Sacred Heart Parish at Broadway and Ashford Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 US - Empowering Catholic Singles by Expanding Their Connections Online

Some people have trouble talking in groups.  Some fear they may be labeled.  Others just don’t have large blocks of free time.   How do Church Singles Ministries help the singles they serve connect with other Catholic singles who share their interests as well as their faith? 

One of the hardest things for traditional Singles Ministries to embrace has been the idea of pushing their membership out beyond their local functions to explore and discover new places to meet fellow single Catholics.  The Internet is one of those places that has enabled people to connect with others that they otherwise may never have had the opportunity to meet.

According to The Internet Alliance, in the United States alone, over 40 million Americans visit online personals sites each month, fostering connections between individuals who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to meet (2). 

The Changing Landscape

The single population in the United States is booming, and surveys show people feel that their free time is shrinking. This conundrum is leaving many single adults frustrated with the prospect of meeting someone, especially if they are seeking a Catholic partner. 

This problem becomes magnified as more people remain single later in life and single-again individuals re-enter the community.  Traditional ways of meeting new people--through friends, family, Church and social gatherings--no longer meet the needs of our changing single population and tend to limit the number of potential relationships and connections. 

How do single Catholics find and connect with others that share their faith and interests?   One cannot simply make an announcement at a social event that he or she is seeking other single Catholics that share his or her interests.

In this day and age it is not very targeted or safe to walk around handing out cards that display your personal contact information. How do you get to know a bit about a person before having to give them your phone number, e-mail address or street address?

According to a Pew Internet & American Lift Project study, the majority of those who have actually used the services provided by online personals sites are confident regarding online safety; 52% do not see the activity as dangerous and in a separate survey 71% say the websites do a “fair” or better job of protecting their information. (1)

The Internet Adds to the Choices for Singles

The Internet has been praised for its ability to connect people whom otherwise may never have the opportunity to meet.  So is the case with singles meeting like-minded singles.  Years ago people were quite skeptical when a friend put a personal ad in the newspaper.  Now there are thousands listed every day. Years ago only brave and technically savvy individuals used online personals.  Today millions of people flock to the Internet to find and be found by that special someone.  Where does one begin?

There are three main categories of online singles destinations:

Matching sites – The customers fill out questionnaires that are analyzed based on a predetermined set of criteria and the individuals are then matched with a select number of customers based on the results.

Personals sites – These sites are an extension of newspaper personal advertisement where people post their likes and dislikes and others may search the listing.

Community sites – Communities allow members to search for their own matches based on their preferences and provide communication tools that allow members to connect directly through chat, message boards, IM and e-mail.  Community sites allow members to determine for themselves whether mutual attraction exists prior to meeting.

Within these categories, services cater to different audiences i.e. AmericanSingles®.com is an online personals site that encourages single individuals from all geographic, religious, cultural and ethnic back grounds to join and meet.  BlackSingles.com® is an online personals site that focuses on helping African American singles meet. CatholicMingle™.com is an online Catholic singles community where members can find friends, romance and marriage while sharing their Catholic faith and beliefs.

With hundreds of sites offering a range of services, selecting one site over another takes time.  Many individuals belong to multiple dating sites to interact with the largest and most diverse group of people possible. Regional sites can be too small, containing only a limited number of member profiles, and large general personals sites are focused on attracting the largest number of members without regard for the type of relationship or person they hope to meet.

CatholicMingle.com builds a solution for single Catholics

CatholicMingle.com empowers Catholic single adults of all ages to connect at their own pace through the use of a host of interactive features, including email, chat rooms, message boards, and an instant messenger.  In addition, CatholicMingle.com offers features such as inspiring E-cards, a Bible search, and an events calendar where members can post and find local activities

The team at CatholicMingle.com understands that skill and comfort levels vary greatly between individuals and has built a series of tools for their members to feel safe and comfortable while building a personal profile, searching profiles, and connecting with other members. 

By offering a comfortable Catholic community where members can build serious, long-term relationships CatholicMingle.com attracts a membership with a nearly 50/50 male-to-female ratio.  Going beyond the basic and standard personal profile questions CatholicMingle.com encourages members to answer questions such as “What is your favorite Bible passage and why?” and “What does being a Catholic mean to you?” By digging a little deeper, our members have the confidence that the person they are attracted to loves Christ and is living a Catholic life.

Whether members are meeting through a Church group or online, personal safety should be their first priority. Spark Networks®, the parent company of CatholicMingle.com, has been in the online personals business since the early days of the Internet and strives to ensure that its sites stay clean and as safe as possible. The team at CatholicMingle.com takes customer service measures to monitor and block message board and chat messages that contain profanity. The site is designed to keep all onsite correspondence completely anonymous by only connecting to and displaying a member’s “username” so email addresses, names and detailed locations remain confidential.

Conclusion

For single Catholics that are seeking to connect with other singles that share their faith, CatholicMingle.com provides the tools to broaden their opportunities, control the pace of their communication all while maximizing their limited free time.  An online relationship can be as successful as any relationship offline.

With tens of thousands of active members, CatholicMingle.com provides a vibrant and growing community where Catholic singles can feel safe and comfortable finding friends, romance or marriage while sharing their faith. 

Final note: To gain the greatest reward from any relationship-building opportunity, be it a local Church function, a chance meeting, or online; it is important that all parties be honest with themselves and others.

1. http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Dating.pdf

2. http://www.internetalliance.org/articles/online_dating.shtml

www.CatholicMingle.com