The beginning of Lent is only a few weeks away and Ash Wednesday is February 17 this year. Here at Diocesan, we are planning to focus on the Year of St. Joseph.

Maybe you’re already having dialogue and making plans in your parish. We are excited to offer the following selection of Year of St. Joseph resources for you:

After many of us have struggled through the difficulties and uncertainties of 2020, I believe that we are all ready to move forward with a fresh outlook and even resolutions that we’ve been reluctant to make in the past. In our church community, it’s important to channel messaging and resolutions based on what parishioners have available to them – the bulletin, email, myParish App, Evangelus, social media, or all of these. Resolutions and effective communication can work hand in hand.

If one of your resolutions would be to improve the timeliness and quality of the information to your parishioners, then how is the current communication process in your parish? In your role as the App administrator, try sharing meaningful messages with your parishioners that keep them engaged, strengthen their faith, give newfound ways to use the app, and share it with others. Keep resolutions concise and attainable. Here are a few you might want to share:

As we looked forward to 2020, I believe many of us were filled with hope and enthusiasm. Early into the year, we learned that we needed to adjust our lives due to Covid-19. As difficult as that has been, can you imagine how much more difficult it would have been if we had not started with hope?

With the beginning of Advent just days away, the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love are once again on our minds as we prepare for Christmas. In your role as the App administrator, you have an opportunity to foster these gifts in the lives of your parishioners. Try sending meaningful messages that will keep them engaged, strengthen their faith, give newfound ways to use the app, and share it with others. Starting November 29, 2020, the first Sunday of Advent, there will be Advent Reflections that can be accessed by tapping the ‘Advent’ button in the app.  

In the time before Lent, many of us start thinking about what we and our family members are going to “give up for Lent” Many bad habits are put on hold during that six week period, while other habits are given up completely. As the years have passed and I don’t have small children to guide through the process, I find myself looking for a balance. Not only do I focus on something I can give up, but something I can change about myself to help me be more in touch with the beauty of the Lenten and Easter Season. 

Lent is a special time of grace in the Church and as parish communicators, we can support and foster our visitors in their desire to grow in holiness through inspiring and welcoming images, thoughtful reflections and links to meaningful content. Preplan your Lenten online communications. Ash Wednesday is February 26th.  

Churches do not need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to communicating with their parishioners or guests.

Think about building relationships in your personal life and what makes them successful. How did you earn trust, build rapport, and make people feel important? Thriving churches communicate using the same key themes needed to build lasting relationships in our personal lives. If you’re eager to improve as a parish communicator in 2020, it helps to have a plan—or at least a few goals to shoot for.  As an App Administrator, you have the unique ability to reach a wide range of your community at one time.  Here are four relevant resolutions for communication pros to commit to and keep:

1. Asking Questions – People tend to tune out if they are always asked for things or told to do something. Conversations are enhanced by asking good questions and truly listening.
2. Keeping it Short – Give people options to learn more and ways to find additional information so they can digest it in their own time. Try not to overwhelm people with too much at one time.
3. From the Heart – All communications from your church, whether written or spoken, need to feel like a one-on-one conversation with the other person.
4. Say ‘Thank You’ – Showing gratitude, even for the little things, goes a long way toward building trust and cultivating an atmosphere of appreciation.

Resolutions. To many, a dreaded word in December. But after listening to the homily on Sunday morning, the First Sunday of Advent, I’m finding it easier to list my New Year resolutions. Communication. I have always considered myself a communicator. I was a marketing communications major in college and it was the goal of our cohort to communicate continuously. Through careers and years, I have learned that while communication is important, choosing the right medium and message is key. In our church community it’s important to channel the messaging based on what parishioners have available to them – the bulletin, email, myParish App, and social media.  Why resolutions and communications in the same message, you asked? Maybe one of your resolutions would be to improve the timeliness and quality of the information to your parishioners. How is the current communication process in your parish? Everyone knows what’s going on? No one does? Most probably fall somewhere in between. 

In your role as the App administrator, try sharing meaningful messages with your parishioners that will keep them engaged, strengthen their faith, give newfound ways to use the app, and share it with others. Keep resolutions concise and attainable. Here are a few you might want to share:

Read Scripture – Too few Christians have actually followed through with and read the Bible. What kind of reading plan is best? Of course, the one you’re going to finish is. Get friends together and commit to a plan. Daily readings are available on myParish App or at usccb.org.

Spend a Holy Hour in Adoration – Quotes of our Popes and Saints concerning Holy Hours show we can see how much importance they placed on adoration for a healthy spiritual life. These writings tell us that our Holy Hour is more powerful than anything in this world outside of Mass. Check out Our Catholic Prayer website to learn more about the value of a holy hour.

Journey with a Saint – Use this fun Saint generator to learn about a new Saint and include them in your journey of faith throughout the year. http://saintsnamegenerator.com/

Increase Your Bulletin Readership – Try making it a routine to read your bulletin each week. Be informed.  

Merry Christmas Blessings to you and may you close the year in peace and look forward to 2020 with joy.

The next several weeks are jammed packed with special activities in our church and family lives.

The myParish App has a built in EVENTS calendar that can help your parishioners (and visitors to your church community) stay up to date during this busy time of the year. There are two separate components to the calendar feature.

Google calendars are easily attached (using the public ical link found in your google settings) at the bottom of the page in the events tab, on the myParish App administration main page. Need help getting your google calendar to sync with the App? Don’t hesitate to call us at 800-997-8805. We are here 9am – 5pm EST to assist you.

You can draw special attention to specific events at your church by going to your admin page and using the “add event” feature. Just click on the “Add Event” box on the upper left hand side of the EVENTS tab (on the myParish App admin home page). Fill in the applicable information and click ‘save’ at the bottom of the page when you are done. It’s that easy.

Your App must be integrated in all aspects of your parish communications. Why?

The Rule of 7. The marketing rule of seven states that a person must see a message 7 times before they will take action. The myParish App was built for Catholic parishes, designed for YOUR parish to engage your parishioners in their Catholic life everyday!

Follow these simple guidelines to get great results!

On your Website:  Section off part of your site exclusively for the App, or, have pop-up page display whenever someone visits your site.

In your emails: Any email that is sent out, whether it be from the parish office, your newsletter or even a payment confirmation email, should include a footer with one line advertising your App. Include details such as what can be accomplished through the App and a link redirecting towards the download page. Emails not including App information is a missed opportunity.

Twitter or Facebook presence: Promote your App here as well. A simple banner with the name of your app and where to find it is all you need.

Want to encourage ongoing App downloads? Place promo cards in the vestibule or parish office, verbal pulpit announcements, or a bulletin article informing the parish that you have a mobile App. This may be new information or a reminder that the App is available to keep them connected with parish and catholic life everyday.

The busy days of fall are here. We need to take the time to make sure our offices are a sacred space. By doing so we can intentionally bless all those whose names and lives we touch (literally) through our workspace and fingertips: at the door, at our computer, over the phone, or through our writing.  It’s time to rededicate our work space to be an extension of prayer for each and every one with whom we come in contact, in every moment of every day.   

There are several great prayers available in the myParish app for those times you feel moved to offer a specific prayer for one of your parishioners or co-workers. The prayers also come in handy when praying in a large group, each person has access to the same wording and all can actively participate.

There is a nice little prayer service from Catholic News Agency with blessings for an office, shop or factory.

All these aspects of Catholic life and more can be found in your myParish app.
May it lead you to an experience of our faith, just a fingertip away. Catholic life every day.