Resources on the Cathedral Website

Basic Catholic Prayers Our Father, Hail Mary, the Creed, and more
Ave Maria! How to Pray the Rosary A simple guide to this essential Catholic prayer
Pray the Stations of the Cross Online  Explore the Stations of the Cross with art and scripture

Exploring the Mass A guide to the Mass, from the entrance procession to the dismissal
Mystery of Faith Meditations on great moments in the Mass
Explore the Liturgies of Holy Week Learn about the great liturgies of Holy Week--Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter

Pardon and Peace: The Sacrament of Reconciliation Learn more about the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) and how to go
This House of Prayer Learn about the sacred spaces in the Cathedral and how they call us to prayer

The History of St. James Cathedral  Learn more about our magnificent Cathedral and its 100+ years of history
The Second Vatican Council: 40 Years Later  Find out about this watershed moment in our history and the Seattle connection

Suggested Catholic Websites

Official Church Sites

The Church in Cyberspace 
 
WHAT TO CONSIDER
In looking for a Catholic website it is important to note that the term “Catholic” is always clear.  “Just because you can find something on the Web doesn’t mean it’s true; and just because a site uses ‘Catholic’ in its name doesn’t mean it reflects the teaching and practice of the faith”, as noted by the bishops in “Your Family and Cyberspace”.
 
Web sites with “Catholic” as part of their name may actually be anti-Catholic propaganda sites.  Or they may represent points of view held by some Catholics but not representative of the Church universal.  They may provide misinformation, or mix good information with bad theology.  So how can Internet surfers sort out what is truly Catholic in cyberspace?
 
The “Protocol for Catholic Media Programming and Media Outlets,” issued by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, says that anyone operating a Web site identified as Catholic should seek approval from the diocesan bishop where the site is based.  Approval establishes that a site is in harmony with the doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church.  It doesn’t necessarily mean the bishop agrees with all of the opinions expressed on the site.
 
But this process set out in the Protocol is voluntary.  The operator of the Catholic Web site may not know about it or may not bother to go through it.  Without the diocesan approval described in the Protocol, how can you tell how “Catholic” a reputedly Catholic site really is?  Here are some clues:

What is the source?
If the generator of the Web site is an official arm of the church—the Vatican, an (arch)diocese, or a Catholic parish—then the site is certainly Catholic.  But be careful.  Using the name of a parish or (arch)diocese doesn’t mean that the site is genuine.  Anyone can register a domain name for less than a $100.  If you didn’t receive the Web address from a reliable source or if anything on it looks questionable, check it out with a call to the supposed source.
 
Any site that isn’t what it seems to be shouldn’t be trusted on its content.  Not all good Catholic material on the Web comes from church authorities, however.  Unofficial sites need not be rejected automatically.  But the origin of the site is still important.  If the source is not official, is it reputable?  Is it credible?  Perhaps you don’t know because you’ve never heard of the organization behind the site or the organization is not identified.  Then you should find out more about it.  You also need to ask yourself a few more questions:
 
What is the content?
The material on the Web site may come from reliably Catholic sources, such as official teaching documents of the Church, even if the operator of the site is not official or familiar.  So the source of the content as well as the source of the site is important.
 
What are the links?
Any U.S.-based Catholic Web site should link to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and to the Holy See.  For any other links, you should hold them to the same standards of source and content as the original site.