The Commission for Social Communication of the Diocese of Mangalore organized a workshop titled “No-Code No-Cost Website for Parishes” at Shanthi Kiran Hall, Bajjodi, Mangalore. The event saw enthusiastic participation from 135 representatives across 86 parishes, including priests, religious sisters, lay leaders, and parish media team members. They explored using Google Sites to manage parish websites without incurring costs or requiring coding skills.
Fr Anil Ivan Fernandes, Diocesan Secretary of the Commission for Social Communication, led the workshop with Kevan Nandan D’Souza, Leo Victor Zalki, and other resource team members. Participants brought laptops and pre-prepared website content to align with the provided site map, gaining hands-on experience in customizing website templates created by the Commission’s resource team.
In his introductory talk, Fr Anil Fernandes emphasized the necessity of parish websites for the digital documentation of pastoral activities. He shared insights from a survey by Most Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore, revealing that out of diocesan parishes, 35 have active websites, 19 are inactive, and 70 lack a website. The Bishop called on all parishes to maintain an active online presence.
Participants learned to use Canva for graphic design, creating content, logos, and social media materials. The workshop covered best practices for website management, including custom themes, design principles, content moderation, SEO techniques, and AI tools. By the end of the workshop, participants successfully launched their parish websites, marking a significant step in the digital transformation of parishes in Mangalore.