{mosimage}Michael Hoerner, the first full-time webmaster in this diocese, joined the Catholic Pastoral Center staff in mid-April and worked for about 10 weeks updating the Web site, which was unveiled earlier this month.
The new Web site features a blog, message board, photo page of recent diocesan happenings, calendar of upcoming diocesan-wide and parish events, job openings within the diocese and a podcast -- audio clips that can be listened to on a computer or loaded onto an mp3 player such as an iPod - of Bishop George Lucas' weekly Catholic Times column. Updated Catholic Times issues will be added as each new addition is published.
The diocese also acts as a Web host to seven parishes. "Once everything with the diocesan site is completed, we are going to offer parishes assistance in creating a Web presence and then offer them the option of hosting those sites for free," Hoerner said.
Additionally, site visitors will probably notice a small red convertible carrying Bishop Lucas as he "drives" across the diocese. Before too long that section will highlight digital photos taken as Bishop Lucas makes pastoral visits to various parishes.
As webmaster, Hoerner is in charge of receiving questions on the message board and leading general discussions. "I will receive the questions, determine which person in the curia should answer the question and then we will post the answer," he said. For example, when a person had a question about how to become a Catholic, Eliot Kapitan, director of worship and the Catechumenate, was the diocesan expert who provided the answer.
The site also features a complete listing of all parishes in the diocese, along with a photograph, address and contact information for the churches. Schools in the diocese are also listed. "A Google map is available on the site so that a person can input an address and get driving directions to the church," Hoerner said. Visitors to the Web site will be able to use the search box to look for various topics.
"We're trying to target younger Catholics, to draw in the younger people and those who are away from the church," said Dan Gauwitz, associate director of Information Technology. "We know, for example, that the October count shows a continuing decline in Mass attendance over the past 10 years. We want people to come back to the church and when they choose to come back, they will be able to look at the Web site and find a church to attend.
"When the day comes when they wonder about their Catholic religion, they are going to be able to use this site to find answers to their questions," Gauwitz said. "So, what we are doing is in keeping with the bishop's initiative toward catechesis."
Research regarding "visits" to the Web site - prior to its reconstruction - shows that the previous Web site averaged about 7,500 visits with over 25,000 pages viewed a month. "That is more than 300,000 page views a year," Gauwitz said. Both Hoerner and Gauwitz believe that number will increase as more people become aware of the additional information available on the site.
Although the new Web site is up and running, Hoerner calls it a work in progress that is, of course, constantly being updated. "What was launched on the Web site on July 8 wasn't the finished product," he said. "It is a work in progress, meaning we are always going to be looking for new features to add to the site, and modifying current features based on parishioner input. Visitors should frequently check back to see what is new."