HEADING 1

General Writing Guidelines

• Be sure to proofread your work. Correct any spelling and grammar errors before posting on the website.

• Use English. If you use another language (I.e. Spanish, Tagalog, Latin) be sure to include an English translation in the text or in parenthesis.

• Use abbreviations and acronyms sparingly, unless your readership has familiarity with them.

• Spell out the abbreviation or acronym the first time it appears then put the short form in parenthesis. Afterward, you may use the abbreviation.

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Abbreviations (Short-hand forms, Codes)

• Remember your audience may or may not be familiar with the abbreviated forms so:

  • Always state the long form of a person, place, event, thing, or idea before using abbreviations and include abbreviated form in parenthesis: e.g. We will be having  Life in the Spirit Retreat (LSR) next week.

  • For each subsequent time, you may use the abbreviated form.

  • Never use abbreviations in the titles of pages, blog posts and events. (Event if we commonly refer to those things by the abbrevations in regular speaking)

• Only exceptions are:

  • Families in Christ Jesus Community (FCJC) since that is stated  on the front page of the website

  • Northern California (NorCal) for the same reason.

  • Commonly used abbreviations for titles of persons, see Titles

  • Other commonly used abbreviations in the English Language such as: i.e. e.g. etc

  • Social Media posts and hashtags that have character limits.

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Addresses

• Use abbreviations only with numbered addresses

• Spell out otherwise.

• Always spell out : Drive, Road, Terrace

• Use Periods in the abbreviation of P.O.

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Date & Time

• Spell out months of the year. If used part of a date, abbreviate.

• For Time:

  • Use figures, except for noon and midnight.

  • 7pm

  • 7 to 8pm

  • 7:00pm to 8:00pm

  • Noon to midnight

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Numbers

• Spell out whole numbers below 10,

• Use figures for 10 and above

Punctuation

• Day and date

• Punctuation should fall inside the closed quote

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Spacing

• Include one space after a period

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Titles

• Capitalize official job and organization titles

• But not general positions or roles

• Abbreviate: Brother as Bro. Sister as Sis. Father. As Fr.

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Bible Translations

• Only use  translations of the Bible approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) when citing verses on the website. The three recommended ones are:

• New American Bible Revised Addition (NABRE) - based on the translation used for Mass in the United States

• Revised Standard Edition – Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) - commonly use for study and by Catholic apologists

• Douay Rhiems (DR) - older English translation

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Church Terminology

• Always capitalize the word Mass

• Capitalize pronouns that refer to God:

• Capitalize the names for the seven sacraments.

• Use lowercase sacraments when used with the name of one sacrament of Confirmation

• Capitalize Scripture. Do not capitalize

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Families in Christ Jesus Community

• Use Families in Christ Jesus Community or FCJC (No periods)

• Use Families in Christ Jesus Community – Northern California or FCJC NorCal

• Follow these guidelines for referencing other areas (Southern California or SoCal)