“But it’s not about us,” the mother superior said firmly.
I had just been explaining to the superior of a contemplative community that “About Us” is the term used on websites to describe an organization or company. This is what internet users expect to see on a website.
But mother superior did not want to draw attention to their own members. The whole idea of a contemplative community is for its members to give themselves completely to the contemplation of God and his wonders. They wound up choosing the term “community life” for the tab on their webpage.
Giving One’s Self to God
Years ago there was an advertising slogan, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Well, when it comes to vocations, you have to break the rule. In fact, the steak is what is being sold – not the sizzle. You may be able to sell a car parked next to a pretty woman, but those men and women interested in religious life want to know how your community gives itself to God.
These people have seen the sizzle in the world, and they want the steak. They know that what is eternal – God Himself – is far more important than snazzy cars, fancy restaurants, and vacations in the Caribbean.
So while a website’s beauty and functionality is important, what is essential in your message to prospective vocations is the primacy of giving oneself to God. Your communication need to focus on that.
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Quote for the Feast of St. Francis
“Yesterday’s mail brought another vocation inquiry. The young woman is discerning a Poor Clare vocation. Ours was the first website she found. Even after viewing the others she came back to ours, and it is to us that she has written.”
— Poor Clares of Santa Barbara,
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