New Generalate website now online

August 22, 2024. The entire team of the International General Administration of the Hospital Sisters is delighted that the new website of the Generalate has gone online today. “Going online is the successful conclusion of a long and intensive internal process,” explain Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager and the Sisters of the multicultural General Council. “Our website should express what we are all about in the best possible way – through its structure, content and design. A relaunch is the perfect occation to discuss some fundamental questions again, and reassure where we stand.”

Central to the discussion: How can the valuable global heritage, the history and the vibrant present and future of the international Congregation be communicated in today’s social context? Which internal and external target groups do we want to address with our website? What are our messages? And how can these messages be conveyed not only linguistically, but also through the website’s structure and visual design? Another important aspect was the role of the Generalate website as a central point of contact for all international locations, providing information and facilitating networking – a role of particular importance with regard to the upcoming General Chapter.

In response to all these questions and requirements, not only was the navigation of the website redesigned, but the logo of the Generalate was also carefully updated and a fresh, lively green was chosen as the new basic color. In addition, the photos have been given an individual curve, with the form developed from the shape of the Tau. These new design elements will now be gradually implemented in the Generalate’s overall communication and will already be visible in the General Chapter.

Users of the previous website will also find the familiar content on the new site, but in a different structure. “The technical requirements have changed radically in recent years, as have people’s information behavior and viewing habits, as well as the topics that are discussed in society,” explains Claudia Berghorn, Director of Communications at the Generalate. “That’s why our new website offers quick orientation for those who are looking for brief answers, and more comprehensive information for those who want to delve deeper into the content.”

Regarding the content, it was particularly important to Ms Berghorn to pay tribute to the great achievements of the Sisters and to highlight the international importance of the congregation. “When I started working in the Generalate two years ago, I had no idea how many strong women live in the congregation, what these women have built up and what they are still achieving today, wherever they are in the world,” she explains. “I have since been lucky enough to get to know many of these women better, including Sisters from the international locations, and I am impressed by the courage, great commitment and strong trust in God that I encounter in the sisters’ personal and professional decisions, and in their life’s work.” Another central concern was to make the structure and the tasks of the international congregation and the Generalate understandable to external target groups who have had no previous contact with the religious world. The language is therefore kept simple, and ecclesiastical terms are explained.

The content and graphic design of the website were developed in several coordination phases with the entire team of the General Administration. To implement the website, the Generalate worked with a network of specialists under the direction of Claudia Berghorn.

The website implementation team with employees from the Generalate and external specialists

The design was developed by Christian Lueck (www.die-sehleute.de). The qualified graphic designer studied in Münster, Paderborn and Nuremberg and lived in southern Germany for a long time; his collaboration with the Nuremberg inner-city churches, whose magazine “Mittendrin” he developed and still designs today, dates back to this time. Mr. Lueck currently lives in Siegen and works as a freelancer for Deutsche Welle in Bonn. The photographs were taken by Michael Kestin (www.michael-kestin.com) from Muenster, who is already known to many of the Sisters and some visitors through various projects, including the “Zeitzeuginnen”-Films and the media coverage of numerous events, from jubilee celebrations to the visit of HSHS pilgrims from America. The expert programming was carried out by Marko Kuzman(www.pixelplantage.com) in Erlangen, who is known to Mr. Lueck and Ms. Berghorn from previous joint projects. The development process was closely monitored and supported by the Generalate team’s IT specialist. It is remarkable that the cooperation of all those involved worked wonderfully well without the implementation team ever meeting in person – the only time everyone was present at the same time was at a Zoom meeting.

Team work in the Generalate: Graphic designer Christian Lueck with Claudia Berghorn in the refectory of the Motherhouse

Claudia Berghorn is also very grateful for the support of Brian Blasco, Director of Communications and Archivist at the U.S. Canonical House, with the translation into English, and all the Sisters at the Motherhouse in Münster who provided answers to historical questions and were able to contribute photos, especially Sister M. Dietmara and Sister M. Manuela.

“Many people are involved in the development of a website over a long period of time,” summarizes Sister M. Margarete. “We would like to thank all of them, internal and external contributors, near and far!” The Generalate team is delighted with the new website and is looking forward to the feedback from the Sisters from all over the world. In principle, however, a website is never really ‘finished’, but remains dynamic, as there are always updates and additions. After the General Chapter, Claudia Berghorn and the communications team in the Generalate will devote themselves to the major task of transferring to the new site all the moving vocation stories of the international Sisters which were collected on the old website.

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