Web Resources for Teens
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:

A talented youth minister I knew once told me that adults make a mistake when they say youth are the future of the Church. That statement implies their importance is somewhere off on the horizon, something to flower at a later date. If we don't make reaching them a priority right now, he used to say, we stand a good chance of losing them.

Q U I C K S C A N

Parish Site of the Month
Worth a Click

Because teens spend a lot of time online, it makes sense for parishes and other Catholic organizations to reach out to them there. Studies regularly show that the average teen spends between 10 and 15 hours a week online, with e-mail and instant messaging ranking as the favorite activities. Another small study, by the Web site e-vangelization.com, shows that many teens feel more comfortable discussing spiritual issues online than face-to-face, and the majority said the Internet has made them more confident in their religious beliefs.

So the reasons are there; but just how do you go about doing it? How can an adult parish Webmaster figure out what teens are looking for?

The first and most obvious answer is to ask. Contact your parish's youth minister and ask for the youth group's involvement. Teens know best what other teens are looking for, and many are no doubt as tech-savvy as you. Giving them some say in, and control over, a section of your Web site will ensure that it attracts their peers.

Find a few good sites that take their outreach to teens seriously and imitate them! The Church of the Nativity in Memphis, Tenn., for instance, has a Web site solely for its youth and young adults. The site includes prayer intentions and photos from youth group trips and, while a bit rough around the edges, seems designed with its audience in mind.

Provide links to Catholic teen sites. DisciplesNow is a partner of AmericanCatholic.org and provides questions to teens' answers about the faith, e-cards, a prayer forum, chats and other resources.

Address the issues they're facing, both in their faith journey (such as Confirmation) and in the culture (such as premarital sex). Youth Update, a monthly newsletter for teens from St. Anthony Messenger Press, speaks to these issues, and all newsletters are reviewed by a panel of teens who suggest changes and discussion topics.

Teens aren't an easy group for adults to reach, but the effort is well worth it. You'll be helping to encourage the gift of faith in another generation, and you might just learn something in the process.

Julie Zimmerman
Managing editor, AmericanCatholic.org and sister sites

Next month: St. Clare, Patroness of the Internet? (by John Bookser Feister)

Parish Site of the Month

Transfiguration Parish, Diocese of Lansing
Sometimes it's the design that makes a parish Web site stand out; other times it's the cool features, or the sheer volume of material the site presents. In the case of the Transfiguration site, it's the musings of the Rev. David M. Franco, aka Father Dave. His chatty, breezy missives are a joy to read, ranging from his search for a new truck for the parish to his upcoming break in Florida (along with an explanation of vacation time for priests, something I've never seen addressed anywhere). His writings give a real sense of community to the site and make the parish seem like a warm and lively place.

Worth a Click

AN AMERICAN CATHOLIC HEROINE
Tribute to Sister Mary Rose McGeady
Thirteen years ago Sister Mary Rose McGeady took over a troubled Covenant House, which cares for homeless and runaway youth and is the largest privately-funded childcare agency in the U. S. At the time it was $38 million in debt and under a cloud of abuse allegations against its founder. Having turned the organization around, Sister Mary Rose is now retiring, and the Covenant House Web site is collecting tributes online to give her upon retirement. (St. Anthony Messenger ran a profile of Sister Mary Rose in its February 2003 issue.)

GOD DOESN"T TAKE A VACATION FROM YOU, DOES HE?
MassTimes.org
Being far from home is no excuse to skip Mass (as I'm sure your mother told you at least a few times during your childhood). At MassTimes.org, you can search for local Masses by city name or zip code, along with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation times. A great link to include on your parish site.

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