May I welcome all of you today along with a statement that many parishioners & staff members have often heard me say. "A Website is a 'Living Entity'... It is never finished or completed... because it is constantly in the midst of updates, changes & growth." Having reiterated this, I hope that you enjoy using this Website as much as I have enjoyed creating it and daily enjoy updating it. With its future growth potential, this Website will excitedly offer to all of our Holy Cross Parish Parishioners as well as our welcomed new, Prospective Parishioners, many more possibilities in the sharing of parish information with all who navigate here.
I have taken great care in creating a Website in which "getting lost" while navigating its pages should be a "thing of the past." At the bottom of each Page there is a Question which asks... "Where Would You Like To Go Now?"... displaying direct links to widely used Webpages, and making it easier to navigate through the Website without having to always return to the traditional "Top Menu Bar". Please be sure to "scroll down" to the bottom of each page and surf the page in its entirety in order to not "miss out" on any information that may be "lurking" beyond your screen's viewing area. This Website is packed with an ever growing bounty of information. Some Pages are lengthy and filled with an abundance of information as well as with "links to click" which will direct you elsewhere on the Website for quicker navigation. The Home Page is an example of this type of page.
The Home Page is the "Heart" of the Website and contains much information and "links" to other sources of information. It is comprised of Basic Parish Information as well as information about the "Liturgical Time of Year." Below that, there is some very important Parish Information that should not be missed. NEXT... CONTINUE TO SCROLL DOWN ON THE HOME PAGE TO THE SECTION...
"EVERYTHING FOR YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THE PARISH..."
This section is comprised of Twenty-Six Basic Sections
which use Links to other Webpages. These Links are:
[1] Diocesan News - important Church News from and directed in the Diocese, [2] Religious Education - a link to all the available Religious Education Parish Webpages,
[3] Upcoming Events, - upcoming "scheduled & dated events" in & around the Parish, [4] The Sacraments - a link to each of the seven Sacraments as well as RCIA, [5] Announcements - divided into Parish & General-Local Announcements, [6] At A Glance - the Parish Daily Calendar showing 2 weeks of the activities scheduled in the Parish,
[7] This Week's Church Bulletin - the current as well as all past Bulletins,
[8] Parish Videos - displaying videos of various recent Parish Liturgical live-streamed Masses & Events as well as a link to the Parish Facebook Website for live-streamed Masses that are in progress,
[9] Ministry Schedules - for various Parish Ministries with schedules,
[10] Funeral Services - all Funeral & Memorial Information, preparation instructions as well as upcoming services,
[11] Outreach Ministry- a link to all the available Parish Outreach Webpages, [12] Subscibe - a link to subscribing to the Website,
[13] Event Registration - a webpage that allows direct sign-ups & registrations for specific upcoming events,
[14] Parish Forms - access to various downloadable Parish Forms,
[15] Liturgy Bytes & Reflections - Liturgy insights by Michele Hall,
[16] Fr. Michael's Weekly Bulletin Blog, [17] Holy Cross Travel Club,
[18] Webmaster's Webpage & Notes, [19] Weekly Mass Intentions,
[20] Request a Mass Intention, [21] Pray For The Sick - a listing of those needing prayers, [22] Presider Schedule - a listing of which priest will be celebrating a specific Mass, [23] Spiritual Growth - a listing of various Individual, Men's & Women's Groups available to enhance one's spirituality, [24] Repairs Ahead - planned upcoming needed parish repairs, [25] the Staff Directory link to commicate with the Parish Staff Team, and finallly... [26] Other "Things To Do" - a link to ideas for some other interesting Catholic & liturgical things to do to enhance your spiritual life.
Should you take the time to routinely navigate the Home Page from top to bottom and navigate the "links" as well... you would be doing the same as "reading" the weekly Bulletin from cover to cover. Doing this will keep you updated on the "pulse" of the Parish... give you "the scoop" on all of the Parish news & activities... and will provide you with the "links" to the appropriate pages for more detailed information, all the while eliminating extensive searching. Always remember that if you had inadvertently misplaced or already discarded your Bulletin, you can find all of the same information on the Website since the Bulletin and the Website are always in "sync" with each other. If you already know the specific location that you wish to visit on the Website, you can also use the traditional drop-down Menu Bar at the top of each page or the "E-Z" Navigation Page, which I describe in the next paragraph.
The "E-Z" Navigation Page is a very useful "Find and Go-To" feature that I developed specifically for the Parish Website since all of the Website Pages on this page are sorted by Parish Usage & Departmental Categories. This is a more "concise" webpage... no logos or pictures... just "categories" from which to choose your desired webpage. I strongly encourage you to try using this "concise" page... It truly makes it "E-Z" to navigate and to find your desired page and information quickly. I also encourage you to "Subscribe" with your EMail to Holy Cross on the Home Page in order for you to be able to receive important urgent announcements & information, in the form of "email blasts" (never spam) from the Parish in the future. I reiterate that you will never receive any spam from the Holy Cross Website. But most importantly, this will be just another way for the parish & staff members to inform you of important and useful parish information & events more quickly and easily by "keeping you in the loop" of detailed Parish situations.
There's also a LINK SECTION ~ "DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO?... OR WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?... - THE WEBSITE CAN HELP YOU!!!" This section has also been added to the Home Page and is designed to help those who are "new" to navigating the Parish Website. The Website will actually ask you some questions directing you in helping you navigate & find what you are looking for.
Should you have any suggestions or ideas about incorporating any other useful Parish Information into the Website, please do not hesitate contacting me or the Parish Office with those suggestions. If your suggestions are within the capabilities of the Website Design Software, we will consider them to be implemented in future updates and design changes. Remember… this is an always “growing” and “expanding” Website.
We always welcome your suggestions for a better "living" and vibrant Parish Website. We look forward to all of the days ahead that God graces us as true "family members" in this, our community of the Parish of the Holy Cross!
Blessings to all... Hope that you enjoy your "Surfing"...
Happy Navigating!!!
~~~ Vince Mazurek ~~~
