Capstone Projects
Capstone projects are actual Digital Discipleship Boot Camp projects that were designed and implemented by DDBC past participants. Please browse through the titles below to see for yourself how varied and creative our participants have been. Each image links to the article or story of the participant. Be inspired!
Four Steps for Creating a Catechist Website
by Laura Long
Oswego, IL
Capstone Article 2018
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ LAURA’S ARTICLE.
Ministry and Technology Coming Together
by Jamie Moloney
Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Capstone Article 2018
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ JAMIE’S ARTICLE.
Bringing the RCIA into the Digital World
by Brigid Johnson, Diocese of Knoxville
Capstone Article 2018
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ BRIGID’S ARTICLE.
Catholic Parishes, You Can Create An App For That!
Liza Roach’s Capstone Proposal 2018
This is an example of a Capstone Proposal, the first step in creating your Capstone Project. To see Liza’s instructional PowerPoint Presentation on this subject, click here.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE AN EXAMPLE OF A CAPSTONE PROPOSAL.
Good Meals Are Best When Shared
by Maxine Thurman
Capstone Article 2018
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Smyrna, Georgia
Maxine creatively used Wix and a variety of other tech tools to create a website to engage her students in connecting the Mass with the Scriptures, in a flipped classroom model.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ MAXINE’S ARTICLE.
Communicate, Collaborate, Connect – Using Google Sites to Facilitate Collaborative Communications
by Katie Kleiber
Communications Coordinator
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Plymouth WI
Capstone Article Summary 2018
Katie created a website using Google Sites called Committees Connect as a collaborative online place for all ministries in the parish to share information such as upcoming meeting agendas, minutes, and resources.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ KATIE’S ARTICLE AND VISIT HER GOOGLE SITES PAGE.
Using Google Calendar to Facilitate Parish Scheduling, Communication and Community
by Amy Pellettiere
St. James Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Chicago, IL
Capstone Article Summary 2018
Amy used her tech skills to create a shared Google calendar for all the ministries in her parish.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ ABOUT KATHY’S PROJECT.
Our Catholic Ancestry; The Jesse Tree Website
by Kathy DeBellis, Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL
Capstone Article 2018
Kathy created a website to enrich her Faith Formation student’s lesson on the Jesse Tree. This also enabled students who were absent to complete assignments at home.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ KATHY’S ARTICLE.
AMS Catechist Talk
by Jose Amaya, Director of Faith Formation, Archdiocese for the Military Services, 2014
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ JOSE’S STORY.
Moving Faith Formation Ministries to the Digital Classroom
by Johan Engström, Rochester, NY – 2015
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ JOHAN’S STORY.
Each One – Reach One – Give One = The Power of One: A Social Media Fundraising Campaign
by Angela Jackson, Diocese of Richmond, 2014.
Angela’s idea was to use social media to enhance fundraising in her parish.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ ANGELA’S STORY.
Seek and YOU Will Find: Evangelizing via Geocaching
by Diane Kledzik, Associate Director for Evangelization, Small Christian Communities and Adult Faith Formation, Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, 2011
Using the online game, Geocaching, Diane created an interactive activity to draw families to beautiful sacred spaces in her diocese.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ DIANE’S STORY.
Educational Use of Cell Phones in the Religion Classroom
by Fr. Joseph Hannon, S.D.B., Theology Teacher at St. Petersburg Catholic High School, Diocese of St. Petersburg 2013
Fr. Joe set up cell phone quizzes and polls for his high school students in a Catholic school.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ FATHER JOE’S STORY.
A Digital Tool that can help Directors of Faith Formation Create Informed Catechists
by Kellie DeLeo, Parish Director of Faith Formation, Diocese of Orange, CA, 2014
Kellie created a catechist forum in Wikispaces to keep the conversation alive and to share catechetical resources.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ KELLIE’S STORY.
Using Blogs in Faith Formation
by Tanya LeSane, Business Manager and Director of Christian Formation, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Diocese of Richmond, 2014
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ TANYA’S STORY.
Middle School Youth Group Led by The Spirit and Taught Through Technology by Amy Barber, 2011, Gainesville, FL
Originally entitled, One World, One Church, Amy used social media and a variety of Web 2.0 tools to create a connection between youth in Florida and youth in Brazil.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ AMY’S STORY.
The Quiet Roam (QR) Church Tour
by Linda Fitzsimmons, St. Martin dePorres, Archdiocese of New York
Using a website created in Wix and QR coding technology, Linda created a tour of her church, with a focus on the stained glass windows.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ LINDA’S STORY.
Joining the 21st Century: Steps to Creating a Parish Communication Plan
by Elizabeth Potito, Most Holy Trinity Parish, Diocese of Scranton
Elizabeth has a comprehensive plan for visioning a communications plan for your parish. Click on the link to read about it.
The Digital Story of Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine at St. Joseph’s, Mogadore
by Deacon Stephen Gies
Youngstown Diocese
Deacon Gies used QR coding and YouTube videos to showcase this beautiful shrine. Read how he was flexible enough to incorporate bookmarks into his original plan!
At Last: Parish Online Registration
by Kathleen Kerns
Kathleen created a simple Google Form to facilitate registration for Faith Formation in her parish for both Spanish and English speakers. Read how she did it in her DDBC article!
Women @ The Well
By Sarah Pedrozo
Sarah is the coordinator of women’s ministries in her parish. She created a website so that isolated groups of women in the parish could share, communicate and connect with one another. Here’s a great example of how technology can be used to connect others so that we can support one another in our different ministries!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ SARAH’S STORY.
A New Website for Saint Joseph Faith Formation
by Carlo Zeffiro
Carlo created a beautiful new website for his ministry as director of faith formation at St. Joseph Parish, in Addison, Illinois. We love his comment that he quickly discovered that his job entailed “…advertising and communications. I was writing bulletin articles, mass announcements and take home reminders.” If you find yourself in a similar position, read about how Carlo solved this challenge by creating this website.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ CARLO’S STORY.
Catechesis – Exploring New Tools
by Sister Siân Owen, Diocese of Auckland, New Zealand
Read how one of our international DDBC participants introduced digital tools to her diocesan catechists. One of her catechists said, “The 21st Century is here, and with it an abundance of technology tools that Catechists can use to enliven their ministries and build authentic relationships. We minister in an exciting time to learn, to explore and to share together.”
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ SISTER SIAN’S STORY.
Engaging Families With Creative Online Content
by Janet Caschetta, Director of Youth Catechesis, Joliet, IL
Janet created a beautiful website to help families discover the four pillars of the Catechism. Read her article and be sure to visit the website she created as her Capstone Project, which has family activities on it.
Developing the Immaculate Conception Adult Faith Formation Website
Sr. Cora Lombardo, Archdiocese of New York – 2015
Inspired by the needs of her parish and her participation in DDBC, Sr. Cora has developed a comprehensive Adult Faith Formation website. You have GOT to see this one!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ SISTER CORA’S STORY.
Webinar Initiatives to Encourage More Participation For Catechist Training Workshops
Katie Choudhary, Joliet, IL – 2015
Tech-savvy Katie used her DDBC skills to create a truly collaborative, blended training experience. Working with her Director of Faith Formation (live) and catechists (live and online), she created a series of webinars allowing all to learn about and experience Visio Divina.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ KATIE’S STORY.
Multimedia Resources Website
Deborah Converse, Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL – 2015
Using Squarespace, Deborah created a website that presents quality multimedia sites – both free and paid- that have been curated for use in adult faith formation.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ DEBORAH’S STORY
Forming Our Catechists: Six Tasks Every Catechist Should Know by Claire McManus, Fall River Diocese, 2014. Google Forms, Weebly website and other Web 2.0 tools combine to create basic online catechist training for new catechists.
Preserving History With An Angel by Patti Kamper, Diocese of Richmond, 2014. Using YouTube and QR coding, this creative CRE captured the history of her parish through the eyes and stories of one senior parishioner for the celebration of the parish’s 25th anniversary.
Diocesan Certification for the Over-extended Catechist by Liz Girton, Diocese of Charlotte, NC 2013
Catechists require solid formation themselves in catechetical ministry. Read about how Liz integrated a WordPress blog in the catechist formation process of her parish.
Establishment of a Parenting Blog for the Faith Community of St. Francis of Assisi Parish by Marty McClain, Diocese of Cincinnati 2013
Using WordPress, the goal of this Capstone Project was to establish a parenting blog to help connect families to their parish.
Serving Busy Catechists Through Web Tools for Catechist Certification by Sr. Beatrice Caulson, 2011
Seeking to make certification classes more accessible, Sr. Beatrice shows how GoToMeeting can be utilized in catechist formation online classes.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ SR. BEATRICE’S STORY.
Parent to Parent Podcasts: Using Technology to Help Families Discuss the Gospel by Kristine Neumeyer Jenkins, 2011
Kristi used Yodio and Blogger (Blogspot) to create podcasts that would help faith formation families reflect on the Gospel readings. Read more here.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ KRISTIE’S STORY.
Shelter From the Storm by Paul Jeffrey Thomas, 2012
Paul is a musician and music director. His Capstone Project was to set an original song to images of destruction and hope after Hurricane Sandy as a reflective catechetical experience. He used YouTube and Facebook to share his creation.
Addressing Academic Integrity in Secondary School Theology Classes by Sr. Ann Regan, 2012
Sr. Ann is a theology teacher at a Catholic school. Her Capstone Project was to develop an instructional unit on ethical use of iPads for her students. She used iPads and Google Docs to develop her curriculum and her students demonstrated their learning using Prezi and Animoto. Read Sr. Ann’s article here.
Year of Faith: Breaking Open Liturgy by Dale Brown, 2012.
Dale created a blog with the specific goal of catechizing the parish community on the Eucharistic Liturgy as part of the Year of Faith. She linked this to Twitter and Facebook for a broader reach.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ DALE’S STORY.
Organizing Your RCIA Team with a Wiki by Ruth Manlandro , 2012
Ruth developed a wiki for her RCIA team in order to replace email as a main vehicle of communication. The wiki included a Google calendar, teaching materials, schedules, and topics.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ RUTH’S STORY.
Parish Engagement, Evangelization and Education Through Digital Technology by Ginny Nolan, 2012
Ginny’s Capstone Project was to update parish communications by integration of Web 2.0 technology. The parish website, Constant Contact and Facebook were some of her targeted areas.
Hidden Treasures of Nombre de Dios Mission and Our Lady of La Leche Chapel, St. Augustine, Florida by Barbara Eretto, 2012
Barbara employed QR coding with confirmation students, sending them on a high tech scavenger hunt for Catholic historical places in her diocese.
Digital Storytelling Project: We Are All Pilgrims on a Journey by Sue Sharlow, 2012
Sue used images and Windows Live Moviemaker to create a digital story of her pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago do Campostela in Spain, and shared it with others in her Faith Formation program.
Digital Disciple Network 