Best Catholic websites of 2018: The results are in!

Dec 26, 2018 by

Matthew Kurtz

Need a boost of inspiration for your next Catholic web design project?

We're blessed to help thousands of Catholic parishes, schools, dioceses, and ministries create beautiful websites. We asked our team for their feedback and the results are in: Here's our list of the best eCatholic-powered websites created in 2018!

Jump to: Parish websites | School websites | Diocesan websites | Ministry websites

Best Catholic parish websites

From custom website designs to our library of free themes, here are our team's picks for best Catholic parish websites of 2018.

Church & School of St. Peter

Forest Lake, Minnesota - stpeterfl.org

What we love: Subtle content animations

Visit the link to see for yourself: It's fun to interact with this website! The subtle movement that appears as you scroll effectively (and unobnoxiously) guides visitors down the page.

Also, check out school.stpeterfl.org. Given that many parishes and schools are aiming to establish a unified online presence, together these sites provide a fantastic example of the successful implementation using a shared custom website design.

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Holy Family Catholic Community

Glendale, California - hfglendale.org

What we love: Storytelling through design

We typically advise against putting more than two or three images in the homepage feature region (i.e., slideshow). However, this site demonstrates how a series of professional-quality images within an elegant design can tell a beautiful story.

As a result, this one-of-a-kind website design successfully implements a strategy many Catholic organizations don't utilize: Show, don't tell.  

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Best Catholic school websites

An increasing number of schools took their web presence to the next level in 2018. These sites showcase the benefits of beautiful design and focused marketing.

St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic School

Clifton, Virginia - standrew-clifton.org

What we love: Fantastic photography

You can have the most beautiful website design in the world...but if you don't have good photos, the entire design will suffer.

On this website, great design meets beautiful photography. The end result is a clean, organized, and attractive website enhanced by precise, purposeful content.

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Christ the Teacher Catholic School

Newark, Delaware - cttcs.org

What we love: Unique shapes and fonts

This custom site includes circle-shaped design elements peppered throughout the homepage that create a modern feel. But not too modern. ;) The vogue circle elements are nicely balanced by a traditional and versatile font. This site deserves a "round" of applause!

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Lumen Christi Catholic School

Mequon, Wisconsin - school.lumenchristiparish.org

What we love: Clear marketing & communication strategy

With a simple glance, it is obvious: This homepage isn't a catch-all online bulletin board. Instead, the school effectively uses its site as a powerful communication and marketing tool.

Using a mobile-responsive free theme from the eCatholic Design Studio, this school built a crisp website that enhances its online strategy. 

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Carondelet Catholic School

Minneapolis, Minnesota - carondeletcatholicschool.com

What we love: Unique value proposition

Another free theme, another solid website. Every piece of content on this homepage has a purpose. Most importantly, this school's value proposition provides a refreshing take on Catholic education that stands out for its distinctiveness: "Loving the unique saint in every student." 

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Best Catholic diocesan websites

When a diocese launches a beautiful website, parishes and schools take notice. These dioceses are setting the tone and dominating digital evangelization.

Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - diopitt.org

What we love: Simple navigation with mega menu groups

One of the most challenging aspects of building a website at a Catholic diocese is constructing a site map. With so many offices, ministries, and interests to communicate, many dioceses struggle to simplify.

This site's navigation menu (especially the mega menu groups) make the content easy to navigate. In addition, the homepage's nicely organized horizontal regions complement the nav menu to create a beautiful, user-friendly site.

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Archdiocese of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - archokc.org

What we love: Important information front and center

This diocese clearly cares about communicating with its people. The wise inclusion of the "Find a Parish" and "Find a Catholic School" feature puts the most sought after information front and center. Plus, the bishop's "Put Out Into the Deep" section illustrates his desire to connect and evangelize.

All wrapped in a fresh design with unique typography, this site sets the standard for diocesan communication.

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Diocese of Amarillo Vocations

Amarillo, Texas - amarillovocations.org

What we love: Bold visual elements and relevant content

Here's a website that truly illustrates the beauty of the Catholic faith. The blend of attractive visuals, bold design elements, and great horizontal region layouts creates a refreshing, trend-setting website.

The content rocks, too. This site clearly presents fantastic resources (including a series of FAQs) that are wisely geared to its primary audience: young men curious about the priesthood.

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Best Catholic ministry websites

Catholic ministries have a beautiful and important role in the Church. These ministries have built websites that allow their message to shine.

Pope Leo XIII Institute

Libertyville, Illinois - popeleo13institute.org

What we love: Clear, concise messaging

Every awesome Catholic ministry needs a website that allows it to clearly communicate its mission. This particular ministry uses an effective design (with helpful icons) to clearly explain its unique value proposition.

Thanks to effective design and content strategy, the audience (in this case, priests wanting to receive education and training in the ministry of exorcism and deliverance) can quickly and easily find the information they need.

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Domestic Church

domesticchurchfamilies.com

What we love: Beautiful simplicity

Many times the cliché is true: Less is more (especially as it relates to communication at Catholic organizations).

This site puts that idiom into practice. With a simple white design, elegant circular elements, and precise content sections, this site cuts the fluff...and is better off for it!

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Dominican Friars - Province of St. Martin de Porres

Metairie, Louisiana - dominicanvocations.com

What we love: Conveying a culture through design

The best Catholic website designs effectively convey the culture of a parish, school, or ministry. This site gets that.

Instead of an outdated, drab design that creates a negative impression, here you'll find a fresh design that communicates this Catholic religious order's life, joy, and vibrancy.

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