Over the past four years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has supported parishes and ministries in strengthening their communication strategies through consultations, training sessions, and practical recommendations to improve their websites, social media, and other communication channels, helping them reach more people in the faith community.
What began as a response to the pastoral challenges that emerged after the pandemic became an ongoing effort to help parish communities communicate more effectively, increase participation among parishioners, and support their mission of evangelization.
To address this need, the archdiocese launched the Hispanic Communications Plan for Parishes in September 2022. The initiative is funded by the Crimsonbridge Foundation and was initially developed with parish communities that have Hispanic ministry programs.
The project has helped support nearly 40 parish communities across Washington, D.C., and five counties in Maryland, assisting them in giving greater visibility to their ministries, reaching new families, and strengthening the sense of belonging among those who are part of the life of the Church.
The beginning of the initiative
By 2022, all parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington already had a website and, in many cases, social media accounts as the result of an effort conducted in the years leading up to the pandemic. In addition, the archdiocese was already providing access to the eCatholic and Flocknote platforms to support communication between parish communities and their parishioners. The archdiocese’s Office of Communications also offered guidance to pastors and parish communicators interested in establishing social media accounts and receiving training in the use of these new tools.
Although the mission from the beginning was to provide Spanish-language content for those parish platforms, our team first had to identify where and how that content would be published. To do so, our specialists reviewed the various communication channels used by the 42 parishes with Hispanic ministry that had been selected for this first phase of the project.
However, in 2022, the Office of Communications, working together with the Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach, had already launched a pilot program in which three parishes were selected to participate in a cohort model. The program included a review of each parish’s website and communication channels, an approach that was later maintained as the project expanded to other participating communities.
At that time, parishes were still facing the effects of the pandemic, and although in-person celebrations had resumed, participation in Mass and the sacraments had not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels for many parishioners.
In that context, strengthening communications was not simply a technical matter; it was a pastoral necessity. It was about helping parishes reconnect with their communities, reminding people that the doors of the Church were open again, and inviting them to return to the celebration of the Eucharist and to parish life.
For that reason, since 2022 I have had the privilege of working alongside the talented team of professionals in the Office of Communications to support pastors, communications assistants, and other parish leaders in their efforts to improve the way they inform, engage, and communicate with their communities.
This experience has allowed me to gain a close understanding of the challenges and limitations faced by many parish communities, but also an understanding of the opportunities, creativity, and commitment with which they conduct their mission of evangelization.
Looking back, it is meaningful to recall that this initiative was partly inspired by the recommendations of the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry in 2018. During the communications and digital media discussions, Catholic communicators from dioceses and media organizations shared ideas on evangelization through digital platforms. Those conversations underscored the need to strengthen parish communications and expand the Church’s digital presence. Today, many of those recommendations continue to shape pastoral efforts that help parishes engage their communities in more personal and effective ways across the archdiocese.
A strategy in service of evangelization
This communications initiative was created with a simple yet ambitious goal: to help parishes attract more people to the Church, communicate the richness of their pastoral life more effectively, and use digital tools to strengthen evangelization, faith formation, and parishioner engagement.
Through this initiative, pastors of participating parishes received digital reports with suggestions and recommendations; they were introduced to communication resources available through the archdiocese; and they received support to strengthen their websites, e-newsletters, social media accounts, Flocknote, and other communication platforms. Policies related to social media and digital communications were also reviewed.
Beyond technology, the purpose has been to help parishes reach those who already participate regularly in the life of the Church, reconnect with Catholics who are no longer actively engaged in parish life, and bring spiritual support, faith formation, and pastoral resources to families most in need.
Over time, we found that each parish had different needs, but the goal remained the same: helping more people learn about the life of their parish community, find opportunities to grow in faith, and feel invited to participate more actively in the mission of the Church.
Reaching this point has been possible because of the collaboration of pastors, priests, parish staffs, and volunteers who opened the doors of their communities to assess needs, share experiences, and implement new communication strategies in service of evangelization.
The support of digital communications specialists and various archdiocesan offices has also been essential. In a special way, I am grateful for the collaboration of my archdiocesan Office of Communications colleagues Angela Parsons, the director of digital media; Gabrielle Trivelli, the social media and design coordinator; and Geoffrey Ros, the director of multimedia production; whose expertise and willingness to support parishes contributed significantly to the development of the first phase of this initiative.
This effort was further strengthened by the archdiocese’s news outlets, El Pregonero and Catholic Standard, which highlighted parishioners, pastoral initiatives, and events, helping share the richness of parish life across the archdiocese.
Over the past year, we have observed a much stronger presence on social media among many parishes, prayer groups, and youth ministries. Likewise, some pastors have begun using both parish accounts and their personal social media platforms to share reflections, promote pastoral activities, and evangelize.
Beyond promoting events and announcements, many communities have begun to highlight the daily life of their parishes through photographs and testimonies from parishioners, volunteers, and parish leaders, as well as images of liturgical celebrations, faith formation programs, cultural activities, and community gatherings.
This more personal and authentic approach helps reflect the life of the parish, strengthens the sense of belonging, and offers a more welcoming invitation to those seeking to draw closer to the Church.
The fruits of accompaniment
Beyond technical improvements and the adoption of new tools, one of the most encouraging results of this effort has been the positive response from many pastors, who have come to see communications as an opportunity to increase the visibility of parish life and strengthen their connection with parishioners.
For example, Father Shaun Foggo, the pastor of St. Joseph in Beltsville, Maryland, has expressed his appreciation for the support provided to strengthen parish communications through websites, social media, and electronic newsletters at both Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, his previous assignment, and now at St. Joseph.
According to Father Foggo, these efforts “have helped bring greater visibility to parish life and to the many activities taking place within the community.” He also noted the continued growth of the Hispanic community, reflected in increased participation by families, children, and young people in liturgical celebrations, catechesis programs, and various ministries, many of which have been promoted through online communications.
Likewise, Father Pawel Sass, who served as the pastor of Nativity Parish in Washington, D.C., from 2020 to 2026, noted that the recommendations provided helped strengthen the parish’s communications and online presence. He especially appreciated the practical suggestions related to content publishing and the more effective use of digital platforms, which expanded the reach of parish messages both within the local community and beyond.
Father Sass currently serves as pastor of the Shrine of St. Jude Parish in Rockville, Maryland, where he continues to use various digital channels as tools for evangelization and communication with the faithful.
The journey continues
While the progress made so far is a reason for gratitude, the work is far from finished. The archdiocese includes more than 100 parishes and 90 schools that could benefit from this support and from the best practices that have already borne fruit in communities throughout the region.
Looking ahead, we hope that more parishes will continue to see communications as an opportunity to share the faith, strengthen connections with their communities, and highlight the many good things that take place every day in parish life.
These communication strategies will also serve as a useful tool for parishes as they promote and implement the six pastoral priorities proposed by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy for the Archdiocese of Washington.
The experience of these four years has shown us that, when available tools are used effectively, it is possible to reach more people and present the mission of the Church in a more personal and authentic way.
The door remains open to those who wish to take this journey. Following this first phase focused on parishes with Hispanic ministry programs, the mission remains unchanged: to accompany our communities as they strengthen their pastoral and evangelizing communications, helping more people find in the Church a place of encounter, faith, and community.
Because behind every updated website, every newsletter sent, and every social media post, there is an opportunity to bring someone closer to Christ and to the life of the Church.
(Miguel Guilarte is the Parish Support/Hispanic Communication Integration Specialist for the Office of Communications for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.)
