies by U.S. bishops—six in English, six in Spanish. It’s available at FranciscanRadio.org in both streaming audio and podcasts. We present bishops from all over the country—a very talented group of radio preachers “from the heart of the Church.”

There are two new features in development that you’ll hear more about next month. One focuses on the upcoming elections, specifically on how our faith informs key themes in our national political debate. This will surely be on everyone’s mind between now and November. Also, we’re making plans for a special news section covering the papal visit to Washington, D.C. and to New York, April 15-20. We will have correspondents at both events and good backgrounders in March.

Meanwhile, let’s pray that this Lent be a season of renewal, of deepening faith, for all of us in Web ministry and for the people we serve.

Visit CrossintheWoods.com to learn about “one of Michigan’s best known and most visited shrines.” The material under the “About the Shrine” link in the dropdown menu is definitely worth checking out. Start by exploring the shrine’s history and the artists involved in its creation, and by reading a timeline of various milestones and events. Then, take several 360-degree virtual tours of the church, its shrines and its gardens. In addition to basic information, like Mass times, bulletins and staff photos, there are also areas for submitting online prayer requests, for doing some online shopping at the gift shop and for subscribing to the print newsletter.

 

February 11, 2008, marked 150 years since Mary’s first apparition to St. Bernadette Soubirous. Log on to Lourdes2008.com and learn how you can join Catholics all over the world in celebrating Lourdes, a place of pilgrimage, healing and faith. For people planning a pilgrimage, the site offers information about available guides, priests and medical personnel, as well as a schedule of events and helpful publications. There’s also a lot for those of us celebrating Lourdes while staying at home. Check out a video welcome from Father Martin Moran, Lourdes’ English-language coordinator, and browse the multimedia space, complete with Web radio and television features and a collection of photos.

 

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