I know you're in the thick of sacraments so I'll keep this short: Whenever I'm working on communications for parishes, there is one thing I always ask for and very few churches have: Photos. Particularly, photos of people looking happy doing things at your church. As much as we love (and do want to showcase!) beautiful church architecture and prayer spaces, I'd wager that 95% of people aren't going to your church because of how it looks. It's because of how you make them feel. And one of the...
6 days ago • 1 min read
On Easter Monday, my husband's 92-year-old grandmother went to go be with her Lord whom she loved so dearly. I could go on and on about how incredible this woman was and how blessed I feel to have been known and loved by her for the past decade. The second reading at her funeral was Colossians 3:12-17, and let's just say, my mouth dropped open as I realized she checked off every single one of those attributes. Literally every single one. It was like it was written about her. I aspire to be...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Back in Lent, I went on a mini-tangent here in the newsletter about the trend I was seeing in turning liturgical seasons into sales seasons. I shared that there was some liturgical season-themed marketing I didn't mind, and others that bothered me, and I couldn't quite put my finger on what the distinction was. Since then, I've tried to be more cognizant of what I find annoying and not from a consumer perspective, as someone who is subscribed to a LOT of Catholic businesses' email lists. And...
13 days ago • 4 min read
I plopped my head down on the giant conference room table, the throbbing pressure making it feel like it weighed at least 580 pounds. My pillow? Piles of giant 11x17 papers strewn about haphazardly, marked by giant circles of red pen. I stared blankly across the table to my co-worker, who looked about as haggard as I did. "I hate it," I groaned, rubbing my eyes. "I officially hate all of it." Suddenly, epiphany and relief spread across our faces. "It's done!" we proclaimed! "It" was the...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Scroll down for your free sacrament evangelization flyer template! ↓ Inhale in, exhale out. Ahhhh. Feel refreshed from the craziness of Holy Week and Easter? Good. Because now it's Crazy Church Time Part 2: Sacrament Season. In the stress of making sure the ten thousand tiny felt pieces of everyone's First Communion banner are still attached, And reiterating for the 15th time to your spring brides that no, they cannot walk down the aisle to their favorite pop song... ...we can forget the...
20 days ago • 4 min read
Two years ago, I ran a teen retreat on what it meant to be a follower of Jesus, and what that looked like practically in today's day and age. At one point in the retreat, I looked at the group and explained that we'd been doing a lot of talking about (and a fair number of fun and silly activities about) the joys of following Jesus. And it is a joy. But I also reminded them that the call to the original disciples — and us — wasn't exactly cheery: "Take up your cross and follow me." I explained...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I'll keep this short because I know that this week is the busiest of the year for you: The #1 thing you can do for people this week is to pray for them. I know you know that. I know that's why you got into this work in the first place. But it can be so easy to forget in the chaos that is Holy Week. So instead of teaching you something this week, I wondered if you'd join me in just a few minutes of prayer, right now. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen....
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Don't miss the free Easter and Divine Mercy flyer template at the bottom of this email! During Lent and Advent, I spend a lot of time in this newsletter sharing strategies for how you can advertise your Masses for the two biggest days of the year. But this year, it hit me: If you're like most parishes, you don't actually need more people these two days. Your pews are likely packed with standing room only. (In fact, you might even want LESS people at the 4 pm Christmas Eve Mass because you're...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
What was I working on this week? Something that I won't start promoting for another 336 days. For years now, I've wanted to offer an Easter template pack for churches, some easy digital and print assets they could use to promote Easter Masses, since it's a prime time for evangelization. I've never really been able to land on a theme though, and so I dismissed the thought for this year. Until, as usual, the Lord gave me a fountain of inspiration all at once, and I eagerly set to work. The only...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read