Social Media Plan For September
It’s the last Monday of August - where did the summer go? Most kids are already back to school even though we are a week away from the traditional end of summer holiday, Labor day.
September ushers in the season of fall and the long sunny days of summer come to an end. The liturgical calendar in this month calls for us to reflect on the feast of “Our Lady of Sorrows”. There are three things that can be shared to help followers honor our lady during this month. The first is the seven sorrows rosary devotion, another one is the “Stebat Mater” that can be turned into a daily post or you could share a link to a great video produced by Franciscan Media about the meaning of this feast that became popularized in the 12th century.
Our monthly papal prayer intention from Pope Francis is one rooted in the needs of our universal church and for young people in Africa to have access to education and work in their own countries. This intention is shared in a video format that can be found on the official Pope video channel.
It goes without saying that the standard "5 things every parish should post" apply. So if one of your priests is celebrating a birthday, anniversary or special happening in this month share it. However, in light of the revelations of another sexual abuse scandal you might be inclined to create a post calling for prayers for our clergy to be courageous in purging this evil from our Holy church.
A daily devotional should be shared on your pages. This can come from your own parish priest or you may share a devotion from many of the established Catholic evangelist online. In my parish we share one from our pastor that is well received and here’s a link that will allow you to share it with your followers too. Hopefully, it can be used to inspire your own priests to create a daily devotional video series.
The Saints are the most precious models for living our faith and trusting God’s promises. For the month of September here are feasts and memorials to be shared: St. Gregory the Great(September 3), the Birth of Mary (September 8), Holy Name of Mary (September 12), St. John Chrysostom ( September 13), Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14), Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15), St. Robert Bellarmine (September 17), St. Januarius (September 19), St. Andrew Kim and Companions (September 20), St. Matthew (September 21),Sts. Cosmas and Damian (September 26), St. Vincent de Paul(September 27), and Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (September 29).The feasts of St. Peter Claver (September 9), Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian(September 16), St. Pio (September 23) and St. Jerome (September 30) are superseded by the Sunday liturgy, but if your church is named after this Saint you will still celebrate their feast day!
Sharing behind the scenes of things going on at your parish is super important. Whether it’s the altar society cleaning the church or setting the chairs for the first meeting of parents for the religious education program. These snapshots provide a window into the inter workings of a parish that can serve to draw new members. It also folds into the final thing that every parish should post and that is how your parish community is alive and reflects faith in action.
This month also shines a spotlight on two month long observances on the national calendar and they are Hispanic Heritage Month and National Suicide Prevention Month that can be folded into your social media planning. Our Catholic Church is one of the most ardent supporters of respect life causes. Most of our focus has been on the abolition of abortion, but suicide among teens is on the rise and we must use our social media communication portals to share messages about suicide prevention also.
Lastly, our Jewish brothers and sisters will observe their high holy days of Rosh Hashanah on September 9th and Yom Kippur on the 18th. We must never forget the heritage of our savior and how he was the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people.
Happy fall and I hope my Church Social Tips are helping you do your church social right!
