A major men’s community of priests and brothers has attracted three out of its four new vocations through their website. Not only that, but these new men are tech-savvy, which means their computer skills will aid the community greatly.

As I have mentioned, in the business community, a good website with a promotion program consisting of a blog and other social media tends to attract a higher-educated and more technologically-sophisticated crowd. This holds true of religious vocations, too. We at TreeFrogClick built the website for this men’s community, the Order of Mercy, and developed a video, and have advised them in their internet vocations program.

To find out more about how we can help increase vocations in your community, contact Kevin Banet at 708-393-4098, or kevin@treefrogclick.com. For tips on website publicity, go to our website at www.GreatCatholicWebsites.com.

Today’s religious communities should know that the internet allows Christ to walk the streets of the city and knock on each of our doors.

That was part of the message of the 44th World Communications Day, issued by Pope Benedict XVI Jan. 24.

“The world of digital communication, with its almost limitless expressive capacity,” the Holy Father said in his letter, “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word”,  “makes us appreciate all the more Saint Paul’s exclamation: ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.’ (1 Cor 9:16)

The letter was written with the Year for the Priest in mind, but the Pope mentioned all consecrated people as well:

Consecrated men and women working in the media have a special responsibility for opening the door to new forms of encounter, maintaining the quality of human interaction, and showing concern for individuals and their genuine spiritual needs. They can thus help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord’s presence, to grow in expectation and hope, and to draw near to the Word of God which offers salvation and fosters an integral human development.

One of the biggest changes for religious, in my mind, is that with a blog or website, the community’s message reaches out beyond those whom they meet in person, to a much wider audience - the whole world. In our Pro-Life SearchRank program, used by pregnancy centers, our news stories are read by people in Canada, Australia, the Philippines, Nigeria, India, and other places where English is spoken. When I look at the Google Analytics map of the world and see the countries lit up, showing web visits, it makes me proud that all of these people are being reached with the pro-life message. The same happens with religious communities, I’m sure.

The Pope, who now has a YouTube channel, said also in his letter,

In this way the Word can traverse the many crossroads created by the intersection of all the different “highways” that form “cyberspace”, and show that God has his rightful place in every age, including our own.

— Kevin J. Banet
President, TreeFrogClick web services

A Time of Grace for Youth

The largest parish-based vocations conference in the country is asking for your prayers for the success of its March 5-8, 2009 event in the Chicago area.

The annual HERE I AM LORD National Conference expects 3,000 or more youth and adults for its St. Charles, IL event, and it is filled with prayer, expert Catholic speakers and top-rated Catholic musicians.

“Though marketed as a ‘vocations conference,’ HERE I AM LORD is so much more,” says conference coordinator Michelle Tack. “During the conference weekend we have programming for grade school students, Confirmation programs for high school students, and evening programs for adult formation and children of all ages.  While our guest speakers and musicians are all exceptional, what makes this conference what it is, are the priests, brothers, and sisters who attend.”

Michelle is right — I went to last year’s conference. I found that this event is a special time of grace in which Christ-centered, authentically Catholic direction is given in such an important time in the life of youth. The event is designed to bring teens and religious communities together. Experience has shown that these kinds of conferences are what are giving a real boost to vocations throughout the country.

As I’m sure Michelle has heard before, I wish such Catholic events were around when I was growing up.

Michelle is asking primarily for your prayer support, especially among  cloistered communities, many of whom have made a commitment to do so. She invites them to send a display and information on their charism. If there is a representative that they would like to send, organizers will be pleased to accommodate them and the arrangements for their stay.

Find out more at the HIAL website.
Religious Prayer Warriors
Religious registration on the St. Pat’s website.

Advertise Your Community on the
HERE I AM LORD Website

Your religious community or diocese can advertise on the HERE I AM LORD (HIAL) website for a reasonable fee. You ad will be clearly visible to the more than one thousand web visitors expected over the next few months.

When your ad is clicked, visitors will be taken to your community’s website. The HIAL website, designed by TreeFrogClick, is where conference organizers and youth come to learn about the conference.

Now is the time to advertise, since visits are expected to triple between December and the time of the event. More than one thousand unique web visitors are expected in March, based on last year’s experience.

For rates and more information, go to TreeFrogClick’s HIAL-Religious Ads.