1. Social Media and the local
Catholic Church
How can parishes best use online tools?
Submitted by Melissa Lynch Hoffmann
MSPC 3050 • Professor Julie Frechette
April 2011

2. Why social media?
Check out the numbers...
• 30% of Catholics age 18-29 attend weekly
Mass
• 86% of Americans age 18-29 are active users
of social media
• 63% of Catholics over age 65 attend weekly
Mass
• 26% of Americans over 65 use social media,
although that figure is on the rise
SOURCES
http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/state_of_the_church_2006.html
http://technorati.com/blogging/article/pew-study-shows-social-media-use/

3. Guidelines
Social media are the fastest growing form of communication in the United States,
especially among youth and young adults. Our Church cannot ignore it, but at the same
time we must engage social media in a manner that is safe, responsible, and civil.
~ U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Social media must consider...
• Visibility
• Community
• Accountability

4. Parishes should...
• Define boundaries
• Include a clear Code of Conduct
• Offer instructions for parish representatives
posting to social media
• Provide guidance on dealing with difficult
“fans”
• Recommend sites for reference

5. Who knew the Vatican was
so modern?
• Pope Benedict XVI has a Facebook page - the
Vatican even has a YouTube channel
• The Catholic Church has a business page
• St. George’s Church in Worcester actively
uses social media, but only 38 likes on
Facebook
• Archdiocese of Boston posts readings, daily
prayer requests, Mass intentions, articles of
interest

6. What will social media do
for a parish?
To establish social media presence,
a church needs to determine what its goal is...
• Foster community
• Attract new parishioners
• Increase fundraising
• Combination of the three

7. Our Lady of
Mount Carmel
• Parish wants to establish social media
presence
• What is the goal?
• Strategy:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Flickr

8. Facebook Strategy
• Balance posts between social and “religious”
• Include event information
• Share schedules
• Post articles of interest
• Introduce parish workers

9. Facebook Goals
• Active Facebook page can complement an
already vibrant parish
• Page can remind parishioners of holy days,
upcoming events, church needs
• Page should also tie into the local
community
• Encourage interaction between parish and
community

10. Twitter
• Option to connect Facebook and Twitter
would make it easier for a limited staff
• Retweet parishioners, community groups,
diocese, Vatican…
• Tweet information about events, links to
relevant articles

11. YouTube
• Create YouTube videos: “Meet your Church”
• Link to videos that explain holy days, church
doctrine
• Share the Vatican’s YouTube videos,
particularly those addressing negative
situations (i.e., abuse)

12. Flickr
• Upload photos of church events
• Provide an opportunity for parishioners to
share their own photos
• A Flickr set could replace the printed parish
directory, which would save money

13. Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s
Social Media Strategy
• Create official Facebook page and accounts
on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr once website
redesign is complete
• Announce social media in bulletin
• Encourage parish staff to engage
• Post at least twice weekly – social and
religious information

14. Sites cited...
http://www.delicious.com/melissa_hoffmann