Catholic Church Bulletins 101: Everything You Need to Know

The Weekly Church Bulletin is Still the Heartbeat of Catholic Parish Communications

Weekly parish bulletins remain the most trusted and sought after source of parish communication for Catholics. Week after week, bulletins hold space for everything from Mass intentions and ministry updates, to notes from the pastor and faith formation information, and coloring pages for children. Anyone involved in compiling the bulletin knows that it’s not just a quick, thrown-together printout — rather, it’s a carefully curated publication and the pulse of parish life. The bulletin is often the first communication people see from your parish when they visit and the last touch point of your community after they leave Mass. 

Contrary to what some might assume, even with the availability of digital parish bulletins sent through email or hosted on a parish website through tools like Parishes Online, the popularity of actual printed bulletins is not losing ground — it’s gaining it! Recent research confirms that well-designed, content-rich parish bulletins are still being eagerly picked up and taken home after Mass. Parishes with well-executed designs are seeing their bulletins going home with families week after week and their parishioners are engaging with the content inside. Why? Because a physical bulletin fosters belonging. It provides a tangible connection to the community and delivers exclusive, relevant content that parishioners value.

Trends & Insights: How Parish Bulletins Are Evolving

If you think church bulletins haven’t changed much in the past couple decades, think again! Today’s bulletins are evolving in ways that blend timeless mission with modern communication strategy. The shift isn’t just visual. Across the country, parishes are embracing new design standards, enhanced content tactics, and even strategic branding efforts to ensure their bulletins resonate.

In fact, research confirms that bulletins remain one of the most-read parish communications, even among those who don’t attend Mass weekly. To remain relevant, however, bulletins are breaking free from the myth that they’re just “a list of announcements.” Smart parishes are introducing Gospel reflections, ministry recaps, parishioner spotlights, and even original Catholic comics! Successful bulletins include content that teaches, inspires, and evangelizes. It’s not uncommon to see pastors using the bulletin to share catechesis, extend hospitality, or even highlight parish wins in engaging new ways. See a full list of bulletin content ideas here. 

Design matters. Parishioners are surrounded every day by professional-looking communications — whether from schools, civics organizations, community newsletters, or even advertisements. They’re accustomed to well-designed, visually appealing publications. For this reason, it’s beyond important that your parish bulletin’s layout, graphics, and images don’t fall short. 

Clean, two-or three-column layouts, intentional use of color and space, and refreshed mastheads are just the beginning. Successful parishes are also realizing the importance of implementing consistent fonts and color palettes into their bulletins that align with their websites and signage, establishing a unified parish brand that helps build trust and recognition. This intentionality helps both members and visitors feel at home and connected from their first glance.

The takeaway? Church bulletin trends aren’t about style for style’s sake — they’re about mission and impact. A well-designed bulletin helps you connect with your community using print and digital tools that feel modern, welcoming, and distinctly Catholic. Done well, this strengthens relationships with both new and established parishioners.

To dive deeper into recent trends that our staff designers are encountering and why they work for parishes, check out our article Catholic Church Bulletin Trends We’re Seeing in 2025. 

For some visual examples of gorgeous layouts that work, head over to Effective Church Bulletin Designs we LOVE!

Design Strategies for Eye-Catching Bulletin Covers

A strong church bulletin cover design should reflect your parish’s unique character while staying rooted in Catholic identity. More and more parishes today are updating their covers to highlight the beauty of the liturgical season or to feature original Catholic artwork connected to the week’s Gospel. Others are incorporating photos of parish life, symbols of the saints, or custom branding elements — discovering just how powerful that first impression can be.

If you’re looking for fresh Catholic bulletin cover ideas, it helps to step back and ask: What does our cover say about our parish? Is it warm? Does it inspire reflection? Is it clear and well-organized?

Here are a few parish bulletin cover tips to keep in mind:

• Keep it simple. Avoid clutter and choose one strong image or visual theme per week.

• Highlight the liturgy. Showcase the Sunday Gospel theme, saint feast day, or a special liturgical event happening that week.

• Use high-quality images. Blurry or low-resolution art distracts more than it communicates.

• Include your parish brand. Use consistent fonts, colors, and your parish logo when possible.

• Rotate designs. Don’t be afraid to update your covers seasonally or monthly to keep things fresh.

• Test and ask. Ask staff or volunteers which covers resonate most with them — you may find unexpected favorites!

• Read our full list of tips here.

Creative Inspiration and Free Design Resources

Designing a beautiful, mission-centered parish bulletin is easier when you don’t have to start from scratch. Parish bulletin editors spend hours and hours on their publications, so we’re happy to say that in addition to helping your message land, the right creative resources can also save time. In this section, we’ll explore three types of stock content every bulletin editor should have in their toolkit: graphics, stock photos, and written content. 

1. Graphics:
   Spending time designing images to illustrate your bulletin takes specialized design expertise and often countless hours of time. With stock graphics, editors simply choose a pre-designed graphic for, say, a liturgical holiday like Pentecost, and then use it to support their bulletin content. Stock graphics often include a variety of image sizes and “flavors” of designs (like modern, traditional, black and white, or color, etc.) for editors to pick and choose from to better illustrate their parish’s feel and focus.
   
   
2. Stock Photos:
   It might seem a little strange at first to use a photo of another parish or someone who isn’t specifically a part of your community inside your bulletin. But, when you don’t have access to a collection of images taken at your church, it’s better to use something as a visual rather than nothing at all. Stock photos can be a HUGE lifesaver when your goal is to create a bulletin that feels welcoming and illustrates a lively community.
   
   
3. Written Content:
   It happens all the time – there’s a hole inside one of the bulletin pages that needs something to fill the space, but you don’t have anything for it. That’s when stock content comes in SUPER handy. Great Catholic content libraries offer short- and long-form written content for your bulletin. Scripture reflections, Catholic trivia, saint biographies and prayers, stock content can make your bulletin shine. Many parishes even feature liturgical stock content like reflections based on that week’s Gospel in every single bulletin. Bonus if they pair it with a stock graphic with the same message!

If you're not sure where to begin with Catholic stock content, or feel stuck with so many choices, the Catholic content library WeCreate offers all of the above (and more!) for parishes ready to create the best bulletin possible. Every asset inside of WeCreate is searchable and easy to drop directly into your bulletin to both improve your visuals and save you time. 

Want a sneak peek at what WeCreate has to offer? We feature free art every month on our website for parishes to make use of — on us! It will give you a glimpse of what’s inside WeCreate’s vast catalogue of content should you decide to subscribe. 

Practical Tips to Improve Your Bulletin’s Impact

In order to have lasting impact, your weekly bulletin needs to be more than just designed well. A bulletin that’s thoughtfully written and reader-focused will reflect your parish identity and even draw those who might be on the margins of parish life deeper into community. In this section, discover simple, effective tips to ensure that your bulletin is working hard, not just filling space. 

• Lead with the essentials. Mass times, contact info, and urgent news should always be front and center. Put these things on the first page or even on the cover!
  
  
• Use consistent section headers. This helps regular readers find what they’re looking for quickly and ensures nothing important gets skipped. For example, if you always have youth ministry news, make sure that content is always in the same location in the bulletin, so parishioners know exactly where to look for what matters most to them!
  
  
• Always include a digital option. LPi has quick and easy digital options for parish bulletin editors to use through Parishes Online. There is even a set-and-forget bulletin widget available so a parish can display their digital bulletin on their parish website and it automatically updates with their most current bulletin every week! Don’t forget to share the link to your digital bulletin in other places, too. Post the link to your social media and email it directly to your parishioners so it’s always easy to find.
  
  
• Remember your audience. Your readers will be different ages and have different interests and abilities. Make sure you include a little something for everyone. Consider including some children’s pages in your bulletin, too.
  
  
• Remember the occasion. Is your bulletin for Mass during ordinary time, or is it going out to a larger Christmas or Easter holiday crowd packed with visitors? For holiday bulletins, you might consider a slightly different approach than what you do for your regular Mass attendees. 

Want to see what’s working in other communities? We’ve rounded up bulletin designs we love and simple swaps that can instantly elevate your layout.

How to Get a Free (Ad-Supported) Bulletin from LPi 

Parishes that partner with LPi gain access to a wide range of tools for their weekly bulletin, including a no-cost bulletin publication for parishioners. Thanks to our ad-supported system, we connect your parish with local businesses and organizations that sponsor your bulletin. Their support covers the cost, so your parish receives its most valuable communication tool for free!

Other perks of publishing and printing with LPi include:

• A complimentary custom bulletin template designed by our expert multimedia team. Check out some examples here.

• ·FREE access to WeCreate, our extensive library of Catholic graphics, articles, reflections, social media resources, and weekly bulletin content for your staff members. We update WeCreate with new content monthly based on liturgical celebrations and happenings in daily parish life.
  
  
• High-Resolution digital copies of your bulletins are uploaded by you and published and delivered by us to the Parishes Online directory . Link to your parish bulletin on your website, via email, in your social media, even through text! We also store your bulletins from past weeks for easy access. 

• Real human customer service interactions. When you call LPi, you will always talk to an actual person, not an automation, who cares about your mission. Our customer service team works with awesome parishes across the country just like yours by assisting them with their communication questions and needs.

We know you’re passionate about making your parish bulletin the best it can be! Every improved layout, thoughtful content, and beautiful image you add to it is a new opportunity to connect with and build a stronger Catholic community. Never forget, bulletin editor, that the work you’re doing is sacred and essential. It can feel tedious at times but the weekly bulletin you create is indispensable for your community. Keep up the great work! Your parish is lucky to have you!

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For more resources, or to join the thousands of parishes who already partner with LPi for their print and digital bulletins, visit 4LPi.com/church-bulletins. 

To browse more articles about bulletin design, publishing tips, and more, visit the “Church Bulletins” section of our blog.