15 Useful Ideas in Basic and Small Catholic Web Development

Get ideas for content development, site enhancements from third-party applications, and new social networking techniques

This page contains the items of our site feed. The page is regularly updated so you can find useful ideas and discover ways to better and improve your Catholic web site and blog. The 15 ideas on this page are simple but can be effective ideas for developing your own web site and blog content. Occasionally, there is an article published on the use of social networking techniques and other third-party applications to enhance your site and blog. Also, there are a few tips on learning more about PHP to make the site interactive for its visitors. Sometimes, there may be an advanced article published, but the page will always and regularly lead you back to the basics and fundamentals needed so that your Catholic web site, blog and social network can gain a more lasting presence on the Web.

4th Sunday of Lent (C)

For some of us seasoned Catholics, because of our many experiences in life, we can see ourselves in the place of the profligate son or the elder son, and then also find ourselves in the same role as the merciful father or parent, who welcomes back a wayward but repentant son or child to the family. But whether we are in our youth, in midlife, or in our senior years, we can take this Lenten opportunity to take stock of where we are at the present: In which direction is my life leading? Am I becoming like the wayward son? Am I developing an attitude like the elder son? Or am I becoming more like the merciful father or parent, who welcomes back a disobedient but repentant child or significant other?

3rd Sunday of Lent (C)

The gospels present Jesus in the image of a healer and a Good Shepherd. This Sunday's gospel presents Him more as a moral teacher, and One who champions the value of mercy, patience, perseverance, and goodness. As Christians, we know how important these spiritual values are in reforming our lives. Our Christian life is a process of ongoing conversion - letting God change our hearts daily and make our life bear fruit with compassion, mercy, charity and good works. Lent is a special time to focus on how Jesus practiced these in His self-sacrificing life and love for us. Perhaps we can take time to reflect how we had led our Christian life since Lent 2009. Have I become more merciful, compassionate, or charitable to others - especially to those in my circle of family, friends and my everyday work or business routine?

2nd Sunday of Lent (C)

It has been 12 days since the start of the Lenten season. Soon the scandal of Christ's Cross will become more prominent in the readings. If in Ordinary Time we have been very busy and active in our work, then Lent is a time to listen well to Jesus and His Word. The Father emphasizes this very much: "This is My Son. Listen to Him." To obey God's will, it presupposes that we dispose our minds and hearts for listening. How well do I listen to God's Word in my daily living? Do I spend time to quiet down, keep still, and meditate on the mysteries of my Christian faith? What should I sacrifice so that I can be more attuned to the presence of God within and around me?

St. Wolfgang, St. Olympias and the Christian Life of Charity

The Christian life of charity can be lived by all Christians in any state of life or vocation. The universal call to holiness and charity is meant for all in Christianity. St. Wolfgang lived this life in his mission to be the archbishop of Ratisbon. St. Olympias also lived a life of mission, holiness and charity in her state of life as a generous widow. Whatever a person's state of life or vocation, it is possible to be faithful to Christ and to follow His example - applying it to the daily realities of Christian living (work, family life, ministry, mission, governance or administration).

1st Sunday of Lent (C)

Unlike Jesus, our sinful nature (what we inherited from Adam) makes us weak against temptation. But if we do not rely on our own strength and intelligence, but trust fully in Christ, He will grant us the courage and strength to also say No to the many temptations we will encounter in our life journey. As Christ was well-grounded in Scripture and His relationship with the Father, if we also root and ground ourselves well in Word and Sacrament, we will be nourished and spiritually strengthened not to approach temptations, and avoid all occasions of sin. The key therefore is the strength of our relationship with God. Maybe we can ask ourselves and examine our hearts: how strong is my relationship with God? If it is not that strong, what can I do to strengthen it?

6th Sunday of the Year (C)

Depending on our state of life at the moment, we may think ourselves and the members of our family either among those who are blessed, or among those whom Jesus pronounces His woes. Our experience of life teaches us that we do not know what will happen next. Everything is all in the hands of God. We are called to trust in Him fully for our life and the life of our family. A verse in one of the Bible's wisdom books counsels us to "remember prosperity in the time of adversity" and to "remember adversity in the time of prosperity". Before Ash Wednesday is commemorated this February 17, we can gently examine our consciences: do I feel part of those who belong to Jesus pronouncement of blessings? Or do I feel part of those who are pronounced a set of woes? As we reflect on these "blessings and woes", let us not forget the goodness and mercy of Jesus, and that every suffering we experience out of our commitment to God, will eventually harvest for us a "great reward in heaven."

The Sto. Nino, the Nazareno, and Ina ng Laging Saklolo

There are three popular devotions rooted in folk Catholicism in the Philippines: the Sto. Nino (devotion to the Infant Jesus), the Senor Nazareno (devotion to the image of the Black Nazarene), and Ina ng Laging Saklolo (devotion to Mary as Our Lady of Perpetual Help). The first two devotions are celebrated every year in the month of January, and the third is celebrated every month of June. Of the three examples of folk Catholicism mentioned above, the one that attracts the most tourists from all over the world, is the celebration of the feast of the Sto. Nino. This is due to the revelry, feasting, and joyful atmosphere that it creates. The parade of the Sto. Nino is rooted in ancient tribal dancing - making it very sightly and colorful (because the dancers paint themselves in a rainbow of hues and dress themselves in a variety of tribal garbs). Tourists of other religious faiths can more easily appreciate this celebration as it presents heavily the cultural dance and music of ethnic Filipinos from different parts of the country.

Visionaries, Stigmatists and the Incorruptibles (Last part)

Here is the last part of this Series. The blog post is divided into two parts: the first part gives a brief story on the stigmatization of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, a.k.a. Padre Pio. Then the second part gives a sample list of names of those whose flesh remains incorrupt to this very day. There are also video clips for you to view the many holy men and women - some of whom date back before the 10th century.

5 Vital Privacy Settings to Consider Thouroughly in Facebook

If Facebook is one of the social networking sites you started to build a basic and small Catholic social network, then this article presents a few suggestions and tips to help you build that network with permanence and stability. These suggestions and tips relate to the Privacy Settings of your account at Facebook. When Facebook's membership grew to approximately 350 million as of December 2009, the site has formalized well the privacy settings needed by many of its members. The suggestions and tips listed in this article can also lessen the security risks of your account with Facebook.com.

More on the "Vita Apostolica" of the High Middle Ages

The reform movement that started at the Benedictine monastery of Cluny gave birth to other reform movements - one of which was the "vita apostolica". Foremost among those who championed the "vita apostolica" ideal were: St. Nilus the Younger, St. John Gualbert, St. Romuald, and St. Bruno. The spirit of reform among these religious leaders and founders was so strong and fervent that it overflowed also into the reform of the secular clergy. This blog post will narrate in summary how St. Nilus and St. John Gualbert were instrumental in the spread of this reform movement, and how each one centered their reform in the monasteries they built that championed this ideal of Christian life.

Mary's Part in the Sanctification of Christians

Devotion to Mary is resorted to by many Catholics for intercessory prayers and daily petitions for the necessities of everyday living like health, success in work, protection against adversities and dangers, maternal help and defense against the onslaught of evil within and in the world, and peace and unity for the members of the family. But deeper than these intentions, according to Montfort is a devotion to Mary that the devotee seeks so as to be schooled in her "school of holiness" - an education and formation wherein one grows in faith, humility, mortification, prayer, charity and hope. Montfort states in his book that Mary is the treasury of the Lord and the mystic channel by which Jesus distributes the Father's graces to His children, and uses Mary as a spiritual mold by which the Holy Spirit forms all God's children in the likeness of Christ's holiness.

8 Basic and Small Catholic Social Networking Techniques

Given in this article are eight different techniques and ideas for building a small Catholic social network online. The eight techniques and ideas are: the magic number 150; the magic of altruism on the Web; networking with Catholics loyal to the Pope; networking from "the roots"; keeping your social network profiles private; networking with cost-effective systems; keeping up-to-date with the Church on the internet; and building your network at a conservative pace.

St. Romuald of Ravenna and the Camaldolese Order

Although the monastic spirit of the Benedictines became popular in the early Middle Ages, new forms of monasticism arose in abundance among both clergy and lay faithful. And as the monks of the Benedictine Order triumphed the ideal "ora et labora", the new forms of monastic and ascetical life had as their ideal of life the "vita apostolica" of poverty and voluntary renunciation. One of those religious founders who followed this new form of monasticism was St. Romuald (or Romwald). St. Romuald included in the Benedictine spirituality a framework that would an accommodate eremitical lifestyle within a monastic community. This spirituality and charism is what also influenced St. Bruno to build his foundation for the Carthusian Order.

2 Easy Ways of Mobile Blogging in the New Digital Continent

With the increase in the production of camera-equipped mobile phones and other handheld devices connected to the internet, blogging as a traditional form of writing content on the Web, is now an activity continued through mobile devices. Mobile blogging, or "moblog", as some writers would term the activity, is possible through 2 easy means: starting your own mobile blog or sending a blog post via e-mail to an existing blog.

The Net of the Fishermen: "Thinking with the Church"

One of St. Ignatius of Loyola's contributions to the Church in a set of rules and some counsels for "thinking with the Church". His good example can help develop in us an outlook which thinks with the Church, so that Catholics can obey the authority of the Church in matters relating to orthodox thinking and ethical standards of acting. This article will mention Church documents to help Catholics on the Net follow ethical guidelines and norms in the use of the internet. The documents mentioned can guide any Catholic individual or family to proclaim the gospel on the Net, and to promote a culture of respect, dialogue and friendship in the "new digital continent".