St. Josaphat Parish Communications Director - Chicago - VIC II at St. Josaphat Parish

The Archdiocese of Chicago, the third largest in the United States, serves more than 2.2 million Catholics in 216 parishes in Cook County and Lake County, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese, pastored by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, has more than 13,000 employees in its systems and ministries, including Catholic Charities, the region's largest nonprofit social service agency. The Archdiocese also has one of the country's largest seminaries. The Archdiocese's 150+ elementary and secondary schools comprise one of the largest U.S. private school systems. Its schools have received 96 U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Awards. 

The St. Josaphat Parish Communications Director is responsible for developing and implementing a communications strategy to promote our ministries and mission of evangelization, sharing Christ with parishioners and non-parishioners alike. This role reports to the pastor and is a key member of our Evangelization eff ort, working closely with our Director of Faith Formation and Evangelization.

Responsibilities include a mix of strategic planning, content creation and technical management of our various communications channels. The Communications Director works collaboratively with the pastor, staff (including the school Marketing Director), and volunteers to ensure that all messaging is welcoming – consistent, clear and engaging across various platforms.

The St. Josaphat parishioner community is about 1,000 families, and there are 350 students from PK3 - 8th Grade in St. Josaphat School from about 220 families. An average of about 300 people attend either the Saturday 5pm, Sunday 8am or Sunday 10am Masses. The church and school employ about 85 people. Our tagline is “A Church to Come Home To since 1883."

The Communications Director is a new part-time position, not to exceed 20 hours a week.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Communications: Develop and implement a strategic communication plan for the parish, ensuring all messaging aligns with the parish's vision and brand.

• Content Creation and Management:
•  Oversee/create and edit all parish communications, including the weekly bulletin, JosaFAST (weekly email), email blasts (through Realm, our Parishioner Management System), annual Stewardship Report, Christmas and Easter mailings, etc.
•  Manage and update the parish website, ensuring information is current, accurate, and easy to navigate.
•  Lead the parish's social media presence, overseeing the creation and scheduling of engaging content, including pastor’s weekly videos, for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Manage/create messaging on the parish Watchfire eSign.
•  Produce and distribute promotional materials for parish events, ministries, and initiatives, including flyers, posters, and digital graphics.

• Technical and Administrative Duties:
  Manage the use of communication-related software and platforms, such as content management systems (CMS), email marketing tools, video editing and graphic design software, including Constant Contact.
• Track the effectiveness of communications strategies, analyze data and make adjustments to optimize communication efforts.
• Manage the parish communication budget, including expenditures on software, printing, and other communication-related expenses.
• Revise/refresh, communicate and uphold brand standards and best practices with staff and volunteers

• Collaboration:
• Work closely with the pastor and Director of Faith Formation and Evangelization to reach parishioners and others, to engage them in joining the St. Josaphat community and to welcome them into opportunities for evangelization, service and ministry.
• Collaborate with ministry leaders to understand their communication needs and help them develop effective promotional plans.
• Publicize parish events, ensuring effective communication before, during, and after events.
• Work closely with the pastor and pastoral staff to communicate key messages, priorities, and decisions to the parish community.
• All other responsibilities as assigned, including answering the door and phone if necessary

The Archdiocese of Chicago offers a comprehensive total rewards package to include competitive compensation and benefit programs. Information about our benefit programs is available here.

This position has an hourly salary range of $30.00. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be based on many factors including but not limited to: relevant education, qualifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and organizational needs.