On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
I checked out the web site for the Catholic Church near me. It looks like something out of the ’90s! Not very inviting.
I wish I could say this is unusual, but it’s not. Would that more parishes were so alive and had so much talent on staff or in the pews that they could develop sites like that of Baltimore’s Church of the Nativity, 
a parish that has attracted widespread attention for the way it has engaged and grown its congregation.
An aged or boring web site does not necessarily mean an aged or boring parish, however. Maybe the parish focuses the collection and donations on social justice, or on education programs for children and adults. Maybe they know their online presence needs a boost, but they don’t know what to do. Go to Mass. Go to some events. Talk to some folks. Maybe it means they need your help in this important area.
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