Createtext.ie - Bulk Texting made easy

Another technology proving to be a hit with parishes is our Createtext.ie SMS service. It is the cheapest and easiest way to send bulk text messages in the country.

Costing less than 4c per message, this allows you to conveniently notify people of upcoming events or duty rosters. Mass readers, Eucharistic Ministers or an entire weekend team can be set up together and details entered via phone or PC.

Text messages can also be sheduled to send out roster reminders. This can also work for meetings of the Parish Council or other groups.

Parish administrator, Fr Tom Hoan and Michael Byrne of parishwebsites.ie took on this challenge in mid 2009. At this stage, Ennis had been running a website for a long time but parish personnel wanted to reach more people with the site and use it in more effective ways.

Fr. Tom sums up the feeling at the time, “Our site was not fit for the purpose we intended and we were also pretty overwhelmed by the job of maintaining and updating it. Michael scoped out our needs and this got our thinking back on track.”

Parishwebsites.ie built a site based on these discussions.

“We are now getting around 5,000 unique visits each month compared to 300 previously.”

Fr. Tom believes that, as a priest, the new site has helped him greatly in his ministry.

Parishes across the county are embracing the information age with new websites coming online on a weekly basis.

Priests and local commnuites are benifiting from easy-to-use content management systems that allow them to communicate quickly and effectively with parishioners as well as those further afield. As Fr. Tom Ryan says of the Shannon parish website, ” We had many reasons to hesitate before entering the online world. Now it has become another part of parish life and how we communicate as a community. The mystery is gone, there is no downside and more people than ever are involved.”

While websites fulfil a myriad of functions, the most popular content is local information e.g. Mass times, death notices and contact details.

Pictures and virtual tours help to promote churches while a webcam can bring funeral masses to friends and relatives accross the globe.

Of course, many parishes just require a relatively simple website – a no-frills solution!

The County Wicklow parish of Baltinglass, Stratford on Slaney and Grange Con have recently upgraded their parish website with a new-look design and layout.The priests of the parish, Pastoral Council and Parish Office staff are delighted with their new website, seeing it as a great means of communication with parishioners and Baltinglass people throughout the world. They are more than impressed that they can enter notices and other material so easily and without any hassle. The simplicity of the site encourages them to update it regularly with new information.

Not only did Baltinglass parish get a new web design, but a new enthusiasm to promote Christianity in this digital age.

Naas Parish, County Kildare have a unique but growing reality of parish clustering.  The Parish Priest of Naas is also the Parish Priest of the adjoining, Sallins and Two-Mile-House Parishes. All three parishes are served by the same parish team while all three maintain their individual identity and structure.

When it came to designing a new parish website is was important that each parish would have ownership of the site and be able to identify and promote their own community groups and parish ministries. It was also important to have one website as opposed to three so as to avoid trebling the workload and extra expense.

The new website looks and works really well and it is a fantastic means of communication in a large urban area and sprawling countryside.

“It is our hope that our website will contribute to uniting all who live here and help to build up community, so that people will be fulfilled in their own lives and families, and be willing to share their time and talents for the benefit of their neighbour, parish and community” naasparish.ie

Tullow in County Carlow have opted for a new, modern and user friendly website from Parish Websites.ie.

Tullow is blessed with a tradition of encouraging faith and education with both the Brigidine Sisters and the Patrician Brothers founded there by Bishop Daniel Delaney.

Monsignor Brendan Byrne and Fr. Andy Leahy are very much aware of the importance of modern technological communication in reaching out to today’s generation.  Their new website is another tool in communicating with parishioners and maintaining a world wide link to all who are connected to Tullow through the Brigidine and Patrician families.

“While we look to the past with pride and to the present with some surprise, let us look to the future with confident hope that we will build upon what is best from the past to ensure a future worthy of our great traditions”. tullowparish.ie

Adding a Virtual Tour to your site is now easier than ever. A new service offering from Parishwebsites.ie has been launched to create and add a Virtual Tour to your parish website. The high quality presentations have been added to the Portlaoise Parish website who wanted to have virtual tours of their Parish Church and Parish Centre.  The Virtual Tour of the Parish Centre is especially attractive to them, as organisations looking to rent out rooms in the centre can see what facilities and space are on offer.

See the tours at www.portlaoiseparish.ie/virtual-tours/

Every website designed by ParishWebsites.ie, includes a map of parish locations as standard.  The map highlights churches, schools, parish centres, funeral homes and cemeteries.The map can be invaluable to new parishioners or to visitors who may be attending a funeral or a wedding.  The map format is very attractive and is designed to be user friendly.