All posts by Andrea Perry

New GROUPS Features for myParish App

Administrators

App administrators check out the new features in GROUPS.

  • Join Access – CLOSED / OPEN - Choose join access open and anyone can join, no approval needed. Choose join access closed and all new join requests must be approved by moderators.
  • Visibility – PRIVATE / PUBLIC – Choose private and your active group will be visible only to those in the group. Choose public and the group will be visible to all.
  • Commenting – OFF / ON – Choose off and you have one-way communication. Choose on for group discussions.
  • Activation – DEACTIVATED / ACTIVATED – Choose deactivate for groups that are seasonal. Choose reactivate when you are ready to get going again!

Watch a short video highlighting these features.

⚔️ Fight the Good Fight

Administrators

St. Michael, the Archangel, appears in the book of Revelation where he leads the armies of God in battle against the forces of evil.

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.”  Revelation 12:7-8

Michael is Hebrew for “Who is like unto God,” He is typically depicted with a sword, scales, banner, and an incumbent dragon. He is a symbol of victory over evil; a reminder that we Christians will always struggle with the forces of evil in the world.

The Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel is an abbreviated version of a prayer written by Pope Leo XIII (1810 -1903). He composed it after a frightening vision of the attacks on the Church. Prior to Vatican II, the prayer was commonly said at the conclusion of all daily Masses. In 1994, Blessed John Paul II recommended we bring the prayer back into regular practice to strengthen the Church.

Attacks on the Church … a need to strengthen the Church … sound at all familiar?

Use myParish App messaging to inform and inspire.

Check out the sample messages below encouraging users to pray the St. Michael prayer.

Pray with us! 🙏
St. Michael, the Archangel, appears in the book of Revelation where he leads the armies of God in battle against the forces of evil.

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.”  Revelation 12:7-8

Join us in the war against Satan, tap the PRAYERS button, set a reminder to pray the St. Michael prayer daily.

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Satan knew he had a new enemy and has since organized and prepared his troops for 2000 years in attempt to destroy Christ’s Church.

The powers of Satan’s destruction are manifest everywhere. But Jesus Christ promises victory over evil — His power, mercy, and grace will overcome. But we must do our part. Our Church needs strengthening.

Tap on the PRAYERS button, find the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, set a reminder to pray daily and join us in the battle against Satan.   🙏

Buttonology

Administrators

myParish App has been configured for over 3000 Catholic Parishes. A common question we are asked is “Why are the buttons ordered the way they are?”

We have great reasoning on why the buttons are ordered in a certain way. Below is some research behind our decisions.

What buttons are being used most?
From google analytics we learn which buttons have the highest rate of use. Here is the order as of July 2018:

  1. Messages
  2. Readings
  3. Prayers
  4. Bulletin
  5. Calendar
  6. News
  7. Confession
  8. Mass Times
  9. Parish Info
  10. Groups
  11. Inspire Daily
  12. Homilies
  13. Giving
  14. Discover Mass

How do people hold and operate their phones?
Next we wanted to know where it is most advantageous for parishioners to have the most commonly used buttons located.

Scouring the internet for research regarding how people hold and use their phone we found some nifty stuff.  It is most common for people to hold their phone with their left hand and tap it with their right hand. Also, we found that it is very common for people to hold and operate their phones with just one hand.

Marketing studies suggest on a page or screen where all things are equal, that people tend to start skimming at the top left, move to the top right, and then move diagonally to the bottom left.

Therefore we wanted to know the best place to put the buttons that are used most. Research suggested something along the lines of this image.

All Things Considered
After looking at the research and evaluating parishioners use, each button on the home screen is in a favorable location to be explored.

Discover Something New
Invite parishioners, through push notification messaging, to tour buttons that are low on the list of hits. There is always something new to discover!  

Lent is Coming Lent is Coming!

Administrators

Analytic reports show that Ash Wednesday is consistently a time of high engagement on myParish App.

Get Ready!

  • Get myParish App promo cards out.
  • Put the myParish App banner up in a prominent location.
  • Add myParish App to the bulletin.
  • Check out the digital launch kit for announcements and graphics.
  • Share on social media, invite people to install the app.

Use this message to inspire parishioners to engage more fully in the Lenten Season:

We listen to the words that the priest says to us as he places the ashes on our forehead: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Or, “Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel. Watch this nifty video http://bit.ly/2F8RMie

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