It is a Tuesday evening in Dublin and the city is awake. But inside Newman University Church, inconspicuously tucked among a row of buildings facing St. Stephen's Green, something quieter is happening. Upon entering, each visitor is handed a candle and invited into silence at Taizé, an ecumenical prayer service. A young woman moves through the pews with a lighter, and one by one small flames illuminate the sanctuary. Their glow reflects off a hand-painted cross beneath the altar. Then the music begins. Voices rise in meditative chant. People of all ages approach the cross, kneel, and pray. For a moment, the noise of modern life seems to disappear.
The Taizé service itself was not the subject of our research, but it captures many of the themes we hoped to explore through our project, Tradition and Transformation: Digital Engagement and Catholic Parish Life in Contemporary Ireland.
Before traveling to Dublin, we had become interested in the rise of Catholic engagement in digital spaces. From the growing popularity of the Hallow prayer app to the emergence of Catholic content creators, podcasts, and online communities, young adults seemed to be encountering faith in new ways. This led us to ask a central question: in an increasingly digital world, what role does digital communication actually play in bringing people into parish life, and arguably more importantly, what role does it play in keeping them there?
As graduate students in Notre Dame's Master of Science in Digital Marketing program, we approached this question from both academic and personal interests.
We share a passion for digital communication and a deep appreciation for the history and culture of the Catholic Church. Jane's experience working at Newman University Church introduced us to a parish with a vibrant young adult community, a renowned music program, and a strong connection to Our Lady’s University. Combined with Ireland's complex history with Catholicism, Newman University Church offers an ideal setting to explore the intersection of digital communication and parish life.
With support from the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, we traveled to Dublin in the spring of 2026 to conduct focus groups following Sunday Masses, daily Masses, and the weekly Taizé ecumenical prayer service. We asked parishioners questions to understand how they first discovered Newman, what encouraged them to return, how the parish is different from other Churches they’ve encountered, and what role digital communication played in their experience.
What we found challenged many of our assumptions. Nearly half of respondents first learned about Newman through word of mouth, while many others simply walked through the church doors after passing by on St. Stephen's Green.
Only a small percentage cited social media as their first point of contact. While digital communication was present, it was rarely the reason people initially engaged with the parish.
Instead, participants consistently pointed to the experience itself. They spoke about the beauty of the church, the quality of the music, the atmosphere of prayer, and the sense of community. One participant told us, "When I heard the choir, I felt I was in heaven. This is a heavenly place."
Another described returning to the Church after years away because they found a welcoming young adult community that made faith feel accessible again.
These findings led us to develop what we called the "Journey to Belonging," a framework describing how individuals move from first awareness of a parish to long-term participation. The journey consists of five stages: Awareness, Visit, Experience, Belonging, and Retention.
Digital communication plays an important but limited role within this journey. Social media, websites, and online content create awareness and provide information for those exploring a parish. Later, newsletters, WhatsApp groups, and email communication help sustain relationships and keep members informed between gatherings. However, the most important stages, experience and belonging, remain fundamentally human. They depend on personal face encounters, shared worship, and authentic community.
Our research suggests that digital communication does not create parish community; it extends it. Social media can introduce someone to a church, and a newsletter can encourage them to stay connected, but belonging is formed through relationships and lived experiences.
The role of digital communication is not to replace community but to support it—an important insight to fostering sustained, embodied participation in the Church amid a digital resurgence.
The scene described at the beginning of this article of Taizé offers a fitting illustration of this insight. Surrounded by candlelight and prayer, young adults gathered in the heart of a modern city to share an experience that could not be replicated through a screen.
Whatever brought them there—a friend's recommendation, a passing curiosity, or something encountered online—the reason they stayed was the religious experience itself.
By: Jane Porter and Anna O’Brien
Originally published by at nanovic.nd.edu on June 24, 2026.