Religious Education Website

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Religious Education Website

• Mary Queen of the Rosary
• Religious Education Committee
• Idea Proposal
• Kyle Sullivan
• 10/20/05

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Why a website?

• Busy world, demand for information 24/7
• Provide one source of information
• Living Schedules and event update
• Allows parents to stay abreast, even from work
• Tools for students, parents, teachers
• Promotes community
• Online discussion forum
• Album for events
• Encourage youth involvement
• Good for the Church- The Church and Internet
  (Pontifical Council for Social Communication,
  2002)

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Web Technology

• Content management system (CMS)
• Mambo, Open Source (FREE!)
• Upgradeable features
• Uses a database
• Safe, Secure, Dependable
• Needs very little administration
• YOU add content from ANY web-enabled PC
• Can password protect sections of site for
  registered members.
• Could serve BOTH Religious Ed and Entire Parish
  needs (latter is recommended)

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Features

• Religious Education /Faith Formation
• FF Documents
• Calendar/Schedule
• Meet the teachers
• Curriculum
• Review of weekly assignment
• Upcoming sacraments/events
• News sections
• Newsflash (help needed, breaking news like
  snowdays)
• Please pray for section
• This week in Faith Formation
• Upcoming Events
• Past events (e.g. Status of fund raiser)
• Diocesan news

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Features cont

• Contact
• Provides a location to allow parishioners
  visibility to whos who (commitees, ministries)
• Phone numbers, email
• Frequently Asked Questions
• About Faith Formation (FF) Program
• About Parish
• About our Faith
• Links Pages
• Useful links to Catholic sites, Catechism
• Links for Students
• Links for parents

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Features cont

• Online Event Schedule
• Includes time/date of classes
• Special events
• Mass times, dedications
• Holy Days
• Rehearsals
• Committee Meetings
• New to Parish Section
• Map of Parish Campus showing what is where
• Parish background (maybe a FAQ?)
• Inquiry Class info

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Features cont

• Information Sections
• Youth-Focused Section (See LifeTeen example)
• Weekly Bulletins
• Listing of Prayers
• Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals info
• Ministries
• CAP Reports (Movie ratings tool for Christian
  parents)
• Directions to church, special event locations
• Catholicism links

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Flexibility

• Ability to customize look/feel
• Can update from ANY COMPUTER and publish
  immediately
• Can disable features
• Can add features
• Podcasting
• RSS (join automatically with other churches)
• Subscriptions (with new news, user get automated
  email)
• Audio homilies (great for those who are
  home-bound)

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Example Site 1
Valuable source of Catholic information. One
place to find prayers!
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Example Site 2
Expansive section just for Religious Education.
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Example Site 3
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Mary, Queen of the Rosary Site Concept
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Options

• Integrate new website as entire Parish solution
• One Place for all information
• Easier to use
• Ask Mark Bouvier to post a link on the existing
  site to the new sub site

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Timeline

• Determine Path / Approval (1 month, Committee, Fr
  Jim, Mark Bouvier). Determine colors/theme.
• Complete site and test (1 month, Kyle)
• Church gets equipped with Internet access
• Training (1 week, All, Kyle)
• Setup staff with email address (forwarding or
  new)
• Preload site with content (1 month, Office
  staff,Kyle)
• Announcement in-mass and bulletin (2 weekends)
• Add links to bulletin! (continuous)
• Promote website to diocese and Masstimes.com,
  newspaper

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Challenges and Obstacles

• Which direction to go?
• Parish still low-tech (lacking reliable access to
  Internet)
• Migration from existing site
• Staff and volunteers participation. Must
  contribute to the site weekly! Must be kept
  FRESH!
• Consistent parish awareness of site. Active
  parishioners and staff members should be
  promoting the site regularly.
• Get youth buy-in on the site- cool place to find
  out whats going on (must follow up with good
  programs of course).