What a parish newsletter is for

The parish newsletter is the single most read piece of communication a parish produces. It goes home with families on Sunday, sits on kitchen tables during the week, and travels onto fridges, dashboards and pinboards. A good newsletter holds the parish together. A bad one mislays Mass times, omits the safeguarding contact, and breaks copyright on hymn texts.

This guide sets out what every Diocese of Shrewsbury newsletter must include, how to brand it consistently, and how to produce it without burning out the parish secretary.

Required content

Every newsletter must carry the following, every week:

• Parish name, address and postcode.
• Diocesan footer line: Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust, registered charity 234025.
• Parish priest's name and contact details.
• Parish Safeguarding Representative name and phone number.
• Mass times for the week ahead, including Holy Days.
• Confession times.
• Sick list and recently deceased, with permission.
• Second collection notices, where applicable.

Add notices, parish group news, sacramental dates and a short reflection from the parish priest as space allows. Keep the layout consistent week to week so readers know where to look.

Branding and look

A clean, dignified newsletter says something true about the parish. A few principles:

1. Use a serif body font at 11 to 12 point. Times New Roman, Garamond and Cambria all work well in print.
2. Keep the parish masthead consistent week to week.
3. Avoid clip art. Use a small number of well-chosen photographs of the parish or the season.
4. Mind the white space. A crowded newsletter is unread.
5. Stay on two sides of A4 where possible. Three or four sides only when needed.

Accessibility

Plenty of parishioners are over 70. Print body copy at 11 to 12 point in a serif typeface. Avoid all-italic paragraphs. Keep contrast strong. If you produce a digital PDF, save it as text-searchable, not as a flat image. The Diocese is committed to making parish life reachable to everyone, especially the older parishioners who keep parish life alive.

Copyright

Two copyright traps catch parishes regularly. Avoid both.

• Hymn texts and music are covered by your parish One Licence subscription. Print the licence number on the newsletter where you reproduce hymns.
• Mass readings are covered by Catholic Truth Society (CTS) and other licensed publishers. Use the CTS People's Missal or the diocesan ordo as your reference. Do not retype scripture from unofficial websites.

Weekly process

Build the newsletter into a fixed weekly rhythm. The pattern below works for most parishes:

1. Wednesday morning. Parish secretary opens last week's master file and saves it as the new week's draft.
2. Wednesday afternoon. Update Mass times against the ordo, refresh notices, add second collection if any.
3. Thursday morning. Parish priest reviews and approves.
4. Thursday afternoon. Final corrections, then print and PDF.
5. Friday. Print run delivered to the church porch. PDF uploaded to the parish website.
6. Sunday. Newsletter handed out at all Masses.

Publishing the PDF

Upload the weekly PDF to the parish website on Friday afternoon. Many parishioners read the newsletter during the week, not just on Sunday. Older parishioners, those unable to attend, and those visiting from elsewhere all rely on the online edition. Keep an archive of the last 12 weeks at minimum.

Diocesan support

The Communications Director, Simon Caldwell, can advise on layout, branding and copyright questions. Write to simon.caldwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org. For general queries, info@dioceseofshrewsbury.org. The Curial Office is at 2 Park Road South, Prenton, Wirral CH43 4UX, telephone 0151 652 9855.

Why this matters

The newsletter is a small weekly act of catechesis. It teaches what the parish believes, who it cares for, and how to step in. Done with care, it is one of the simplest tools the parish has, and it sits within the wider Catholic life that runs from Shrewsbury Cathedral, where Sunday Masses are at 8.30am, 11am and 6pm, through to every parish hall and presbytery in the diocese.

To review your current newsletter against this checklist, sit down with the parish priest and a printed copy on a Wednesday morning before the next edition begins.