Facechurch – An Exploratory Analysis of the Fátima and Lourdes Shrines on Facebook

Abstract

The use of digital marketing techniques in the field of religious studies is a recent phenomenon. It reflects the change in the way people interact with religion and consume religious content in the digital environment.

Religious institutions and religious leaders, adapting to new communication and content consumption preferences, recognize the potential of the internet to transmit their message, also using social networks to reach and engage their followers.

This study aims to analyze the religious marketing strategies used by the Catholic Church on Facebook to attract and retain the faithful. The analysis focuses on the official accounts of the Sanctuary of Fátima (Portugal) and the Sanctuary of Lourdes (France) on the Facebook social network.

The literature review on this topic shows that there are still few studies on religious marketing in the digital environment, and specifically on social networks. In this way, this study intends to fill this gap and broaden the debate on the topic in an empirical way.

The results indicate that the creation of online content on social networks is a way for the Church to connect with its audiences and keep the Christian and Catholic tradition present in life and society. Social networks follow the daily life of each sanctuary, in addition to inviting participation in celebrations, reflection and training initiatives.