Case Study: Saint Agnes Catholic Community & School Website Redesign
Project Overview
Client: Saint Agnes Catholic Community & Saint Agnes School, Louisville, Kentucky
Project Type: Website Redesign & Digital Strategy
Saint Agnes is a vibrant Catholic parish served by the Passionists, featuring an award-winning elementary school that has received the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Schools Award four times—the first elementary school in Kentucky to achieve this honor.
The Challenge
Saint Agnes faced several key challenges with their digital presence:
Dual Audience Complexity
The website needed to serve two distinct but interconnected communities: parish members seeking spiritual resources and prospective families researching the school. These audiences had different needs, priorities, and browsing behaviors.
Information Architecture
With Mass schedules, sacramental information, school admissions, academic programs, community events, and ministry opportunities, the site required clear organization to prevent overwhelming visitors.
Mobile Accessibility
Many parishioners accessed information on-the-go for Mass times and event details, while prospective school families researched from various devices. The site needed seamless mobile functionality.
Community Engagement
The parish wanted to communicate their welcoming, family-oriented culture online and provide easy pathways for newcomers to get involved, whether in faith formation or school enrollment.
Visual Design
The visual identity needed to honor Catholic tradition while feeling warm and contemporary. We developed a color palette anchored in deep burgundy and gold, colors representing the Passionist charism, complemented by warm neutrals that created an inviting atmosphere. The typography paired classic serif headings with clean sans-serif body text, balancing tradition with modern readability.
Photography played a crucial role in communicating the community’s character. We used professional images showcasing community life, student engagement in learning, and the beauty of worship. A custom icon set helped visitors quickly identify sacraments, ministries, and academic programs throughout the site.
Our design principles ensured the site felt welcoming and accessible to people of all faith backgrounds, not just practicing Catholics. The aesthetic remained professional yet warm and community-focused. Clear visual hierarchy guided users toward key actions without overwhelming them. While the design respected Catholic visual tradition, it maintained a contemporary feel that reflected the living, active community Saint Agnes represents.
Technical Implementation
We built the site on WordPress with a custom theme developed specifically for Saint Agnes’ unique needs. The platform integrated seamlessly with the parish event management system, the school admissions CRM, the online giving platform, and the email newsletter system. Social media feeds kept the site fresh with current content, while Google Calendar integration ensured Mass times and events remained accurate.
Performance optimization included comprehensive image compression and lazy loading to ensure fast page loads even on slower mobile connections. We implemented a content delivery network and robust caching strategy to serve content quickly regardless of visitor location. The entire framework followed mobile-first responsive principles from the ground up.
Accessibility remained a priority throughout development. We ensured WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, optimized the site for screen readers, supported full keyboard navigation, and included a high contrast mode option for visitors with visual impairments.
