8:10 AM | Mass in the Cathedral

Start your day in prayer. The Cathedral celebrates Mass each day at 8:10 AM.

9:00 AM | Check-in

Follow the signs to the Gathering Space, where you’ll sign in, get a cup of coffee, and introduce yourself to some new friends before we kick things off.

9:15 AM | Welcome

The Archdiocese’s Office of Communications starts the day by sharing the ways they can support you in the work you do at your parish.

9:45 AM | Session #1: How to Effectively Engage Your Parishioners

You’re pulling your hair out trying to get people to show up to events, like and comment on your social posts, and – just once – to actually, read the emails you send. So how do we get parishioners to respond to our communications program? To more deeply invest in their parish community? We’ll talk through those challenges and some best practices for reaching your parishioners.

11:00 AM | Session #2: What Goes on Your Website

Your website is the front door to your parish. Before any guest visits your sanctuary, they’ll have visited your website looking for Mass times, browsing the bulletin, and looking up the clergy listings. Are you making the best possible first impression? Is your website accurately expressing your community’s culture? We’ll walk you through website essentials, and how the Cathedral followed the data to overhaul its website.

12:00 PM | Lunch

Lunch is provided! Here’s a chance to make new friends and talk through the challenges of your role with other parish communicators.

1:15 PM | Session #3: Social Media is a Ministry

Your parish has a Facebook, you’re thinking about Instagram, and you’re scared to death of TikTok. We’ll go behind the scenes of your social channels to spotlight some essential best practices.

2:30 PM | Session #4: Making Videos

Video is in demand – on your website, on your social channels, and in your emails. But where do you start, when all you’ve got is a cell phone? We’ll unfold the process for video production, from the equipment you need, to lighting and framing, to tools for editing – plus the best approaches for using video on your website, email, and social channels.

3:30 PM | Closing

How Did We Pick These Topics?

Through the Communique and by email, we sent out a survey this April to Archdiocesan parish communications professionals. We crunched the results and decided to focus on four of the top priorities indicated by survey respondents.

See a summary of the survey results