Diocese to launch new website

By The Northern Cross 

In early August, the Diocese of Duluth is expected to launch a newly designed website at www.dioceseduluth.org. Diocesan staff have been working with eCatholic on the new site, which takes its inspiration in reflecting and helping to carry out the call to mission articulated in Bishop Daniel Felton’s pastoral letter, “The Dawn from on High Shall Break Upon Us: Healing, hope and joy in Jesus,” which was released last Christmas. 

The decision to upgrade was spurred in part by feedback diocesan officials had received talking to clergy and others who felt that the old site, now nearly a decade old, had grown dated in its appearance and had become difficult to navigate. 

A number of parishes across the diocese had gone with eCatholic for their own websites and had favorable experiences, which helped the diocese in its decision process. 

The ongoing evolution of technology and its role in people’s life plays a notable role in the new design. 

“Over the time that’s elapsed since we last upgraded our diocesan website, mobile phones and tablets have taken over as the main way, sometimes even the only way, many people access the Internet on a daily basis,” said Deacon Kyle Eller, diocesan director of communications. “The new design not only looks good on mobile devices, it incorporates at every level those ways of interacting with the digital world that have become second nature to us on our smartphones.” 

In addition to more connection between the site and diocesan social media outreach, the site has more flexible and robust design options which will translate into a site that’s easier, more natural, and more interesting to read. 

“There are always growing pains, but as we’ve been working on preparing the new site and rolling up our sleeves with it, I’ve become more and more excited about the capabilities it gives us for presenting our content and making it easier to digest and interact with,” Deacon Eller said. 

Another feature that should prove helpful both to those who live in the Diocese of Duluth and to visitors to the diocese is eCatholic’s parish finder widget. Those who may be traveling and looking for a Mass near them can now interact through a map or even use their phone’s location to quickly find a parish close to them.