Future Forward Service to our Diocese

My Fellow Valley Catholics, 

This October marks six years of my service to the Diocese of Fresno. Much of that time has been dedicated to establishing and building a communications function for the Diocese, one grounded in a strong foundation and clear strategy. 

We began by laying that foundation through a comprehensive overhaul of the Diocesan website and social media platforms, coupled with a simple but disciplined communications strategy. Over the past six years, that foundation has grown into a communications operation that has accomplished a great deal, including national broadcast coverage highlighting St. Charles Borromeo Church, the recent Papal Conclave, and many other stories from across our Diocese.

We have also built a social media presence that now reaches more people than any other diocesan social platform in the nation and continues to be among the fastest growing.

In the winter of 2025, I was entrusted with another significant responsibility: establishing the first dedicated technology function for the Diocese of Fresno. We set out to establish the policies, procedures, security, infrastructure, and support systems necessary to strengthen the operations of our Pastoral Center and ultimately, better serve our parishes, schools, ministries, clergy, and faithful.

Given the transition and the significant work still ahead of us at the time, I felt it was appropriate to bring these functions together under Public Affairs and Innovation, a broad title that reflected the diverse responsibilities of the team and the work required to build something new.

Today, that foundation is firmly in place.

We have established a strong technology culture, strengthened our infrastructure and created the framework necessary to support the Diocese well into the future. With that foundation established, the time has come to formally distinguish these two critical functions as separate departments: Communications and Technology. This is more than a change in name. It is the next step in the maturation of both functions and positions us to provide even greater service to the Diocese in the years ahead.

I am deeply grateful to my talented staff not only for their hard work, but for their dedication to serving you. 

I look forward to all that lies ahead, including our upcoming Parish Technology Initiative Session. I hope many of you will be able to join us. It will offer a glimpse into where we are going next and more importantly, how we can expand technology support and resources to our parishes.

Thank you for your partnership in ensuring our Church is future ready, navigating an increasingly complex communications environment and the rapidly evolving landscape of technology. 

- Chandler Marquez, Chief Communications Officer & Chief Technology Officer