Content Strategies that teach the faith
Catholics and faith seekers are inundated with content designed to inspire their spiritual journeys, but what about content that teaches the tenets of the Catholic faith? “We’re living in a time when there’s so much good Catholic content out there,” says Rachel Espinoza, senior editor at FAITH Catholic. “But a lot of that can come behind a paywall or from apostolates with a particular spirituality that may not speak to everyone. That’s really where content from the local diocese can shine, offering regular Catholics in the pews free access to solid content that enriches and nourishes their faith. Whether we realize or not, our efforts in content creation are a significant part of our overall efforts to evangelize.”
Prior to her role at FAITH Catholic, Rachel worked for over a decade as a director of faith formation at the parish level and also was an editor and liturgical training consultant for a Catholic liturgical publisher. Her experience in creating and presenting Catholic educational content enables her to counsel FAITH’s 50-plus diocesan publishers on strategies to employ media for catechetical purposes.
“It’s great to see how diocesan editors are finding ways to make catechesis a natural part of their magazines, with creative presentations of material that really does help people to understand their Catholic faith more deeply.”
Catholics and faith seekers are inundated with content designed to inspire their spiritual journeys, but what about content that teaches the tenets of the Catholic faith? “We’re living in a time when there’s so much good Catholic content out there,” says Rachel Espinoza, senior editor at FAITH Catholic. “But a lot of that can come behind a paywall or from apostolates with a particular spirituality that may not speak to everyone. That’s really where content from the local diocese can shine, offering regular Catholics in the pews free access to solid content that enriches and nourishes their faith. Whether we realize or not, our efforts in content creation are a significant part of our overall efforts to evangelize.”
Prior to her role at FAITH Catholic, Rachel worked for over a decade as a director of faith formation at the parish level and also was an editor and liturgical training consultant for a Catholic liturgical publisher. Her experience in creating and presenting Catholic educational content enables her to counsel FAITH’s 50-plus diocesan publishers on strategies to employ media for catechetical purposes.
“It’s great to see how diocesan editors are finding ways to make catechesis a natural part of their magazines, with creative presentations of material that really does help people to understand their Catholic faith more deeply.”
Diocese of Green Bay
On Mission
The Diocese of Green Bay’s FAQ column provides a bite-sized intro to some aspect of the faith that answers top questions that people in the pews might have around that topic. The column is substantive enough to offer real insight while still being digestible in a single sitting. These seasonally-selected topics invite the reader to put their learning into practice in some way — here, to return to the sacrament of reconciliation in Lent, to participate in the Chrism Mass during Holy Week, and to think intentionally about preparing their hearts for Christmas.
Diocese of Kalamazoo
Southwest Michigan Catholic
As Catholics, we know that the sacraments are at the heart of the Christian life. And yet, for many, catechesis on the sacraments ends at the conclusion of faith formation in our youth — or — after one celebrates that sacrament.
This 3-part series from the Diocese of Kalamazoo looks at the sacraments of initiation, healing and service, providing an approachable overview of the essential beliefs, common questions about, and the spiritual effects of each sacrament for adults. This series invites people to continue to reflect on the outpouring of grace that these sacred moments afford throughout our journey of faith.
Archdiocese of Hartford
Catholic Transcript
The Archdiocese of Hartford took a deep dive into prayer. In the feature article, “The Four Pillars of Prayer: A Path to Deeper Communion with God,” author Joe Pisani invites fellow Catholics to explore four traditional types of prayer: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (easily rememberable by the acronym ACTS). The article gave readers several concrete ideas for including each type of prayer in one’s daily prayer life.
Diocese of Birmingham
One Voice
Following the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025, the Diocese of Birmingham has undertaken an 8-part series unpacking the Nicene Creed. Walking line-by-line through the Nicene Creed, the series invites readers to take a deeper look at this central statement of faith and what it means for our lives.
Diocese of Raleigh
Youtube series
According to John Dornan, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Raleigh, the primary goal of their YouTube series is “catechesis through consistency. Each week, we share clips drawn from homilies that are tied directly to the Sunday readings. This keeps the content liturgically grounded and gives parishioners and anyone else online a way to go deeper with the Word throughout the week.”
Another way John collects content is to record in batches before Lent, Advent, liturgical seasons, summer, etc. “This way, the messaging stays cohesive and we’re not scrambling for content at any given time.
“One of the most effective things we’ve done is to schedule filming at deanery meetings. Rather than chasing down individual priests across the diocese, we can record several in a single visit. This has been a game changer for building volume and variety in our content library without creating an extra burden for our clergy.”
John and his team have also put effort into thumbnails and captions. “Consistent, well-designed thumbnails signal to our viewers that this is a series or theme they can return to, and they’ve helped meaningfully with click-through rates. During Lent, for example, the consistent thumbnail imagery and keywords has helped convey to our diocesan viewers that the current content, be it homily clips or prerecorded reflections, is all meant to help us walk the Lenten journey together.
“Thorough captions also help YouTube’s algorithm surface the content to people searching for catechetical topics, which has expanded our reach beyond our existing audience.”
Diocese of Phoenix
The Tilma Podcast
The TILMA podcast helps the audience understand and connect with Bishop John Dolan’s seven-year pastoral plan. Led by the Bishop’s vision and ideas for topics, each month dives into one of the themes that he focuses on for the year. “The podcast is a great way to help communicate Bishop’s priorities and help our audience understand his heart and his love for Jesus, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the people of the diocese,” says Brett Meister, Director of Communications.
According to Brett, the Office of Communications produces over five hours of original video content each week. “Strategically, we are trying to expand our audience and reach through multiple platforms. In addition to the TILMA podcast, we have three other monthly podcasts (LifeTalk, Prep Rally, and A Seat at the Table), and four weekly video series (Word & Art, Christ in Our Neighborhood, Mental Health Minute and Now you Know). The weekly series are what I like to call ‘snackable’ videos, ideally four minutes or less, so that people can consume them on the go.”
In addition to digital content presented on the diocese’s YouTube channel, Brett places all content on the diocese’s social media platforms, plus it airs weekly on a local TV channel during the diocese’s Sunday two-hour time slot for televised Sunday Mass. Through all of these efforts, Brett says their audience has grown significantly over the past four years.
