Lent 2019 Parish Website and Social Media Preplanning Worksheet

In four weeks, Lent 2019 begins. Lent is a special time of grace in the Church and we can support and foster our visitors in their desire to grow in holiness through inspiring and welcoming images, thoughtful reflections and links to meaningful content. It is not too late or too early to preplan your Lenten online communications. Ash Wednesday is March 6.

I have created a preplanning worksheet which I am sharing with you to use if you find it helpful. I inserted some obvious post recommendations, which you can follow or not, but I would recommend that you take in hand your parish calendar for Lent and add to this worksheet key religious/Lenten activities that will help your parishioners live a more spiritually enriching Lent.

Here are things you want to include:

• Schedules: Lent/Easter overall and specifically: Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. It is good to post the full schedule early, but also prior to specific day to announce them again.

• Religious Events: Stations of the Cross, Communal Reconciliation Service, Confession Times and any other religious activities such as retreats or days of recollection.

• Lenten Service Activities

Watch for announcements of daily online Lenten reflections to be provided by various Catholic religious writers, publishers, and organizations. These are usually free. Some you can embed on your website and others you can share on Facebook and Twitter as they are posted. As you find these, please share them with us in the comments below.

This year, two solemnities fall during Lent: St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary (March 19) and the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25). Think about the brief message and image you would like to post. Many Catholic organizations on Catholic Facebook sites often publish posts for Solemnities. If you do not have time to create one yourself, share the posts that others create. (Do a search on Facebook for the Solemnity you are looking for and you will find what is available. Share something from a source you trust. You can also do a search on YouTube—sometimes there are video meditations or reflections that you can share.)

Here is the link to the excel worksheet.  You will need to Enable Editing to work on the sheet.

Happy planning!