PALM BEACH GARDENS | The Communications and Development Offices of the Diocese of Palm Beach recently received statewide recognition for excellence in public relations, marketing and communications. The awards were for successful communication of the 2024 Diocesan Services Appeal, growth in the diocese’s social media presence and increased readership of the Florida Catholic.
Jennifer Trefelner, diocesan director of communications and development who has earned Accredited in Public Relations and Certified Public Relations Counselor designations, submitted the award entries for competitions held by the Public Relations Society of America’s Sunshine District and the Florida Public Relations Association.
“It is a joy to lead our communications and development teams,” she said. “We work hard to use data-driven initiatives to grow our audiences and to collaborate with our diocesan offices, ministries, parishes, schools and community. By implementing strategic programs to support our communication and development efforts, we have seen strong growth in our diocese.”
The three entries (comparing 2023 figures with 2024) were for:
- Successful promotion of the 2024 DSA, which required new communication methods and materials to inform the 54 parishes and missions. The appeal exceeded expectations, raising 108% of its overall goal and helping more parishes reach goal than in previous years through new communication tools and more effective processes.
- Increasing the diocese’s Facebook interactions (page reach and visits) to help promote the church’s mission with data-driven tools, a calendaring system and best practices. Facebook reach in 2024 increased 177% and content impressions went up 23%.
- Creating initiatives to grow readership of the Florida Catholic e-edition (20%), and increase pageviews on the main Florida Catholic Media website (88%) and Diocese of Palm Beach section of the FCM website (56%).
“Recognition for these awards would not be possible without the support of our communication team. Theresa Kisrow, Jackie Nadel and Bill Cone dedicate their time to ensure the voice of Bishop Barbarito, our diocese and the Catholic Church are well represented in today’s culture. Their talents and dedication to our communications profession is a true blessing to our diocese and those we reach.”
Kisrow, communications manager who handles the day-to-day oversight of the diocesan website, said she is pleased to be acknowledged for her work as part of a cooperative, award-winning group.
“Being recognized creates a meaningful sense of appreciation — not just for me, but for the incredible team I’m privileged to be part of,” she said. “These awards are a reflection of the collaborative and supportive culture within our communications team, and I’m truly grateful to contribute to it.”
Nadel, who as multimedia graphic design coordinator is in charge of most social media posts, said, “I feel uplifted and a sense of validation, knowing that my inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. You have no idea how many times I am driving to work and a thought pops into my head, and then later on find out that the bishop just wrote about the subject in his column. Or I think we should do this or that, and later on happen upon an article or podcast, and it is saying exactly what I was thinking! To me, that is the Holy Spirit.”
Cone, who is the diocesan reporter/photographer for the Florida Catholic, said it’s great to be recognized, but the ultimate prize is communicating the love, peace and joy of the Catholic faith in an accurate, informative, instructive and enjoyable way.
“It’s a blessing to work with people who value the church’s mission and live it every day,” he said.
Trefelner, who is a member of the FPRA Treasure Coast chapter, also recently earned a Silver Pinnacle Award as Mentor of the Year for “guiding, supporting and inspiring others in the field.”
For information on the diocesan Communications Office, visit www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/offices/communications/, email Communications@DiocesePB.org or call 561-775-9561. To connect with the diocesan Development Office, visit https://www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/offices/development/, email Development@DiocesePB.org or call 561-775-9590.
