by Kevin J. Banet, webmaster

The Pope has come to America - that is big news!

How can you use this event to reach out to friends and potential vocations?

Take a look at the website of the Poor Clares of Portsmouth, Ohio. Emblazoned across the top is a very attractive, custom-made banner that says, “Thank you for your visit to the US, Holy Father.”

Sporting a picture of a waving Pope Benedict XVI, the website also has a short prayer asking for Jesus’ protection of His Holiness. Below that is a paragraph explaining how the Poor Clares chose April 19 as a special day of prayer and retreat in response to the request of Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio for the US, for prayers from contemplative communities for the Pope on the occasion of his visit April 15 - 20.

This is a good example of the use of a current event to act as a springboard to keep in touch with your friends. Every one of us wants some kind of news about the Holy Father’s visit. We want to get caught up in the excitement of the trip, and we want a spiritual interpretation of what is going on. And most of us won’t read the text of the Pope’s speeches, so we rely on either the 10 o’clock news or on Catholic blogs, enewsletters, and websites.

Did you know that at the youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY, the Pope spoke strongly about religious and priestly vocations, and encouraged the youth to “discover the particular vocation God has for you”? Why not read that talk and comment on it in an enewsletter or blog? See the link below.

Your potential vocations need to know that you are thinking about them, and an enewsletter or blog is a great way to do so. After sending my first enewsletter recently, I received emails from about 20% of persons on my list just saying “hello” — some of whom I hadn’t heard from in a while.

Keep in touch with your friends, and keep them updated!

by Kevin J. Banet, webmaster

Recently I spoke with a priest who is helping a contemplative community attract vocations.

“Why don’t they put up a website?” I asked.

“They want to print a 32-page color booklet on their community,” he said.

“But that will cost thousands of dollars - and women who are searching for religious communities are looking on the web,” I said. “A website can be changed easily, and there are no postage fees.”

I explained to him that websites, blogs, and enewsletters are where it’s at in opening your doors to vocations. Single persons are using search engines to look for religious communities, and also looking at blogs, and enewsletters.

Here’s a “how to” to use the internet to attract vocation seekers:

Website: Change content frequently, since changes are noticed by search engines, which give you a higher ranking. Get incoming links from other religious communities and related organizations. Links help search rankings, too. Or write a blog that links back to your website (see below).

Blog: Start a blog, which is a kind of journal about which you can post articles and photos. Talk about the charism of your community. Your friends will keep coming back for more news. There are many free blogs sites, such as Blogger.com, Wordpress.com, and Livejournal.com. Blogs can also be installed on your website.

Check out this Google list of Catholic vocation blogs. Some are a bit goofy (with a picture of a movie star), but many inspire one to a true spirituality and community life.

Enewsletter: Keep in touch with your contacts about your Come and See days, or about the latest events in your community. Send them from your own email program, such as Outlook, or, if the list gets too big — or if you just want to make your newsletter look better with nice graphics — use an easy-to-use commercial service, such as Constant Contact, for as low as $15/mo., and which also has a free 60-day trial. Or Enewsletters Online, which offers 100 sends per month for free.

Best wishes in “using the modern means of communications” (Vatican II).

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Quote for today: “Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.” Pope Benedict XVI

Recently I spoke with a priest who is helping a contemplative community attract vocations.

“Why don’t they put up a website?” I asked.

“They want to print a 32-page color booklet on their community,” he said.

“But that will cost thousands of dollars - and women who are searching for religious communities are looking on the web,” I said. “A website can be changed easily, and there are no postage fees.”

I explained to him that websites, blogs, and enewsletters are where it’s at in opening your doors to vocations. Single persons are using search engines to look for religious communities, and also looking at blogs, and enewsletters.

Here’s a “how to” to use the internet to attract vocation seekers:

Website: Change content frequently, since changes are noticed by search engines, which give you a higher ranking. Get incoming links from other religious communities and related organizations. Links help search rankings, too. Or write a blog that links back to your website (see below).

Blog: Start a blog, which is a kind of journal about which you can post articles and photos. Talk about the charism of your community. Your friends will keep coming back for more news. There are many free blogs sites, such as Blogger.com, Wordpress.com, and Livejournal.com. Blogs can also be installed on your website.

Check out this Google list of Catholic vocation blogs. Some are a bit goofy (with a picture of a movie star), but many inspire one to a true spirituality and community life.

Enewsletter: Keep in touch with your contacts about your Come and See days, or about the latest events in your community. Send them from your own email program, such as Outlook, or, if the list gets too big — or if you just want to make your newsletter look better with nice graphics — use an easy-to-use commercial service, such as Constant Contact (used for this newsletter), for as low as $15/mo., and which also has a free 60-day trial. Or Enewsletters Online, which offers 100 sends per month for free.

Best wishes in “using the modern means of communications” (Vatican II).

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Quote for today: “Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God’s call.” Pope Benedict XVI

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Resources:
Roman Catholic Vocations Blog shown above