Welcoming New Catholics
by Julie Zimmerman

(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.)

Dear Catholic Webmasters:

Every year more than 150,000 American adults join the Catholic Church. Many more are curious about Catholicism and seek answers to their questions. Catholic webmasters have a unique opportunity to reach out to these groups and make them feel welcome in our Church. The upcoming Lent and Easter seasons, when people spend more time than usual looking for spiritual material online, is a perfect time to make sure your site is meeting the needs of seekers, candidates and new Catholics.

Q U I C K S C A N

Parish Site of the Month
Worth a Click

You might start by explaining on your site the process by which someone becomes Catholic. (Feel free to adapt what follows, but we recommend you check with your pastor or DRE for particulars in your parish.) It begins when someone calls a parish and expresses an interest in learning more about the faith. They begin to meet with parish staff and other inquirers; if they continue, this period of inquiry culminates in the Rite of Acceptance, when the faith community welcomes the candidates for initiation. Next comes the catechumenate stage, when candidates learn more about Scripture and the doctrines of the Church.

At the end of the catechumenate period—which can last a year or more for the unbaptized—candidates celebrate the Rite of Election. A final period of preparation, usually during Lent, leads up to the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) at the Easter vigil. The process concludes with the period of mystagogy, when the newly initiated gather to deepen their understanding of their new lives as members of the Body of Christ. Our own Catholic Update offers a more in-depth article on the RCIA process.

A parish Web site can support this journey of faith at each stage. It can, and should, provide answers for the newly curious, encouragement to those participating in RCIA, recognition to the newly initiated, and a shared sense of joy and responsibility in the rest of the parish. But first a reminder: As wonderful as the Internet can be, it can't replace face-to-face contact. The goal should always be getting people into the parish, where they can truly feel part of a Catholic Christian community.

That said, here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Provide basic information about Catholicism on your Web site—core beliefs and FAQs, along with items such as Mass times.

2. Provide links to sites with more extensive resources. At AmericanCatholic.org, we find our pages on Sacraments, the saints, and Mary are particularly popular destinations for seekers, as are the Catholic Updates "A Walk Through the Mass" and "What Catholics Believe."

3. Describe the process of joining the Catholic Church, along with the name and email address of the person who handles RCIA for your parish. Initially, it's often easier to send an email with questions than it is to make a phone call.

4. Once inquirers are involved in RCIA, let the parish get to know them via your Web site. Post their pictures and short biographies (with their permission). Ask parishioners to pray for them, and let them know if you need help with RCIA (sponsors, snacks for meetings, etc.). Be sure to acknowledge the new initiates after the Easter vigil with more photos, congratulations and prayer requests.

5. The period of mystagogy—ongoing formation during Eastertide—calls for more resources. Ask your RCIA director for some suggestions, and consider AmericanCatholic.org features such as Update Your Faith and Every Day Catholic.

We hope these suggestions help you to welcome everyone into your parish and the Church. Let us know other ways you've found for reaching seekers or encouraging catechumens, and we'll feature them in a future issue of Web Catholic.

Julie Zimmerman
Managing editor, AmericanCatholic.org and sister sites

Next month: The Power of Links (by John Bookser Feister)

Parish Site of the Month

Holy Ghost Parish, Archdiocese of Boston
A beautiful site that also contains all the information a parish site should have. Under "Look and Listen," the site offers audio of the rosary, news from Vatican radio, a word from the pastor and diocesan information. It also offers Sunday readings, youth group activities, a parish photo of the week and extensive announcements, all accompanied by appropriate music. If there is a drawback to the Holy Ghost site, it's that its spiffy features can sometimes be too much for a slower computer.

Worth a Click

RECENT PAPAL STATEMENTS ON PEACE
The Vatican
Pope John Paul's pleas for peace have made news lately as the crisis in Iraq deepens. Now the Vatican's Web site has compiled a peace page, gathering all the pope's recent statements on Iraq and other troubled regions together with citations from the Catechism on peace. Although polls show many American Catholics support military action in Iraq, the pope's opposition to the impending war couldn't be clearer.

TEACHING THE LITTLE ONES TO PRAY
Li'l Angelina
Li'l Angelina is a mischievous young angel created by Triune Communications to help children age 3 to 8 learn to pray. The site introduces Angelina's "friends," including Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the angels and the wise men. It also serves up excerpts from the Li'l Angelina CD-ROM, an interactive, song-filled collection of children's prayers for sale on the site.

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