Custom design connects parish, school, and childhood center

Mar 3, 2021 by

Diane Kern

The mission of the Church reaches and serves far beyond sanctuary doors.

Rooted in our own communities are Catholic schools, food pantries, soup kitchens, women centers, and other ministries that are also connected to parishes and diocesan faith communities. The service of these ministries reach far into the lives of many, yet they are still a part of the mission which the parish stands behind.

So how can you showcase unity between organizations and a Church?

Creating unity through website design

In Lees Summit, Missouri is the parish of Our Lady of the Presentation, their grade school, and early childhood development center. A longtime eCatholic customer, the parish wanted to elevate their website communication amid changes brought on by a pandemic. Already having an older custom design, the parish wanted to go that same route with a refreshed look; however, this time they'd also bring along their grade school and early childhood center for improved communication as well as a chance to show greater unity between all three.

"Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church has always fostered a ‘community’ identity with our grade school and Early Childhood Center (ECC). Both the school and ECC are ministries of the parish and we wanted to brand our parish as one community of faith."

- Anna Mitchell, Our Lady of the Presentation Director of Communications

Determining key elements of focus

Going the path of a custom design website allowed Our Lady of the Presentation the opportunity to truly hone in on the elements that best fit their communication needs while also boasting unity. They were able to allow the uniqueness of each ministry shine through and even though connected, each site could still tell their individual stories.

“Our grade school and ECC are very much a part of the overall parish life which is reflected in the one design concept used for each site.”

- Anna Mitchell, Our Lady of the Presentation Director of Communications

1

Similarity among major characteristics

Unified elements such as specific font styles and navigation systems were crafted along with header and footer regions decorated with a beautiful site name prominently displayed on each site. Together, these elements reveal a “having been here before,” feeling for users traveling between all three domains.

2

Space for individual logos and colors

Each site boasted their own uniqueness with organization logos featured alongside the beautifully displayed site name, and colors specifically coordinated with their individual branding can be seen in custom button overlays, site navigation, linked buttons, as well as other subtle design accents.

3

Call-to-action and connectedness

Going beyond style, unified functions to engage visitors and allow them to easily move among the organizations are also apparent. Header regions feature links to connect the ministries to one another and to offer the community a way to engage through social media channels. All three homepages include a specially designed information bar, that extends an invitation for how to participate and connect further.

“When people search for a church home, it is important to us that visitors see that our church, school and ECC are one community of faith and we think our website reflects this message. ”

- Anna Mitchell, Our Lady of the Presentation Director of Communications

When it all came together

The process to create a shared design that unifies yet uniquely showcases all three entities was an exciting journey. Our Lady of the Presentation greatly improved online communication for three websites while deeply rooting their mission among all these organizations. As the final touches were completed, a webinar tutorial introduced the new sites to the entire group of staff and volunteers that will maintain them. And the rest was history!

"I would recommend a custom design by eCatholic. We have a large and busy parish and there is not always time for the creativity that a website demands. To have a team design our website and then show us how to get the most out of it has been a blessing."

- Anna Mitchell, Our Lady of the Presentation Director of Communications

Does your parish have large ministries working in your local community? Let us know how your parish, or diocese, creates unity among its own ministries in a comment below!