All posts by Tommy Shultz

It’s Conference Season!

We are proud to announce that myParish App is the official app of Steubenville Conferences. Over 23,000 people have used the conference apps and we still have a few events to go.

Members of your parish may have attended a Steubenville Conference, you can help them dive deeper into faith throughout the year. Watch this quick video to learn how to favorite the conference app and easily switch back to your parish app.

New Daily Content In Your App!

You may have noticed a change that has happened in your app recently. If you had the “Living the Good News” button, it is now upgraded to “Inspire Daily.”

We are so excited about this new program! This button will give you and your parishioners access to daily reflections, starting on May 1st, on the readings of the day. These reflections come from some of the best Catholic bloggers in America. We are partnering with Catholic teachers, priests, seminarians, the Daughters of St. Paul and so many more great bloggers to bring you the best Catholic content on a daily basis.

 

If you want to add “Inspire Daily” and other great buttons to your app, visit our ADMIN RESOURCE CENTER.

Merry Christmas from myParish App

Here at myParish App we want to thank you for being a valued member of our family with a free gift.

Free Gift: Message of the Day Button

Receive a daily video reflection of Pope Francis. We have partnered with a great company called Message of the Day, which will make these videos accessible in your parish’s app every day of the year. Now you can access Pope Francis with the touch of a button and help your parishioners grow deeper in their faith.

How to receive your free gift.

To access this FREE GIFT please visit our new Admin Resource Center. We have created this admin page to help you use myParish App to your best advantage in your parish. Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Click below to receive your free gift

A Thank You From Diocesan Publications

We know that parish work can be hard and there is a lot to get done with the many hats you wear. But the work you do is so important for the future of the church.

So we just want to say thank you.

Our mission at Diocesan Publications is to help you with your mission as a parish. We are dedicated to helping you with all your communication needs. Give us a call, 1-800-783-1623. We would love to hear from you.

As Diocesan Publications’ Solutions Evangelist, Tommy is committed to showing parish and diocesan staffs how to use our communication tools to their best advantage.  He has worked for years in various, youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. As an expert on Catholic communication, Tommy uses his parish and diocesan experiences to help you make your ministry effective. To bring Tommy to your parish or for general inquiry, contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.

Push Those Notifications

THE PROBLEM

We all know it’s hard to keep people engaged in parish programs. It’s a problem going back to the beginning of the Church. myParish App is a proven evangelization tool in parishes across the country, but people need to be engaged in the app to access the great faith help content. How do we keep them engaged?

THE SOLUTION

We have found that the most effective way to keep parishioners engaged in the app is by sending out 1-2 push notifications a week. This ensures that parishioners open the app and get connected to the parish. It also encourages them to view the faith help features of the app.

This may seem like a lot of messaging, but fear not. When your parishioners download the app they are giving you permission to message them. They want to hear from you. And the message feature couldn’t be easier to use. Watch the video below to learn more.

EXAMPLES OF GREAT MESSAGING

Try to always remember that the most effective messages are those that not only communicate, but also inspire. Speaking from your heart to the heart of the parishioner is a great way to let them know that you genuinely care. Below are some great example messages that present this model of inspiration and communication.

This week Father ____ wants us all to come together as a community in prayer. myParish App makes it easy. Simply set a prayer reminder on your phone to pray the "Glory Be" every day this week for our parish and community.
The Bishop's annual appeal is almost here. Just a reminder that the reason we donate to this important initiative is to support programs that help our community grow in faith and prayer. Don't we all want to support that mission? Go to our giving link in myParish App to donate easily and securely. Thank you!
Pope Francis is calling us to care for the poor. Don't we all want to care for and respect those around us? Join us today (give the date) at 5:00pm at the parish for a food drive to help our local community in need. Your donation will give food to those who go without.

As Diocesan Publications’ Solutions Evangelist, Shultz is committed to showing parish and diocesan staffs how to use our communication tools to their best advantage. Through his work in over ten years of ministry as well as serving as director of youth and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Baker, Shultz has learned what it takes to communicate effectively in parishes across the country. His passion is bringing others into a relationship with Jesus and he wants to help you accomplish this important mission. To bring Tommy to your parish or for further questions contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com. 

Help Your Parishioners Find Mass

Have you ever been on vacation and needed to find current Mass times for parishes in the area? This is the struggle of millions of Americans.*

*source not cited

The guy in the video below knows exactly how you feel. 

Now you can DiscoverMass times easily, even while on vacation. Never use your 4th of July family reunion as an excuse again. Jesus is waiting and he wants to see you.

1.

Simply click the DiscoverMass button on your myParish App home screen.

2.

Tap the “churches near you” icon.

3.

Allow location services by tapping “ok”.

4.

And presto! You now have a list of churches in your current area and the Mass times.

Don’t forget to remind your parishioners of this awesome feature and how they can use it on vacation this summer. We have made it easy for you. Here is a sample message you can use. Remember to send it out as a push notification.

Jesus wants to see you while you are on vacation this summer. He is truly present at every Catholic Mass in the world. It is easy to find churches in your area by using the DiscoverMass button in myParish app. Click here for more info: https://myparishapp.com/find-mass-times-vacation-myparish-app/


As Diocesan Publications’ Solutions Evangelist, Shultz is committed to showing parish and diocesan staffs how to use our communication tools to their best advantage.  As an experienced speaker on all things Catholic, he has addressed topics such as the Sacraments, chastity, and boldly living the Catholic faith.  Tommy Shultz also served as director of youth and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Baker, OR. 

Help Your Parish Become A Parish Of Prayer

Do you want your parish to come together more frequently in prayer?

myParish App can help you accomplish this important mission.

 

Teresa of Avila once said, “We pay God a compliment by asking great things of him.”

Don’t be afraid to be bold with your prayer as a parish. God Bless!

Example Message:

Hey everyone! This is Father Bill and I would really like to help encourage our parish to pray more together. Simply go into myParish App and set a reminder for the act of hope prayer. We will be praying this prayer every day at noon. Click this link for more information.
https://myparishapp.com/parishofprayer/

Need help with any of the features of myParish App. Give us a call at 800-997-8805.

We would love to hear from you!

Free myParish App Webinar Series

“Well moderated, easy to understand, great topics with suggestions that can be applied immediately. The webinar renewed by enthusiasm to promote MyParish App! It was nice to learn that other parishes face the same issues of pastors/staff who don’t use smart phones.” -Webinar Attendee

Maybe you’ve just launched myParish App. Maybe your parish launched awhile ago. If your parish chose to use this tool, you want it to be successful. You want people to use it again and again. You know it’s a great tool, but …

How do we make myParish App a successful communication tool for our church?

Now it’s easy!!!

Join Tommy Shultz for a brand new and free webinar series designed to explain the features of the app and get people excited about using it while also increasing engagement in your parish.

If you have trouble viewing the video CLICK HERE.

SIGN UP NOW!!!!

We hope to see you there!

WEBINAR #1

myParish App Overview

8/9/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

WEBINAR #2

Get Excited About myParish App

7/12/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

8/16/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

WEBINAR #3

Steps to Successful Communication with myParish App

7/19/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

8/23/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

WEBINAR #4

Reaching Optimal Engagement with myParish App

7/25/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

8/30/17 at 11:00 am (EDT)

Change LentAs Diocesan Publications’ Solutions Evangelist, Shultz is committed to showing parish and diocesan staffs how to use our communication tools to their best advantage.  As an experienced speaker on all things Catholic, he has addressed topics such as the Sacraments, chastity, and boldly living the Catholic faith.  Tommy Shultz also served as director of youth and young adult ministries for the Diocese of Baker, OR.