Evangelization Supplement
Web site’s mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ
A screenshot of the archdiocesan homepage.
By Mike Krokos
One million and counting.
That’s how many pages have been viewed on the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Web site during the last 18 months.
Three hundred thousand. That figure represents the number of visitors the Web site has had over that same time period.
“We have about 950 people come to the archdiocesan Web site each day,” said Brandon A. Evans, archdiocesan Web site manager, who also serves as The Criterion’s online editor.
Thanks to a Web site redesign that was launched last October, more and more people have been visiting the archdiocesan site. The Criterion’s online edition has risen from about
50-60 visitors per day in 2005 to 250 people daily.
While the number of people visiting agencies’ Web pages is increasing, Evans says that the Web site’s overall mission remains a constant: to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to inform people about all aspects of archdiocesan life.
Evangelization is at the heart of every archdiocesan ministry, and that is taken to heart where the Web site is concerned, Evans said.
“As a local Church, we offer so many diverse services and chances for people to learn and live the Gospel,” he said, “and each of our subsites is a reflection of that particular agency’s way of going about that mission.”
For example, the evangelization office’s Web site includes links to adult faith formation, outreach to inactive or inalienated Catholics, ecumenism, small Christian communities, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Christ Renew His Parish and Disciples in Mission.
“The goal of our site is to be an online home for Catholics and to be a tool of evangelization, to draw all people more deeply into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to help them stay connected to the broad world of our faith,” said John Valenti, associate director of evangelization and faith formation for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
People from all walks of life are looking for something meaningful, and a growing number of them are going online for answers, Valenti said.
“The Internet is more than just a medium of communication. The Internet in itself is ‘a community,’ ” he said. “Jesus asks us to take his message ‘to the ends of the earth’ ” (Mt 28:19).
“If this is the medium people are using to look for the truth, then that is where we need to be,” Valenti said. “We have the truth of Jesus Christ and must use all the available tools to make the voice of the Lord comprehensive and accessible.”
Since the World Wide Web knows no boundaries where age is concerned, Valenti said he believes the Internet is an effective way to reach today’s younger generations of Catholics.
“The Web is revolutionizing the tools of evangelism,” he said. “Our Web site provides news and information in a high-tech age to a culture conditioned for quick responses and quick service.
“In order to evangelize successfully, we have a number of pages and links with explanations of the Gospel, thought-provoking articles and question-and-answer sections,” Valenti said.
“The Web site serves as a place where people can explore the Christian faith,” he noted, “and look for the answers for their own questions concerning it.”
In his dual role as archdiocesan Web site manager and online editor for The Criterion, Evans says catechesis is consistently on his mind as he updates Web site material.
“There are so many Catholics hungry for the rich answers that the Church provides—or looking for that authentic angle on a Church story that they are not finding in the secular press,” he said, “and I hope in some way [that] our site can bring those things to people.
“In this way, www.archindy.org cooperates with Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, becoming one way that he fulfills his mission to teach the faithful.” †
