Social Media at Saint Cecilia
Quick Statistics (from Sprout Social)
10,103,961 total impressions on Instagram and Facebook over the last year (677% increase from the previous year)
141% increase in audience engagement on Instagram and Facebook over the last year
155% increase in Instagram followers over the last year (net gain of 2,596 followers)
136% increase in Instagram views over the last year (1,057,130 total views)
1,305% increase in Facebook followers over the last year (net gain of 5,762 followers)
2.5k subscribers gained on YouTube over the last year
Using my previous experience working with small businesses, I want to showcase the human connection that shapes the parish. My strategy is to post at least two to three times a week with a variety of posts centered around the experience of the parishioners. Ultimately, I want social media users to sense the warm and vibrant nature of the parish within the first 5 seconds of interacting with our social media channels.
Whether I post parishioners knitting in the parish hall, on retreat in Gloucester, or sharing a meal after Mass, I strive to keep an approachable, organic, effortless style that draws viewers in.
I have also made a concerted effort to push out more video content over the last few months, starting with a short video of the sprinkling rite at Easter, which went viral and drew in 8.3 million views and 55k reactions on Instagram and Facebook. Subsequently, I decided to revamp the iGive social media campaign, focusing on episodic, digestible content highlighting the ways recurring giving helps support the life of the parish all year long.
Take a look at some of my favorite posts* and the iGive reels campaign below.
*All Instagram posts are cross-posted on Facebook as well.
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Community Canvas Project x iGive - October 2025
Today we’re sharing some heartfelt responses from our recent Community Canvas Project, many of which are featured in Saint Cecilia's 'Year in the Life' report ✏️ ✨ Head to our bio see all the wonderful things our parish community got up to last year!
🧩 This spirit of community, hospitality, and service is also reflected in our iGive campaign 💕 We are now halfway through our October iGive push and have reached 25% of our goal!
🔗 If you haven’t yet signed up, please take a moment to head to the link in our bio! iGive helps us build a stronger community, piece by piece 🤝 -
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An Evening with My Friends - April 2025
Another batch of photos: “An Evening with My Friends” & last Sunday’s Mass + parish celebration 🎊
✨Thank you to everyone for making our celebrations come to life! Our special guests serve as beacons of hope and healing - inspiring us to infuse love and joy as we help our communities thrive.
🔗If you missed our Thursday and/or Sunday events, we have livestreams available to watch back on YouTube.
For more info about our guests, their social enterprises, and books, head the Linktree in our bio! -
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Holy Week at Saint Cecilia - April 2026
Holy Week at Saint Cecilia 🕊✨
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An Evening with James Martin, SJ - March 2026
Our dear friend @jamesmartinsj will be joining us this Saturday to discuss his latest book, "Work in Progress: Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest."
A few details:
💫 This event is open to all, no registration is required.
📹 The talk starts at 6:30pm and will be livestreamed.
📕 "Work in Progress" will be available to purchase after the talk.
✒️Fr. Jim Martin, SJ will also be signing books after the talk.
🥐 Light refreshments will be served.
Fr. Jim will also be the concelebrant and homilist at Sunday’s 9:30 liturgy ✨We can't wait to welcome him this weekend, see you there! -
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Thank you for joining us week after week - January 2026
Although the current state of the world and cold winter nights can feel dreary, we are always so grateful for the warm and compassionate presence our parish community infuses into Saint Cecilia.
Thank you for joining us week after week ❤️ -
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New Parishioner Party - March 2026
Last month, we had the pleasure of welcoming our new parishioners for some light refreshments and fellowship 🍷 ✨ Thank you to everyone who joined Father John, the parish staff, and the Parish Pastoral Council for a delightful evening of connection!
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Small Group Connections
Looking to deepen your faith and connect with fellow parishioners?
🌟 This May, Saint Cecilia's Parish Pastoral Council is launching Small Group Connections—a space for prayer, reflection, and meaningful conversations inspired by Sunday’s message. Groups will meet once every two weeks, and we’d love for you to be part of this new parish initiative!
Join us for any of the following sessions:
📆 Sundays (in person): May 18, June 1, and June 15 | 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall
📆 Wednesdays (virtual): May 21, June 4, June 18 | 8–9 p.m. ET on Zoom
✨ Join us as we accompany one another and grow together in faith! Participation and interest will determine summer dates.
✏️ To sign up, DM us or email the PPC at their parish email – we can’t wait to welcome you! -
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Pine Street Inn Thanksgiving Meal Kit Drive - November 2025
Last Sunday, we were thrilled to collect 350 bags of groceries for our annual @pinestreetinn Thanksgiving Meal Kit drive!
🦃 Thanks to your generosity, many residents of Pine Street Inn’s permanent supportive housing will be able to have a delicious Thanksgiving meal this week.
🧦 We also thank everyone who donated gift cards and socks and encourage everyone who can to continue donating food, money, and gift cards to local food pantries.
iGive 2026 - Social Media Campaign
Previous iterations of the iGive social media campaign featured long unedited appeal videos by the pastor in an effort to reach out to new households. I conducted market research and shifted to a short-form episodic content approach centered around storytelling to connect with new and regular parishioners, formulating a five-part series that features different aspects of parish life that iGive directly helps support all year long. The result was a 120% increase in audience retention, a 46% increase in audience engagement, and meeting 50% of our goal for iGive signups within the first weekend of the campaign launch.
iGive Snapshot: The Kickoff
Father John’s here to help kick off iGive month here at Saint Cecilia 🧩 ✨Sign up today by heading to the link in our bio!
For the rest of October, Father John will be highlighting a few of the ways iGive helps support the life of the parish all year long 📆 Stay tuned!
🧩 Stop by the iGive table in the narthex this weekend to learn more about iGive and to sign up.
❓ If you have any questions or need help enrolling, please reach out to Colleen Melaugh, our Director of Finance and Development.
Remember: the bigger picture needs you!
Reel Stats
9,361 views
668 likes on Instagram
16-second average watch time
145 Profile Visits
10 Bio Link Clicks
41 Follows
iGive Snapshot: In The Kitchen
iGive Snapshot with Father John 🧩✨ This week we're in the kitchen highlighting how your ongoing support helps bring to life new parish initiatives and ministries, like Sunday at Five and Bereavement Ministry!
✍️ Sign up today by heading to the link in our bio or stop by the iGive table in the narthex this weekend.
Remember: the bigger picture needs you 🖼️ 🫵 🧩
Reel Stats
15,000 views
684 likes on Instagram
13-second average watch time
413 Profile Visits
31 Bio Link Clicks
248 Follows