St. Augustine of Hippo famously referred to God as “ever ancient,
ever new.” In the Arlington Diocese, the ancient truths of the Catholic faith
are now easily discoverable, along with fresh content from the bishop and upcoming
diocesan events, on the new website — arlingtondiocese.org.
Soren Johnson, the bishop’s delegate for evangelization and
media, along with the diocesan team, believed the website needed an update and
they began the design process in the summer of 2016. The site was launched on Jan.
29, and improvements will be ongoing, said Johnson.
“(We) really prioritized a welcoming and intuitive site, a
visually appealing site, (and) of course a mobile friendly site with a
comprehensive integration of social media,” he said.
Visitors to the new site are greeted by a picture of Arlington
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge perusing the webpage. “As Blessed Pope Paul VI said,
the church ‘exists to evangelize,’ and on this new site we have done our best
to provide you with the right tools to help your family, friends and community
in the journey of faith as they go forth and spread the Good News,” the bishop
said in a welcome video.
Mass times, resources for Spanish-speaking Catholics and ways to
learn more about the faith are among the most prominent features on the home
page. A slider shows news from the diocese, such as Catholic Schools Week. Buttons
linking the viewer to the diocesan social media platforms are available near
the top.
Many photos from the site show diocesan churches and parishioners,
giving an overall feel for the people who make up the local church. Johnson hopes
the site serves as a way to connect Catholics to their parishes and for the
bishop to share his pastoral priorities with the diocese.
“We’re just trying to put out a great site,” he said.
The new diocesan website complements the recently redesigned
catholicherald.com. The Catholic Herald has been online since 1996, and
underwent a redesign in 2008, but its new look is more suited to mobile
browsing.
Photo slideshows, videos and social media are seamlessly
integrated in the design, along with prominent placement for Spanish language
articles. The new website makes it easy to buy photos taken by the Catholic Herald staff, find subscription information,
take out a classified ad and contact staff writers via email and Twitter.
