Category Archives: Administrators

Time for an App Refresh? 

Administrators

You’ve been using myParish app for a while now–and you’re accustomed to sending messages, setting up groups, and encouraging your parish to use the app. But, how well is your parish using the myParish app? 

The summer is a great time to set up an App Refresh. You can go to the myParish App Admin Resource Center (here’s the link: https://myparishapp.com/apptools/) and find a wealth of information from short, how-to videos to frequently asked questions for both app administrators and parishioners that can spark new ideas. 

Another option is to contact our team of App Experts for an App Refresh. They will review your app and give you constructive ideas to help enliven the use of the myParish app at your church. 

You can send an email to sign up for an AppRefresh or request other assistance at support.myparishapp.com.

Or hey, give us a call. Sometimes dialoguing with us will lead you to think of things you might not have considered before, or clarify an issue you weren’t quite sure of.  By calling 1-800-997-8805, you can speak directly with our Customer Care team (9am-5pm EDT). We are always happy to chat and to assist you with bringing an experience of Catholic life every day to your parishioners with myParish App. And remember, behind every phone is a person.

 

Relax, Refresh, and Renew

Administrators

June typically signals a time to slow down for the summer (unless you are involved in youth ministry and vacation bible school). It’s a time to relax, refresh and renew both personally and spiritually.

While you’re out at the beach, a lake, in the park or waiting for an appointment, your myParish app gives you quick access to many aspects of your Catholic life every day.

One touch takes you to the USCCB readings of the day. Another and you will find 49 prayers in the Prayer button. Catching up on the news is a snap by touching the News button. There are interesting articles from the Catholic News Agency. Looking for someone to share a rosary? Push the Rosary button and hear the soothing voice of Fr. John Riccardo.

Have a moment for a quick read? Click the Inspire Daily light bulb and find daily blogs from Catholic writers based on the day’s readings.

Trying to find a church while traveling this summer? Tap the 3 lines in the upper left hand corner while on the myParish app. Then type in the zip code of your destination where it says Find a Parish. In seconds you will see the closest 10 parishes to that location using the app. Don’t know the zip code? Touch the Discover Mass button and enter a city name and state.

All these aspects of Catholic life and more can be found in your myParish app.

May it allow you an experience of our faith, just a fingertip away. Catholic life every day.

Be more collaborative, productive, and efficient with G Suite

Administrators

Did you know using Google Calendars with myParish App can make you more productive?

  • It’s a one-stop shop! Arguably the greatest feature of this platform is found in the ability to manage a variety of calendars in one place. You can share specific calendars with individuals or groups and grant varying levels of access to the content based on the user or place posted.
  • You can share, just like momma said! Sharing your calendar with co-workers, utilizing a group calendar for specific ministries, or maintaining a public calendar for your congregation is a great way to stay connected and keep people informed.
  • Customize your privacy settings. When utilizing Google Calendars, you may not want the details of every calendar item visible to all. Google easily allows for making an event private, while still blocking out a chunk of time.
  • Paper still has its place. Edit and update as much as you’d like on your digital calendar and print a PDF of the most recent version to post on your bulletin board or keep on your desk.
  • Set notifications days, weeks, months, and even years ahead of time! How often do you make the comment “Let’s remember this when we’re planning for next year!?” Then the planning for next year comes and goes and you find you forgot to make that adjustment… Good news! You can create a calendar event and set a notification at the same time. Google Calendar will automatically send an email reminder to make that adjustment for future dates. ~Ways to Use Google Calendars, Katy Munson, JUL 26, 2016. https://bit.ly/2DZyYDE

Not using G-Suite for non-profits?

We can help you get started.

The Google Suite offers a whole host of tools that help you with your day to day communication and church office needs. Contact us to find out how.

Out with the old–Messages, that is!

Administrators

Do you wish your app messages would go away sometimes?
We encourage app administrators NOT to remove messages.

Messages are a great resource when looking at your analytics!

When reviewing your app user analytics, it may help to consider the following:

  • Temporal and liturgical seasons and how they affect parishioner engagement.
  • The frequency and quality of Messages sent to parishioners prompting app usage.
  • Timing of your communications. What time of day and week are you sending Messages? Are the Messages being sent best suited to those times?
  • How up-to-date is your app content? (e.g. Messages, Calendar, Homilies, Mass/Confession Times)
  • Sometimes parishioners want to refer back to Messages.  But, you can remove messages on just your phone. Just swipe on the message from right to left. You’ll see a delete button to tap and voila! the message is gone.

Check out the Analytics page below. The spikes on the graph are good indicators of trends of impactful messaging!

Resolution: Let the Lord’s face shine upon me

Administrators

January is coming to a close, and while 45 percent of us will make resolutions only 8 percent will be successful at achieving them, according to a survey by the Opinion Corporation.  Let us resolve to create new habits and refresh our spiritual life in this new year.

Our New Year’s Day Masses rang with Blessing’s from our Lord;

The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!
 – Numbers 6:24-26a – A blessing for us to be enthusiastic, to be living in God.

St. Augustine gave us advice on how to let the Lord’s face shine upon us. He proposed giving alms, opening our hearts to the word of God, fasting, and rushing to Church. Think about it, at Church, the Lord’s face truly shines upon us from the tabernacle, from the proclamation of Scripture, from those around us, and especially at the elevation of the Sacred Host, and Precious Blood.

At the beginning of this New Year let us take the advice of St. Augustine, letting the face of our Lord shine upon us daily, living more and more in God, living En Theos, living life enthusiastically. Fight the temptation to be lukewarm, do something more this year; going to an extra Mass during the week, pray the rosary every day, a holy hour with the Eucharist every week, more time with Scripture, more spiritual reading. (Fr. Ankley, New Year’s Day homily, January 1, 2019)

Five great Ideas!

Add one of these simple, practical faith builders to improve your spiritual life in the new year and beyond.

  1. Go an extra day to Mass – The Sacrifice of the Mass is the source and summit of our faith and our very lives! Find a daily Mass that fits your schedule, or attend daily Mass on your day off. Just 30 minutes of your day! https://discovermass.com/
  2. Pray the rosary – As Catholics, we know -we do not merely believe, we know, that the rosary is the most powerful recitation we can make when we desire a miracle or some other grace from God. By reflecting on Our Most Holy Mother’s experiences and the life of Jesus, we become more like the woman who bore all things for the sake of obedience to God’s will.
    Find a new rosary for a new life of devotion to Our Holy Mother.
  3. Spend a holy hour with the Eucharist – You Affect The Lives Of Every Person
    In The World During Your Holy Hour
    From the quotes of our Popes and Saints concerning Holy Hours of adoration, we can see how much importance they placed on adoration for a healthy spiritual life. The power of each Holy Hour that we make can be gleaned from these writings. These writings tell us that our Holy Hour is more powerful than anything in this world outside of Mass. Check out Our Catholic Prayer website to learn more about the value of a holy hour.
  4. Read Scripture – Many people resolve to read the entire Bible each new year. Too few Christians have actually followed through with this though. What kind of reading plan is best? The one you’re going to finish. If you get behind, it’s okay, just pick up where you left off. Or just do five minutes for the first month of the year and pray, “Lord, make this a delight to me.” Does sticking to a plan sound intimidating? Have you tried it before and failed? People can make an impossible plan possible. Grab a couple friends and commit to a plan together. Read the daily readings on myParish App or at usccb.org.
  5. Journey with a Saint – Use this fun Saint name generator to learn about a new Saint and include them in your journey of faith throughout the year. http://saintsnamegenerator.com/

As this new year gets underway, let’s begin it in the faith and confidence that belongs to those who believe in Jesus Christ, as you receive God’s special blessing for you:

In this new year may The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! Within our heart let us hear these words every day.

Embracing Technology for the Glory of God

Administrators

Pew research reports that 95% of all Americans own a cell phone of some kind. The share of Americans that own smartphones are now 77%, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011. Half of all Americans own a tablet. One-in-five Americans are now ‘smartphone only’ internet users at home. There is a growing need to meet people where they are at 24/7.

As Catholic evangelists, it is necessary to use all forms of social media. If you have yet to delve into Catholic communications via technology here is a little breakdown to get you started

If this is a bit overwhelming, don’t despair— we are here to help!

myParish App can help you share the beauty of our Catholic faith in 3 simple ways.

  • MESSAGE button – Share the message of the Sunday homily during the week.
  • POPE’s MSG button – Share a parish-wide message directing parishioners to the Pope’s Message of the Day.
  • INSPIRE DAILY button – Provides your parishioners with short daily reflections on the readings of the day.
For more great ideas check out this great article written by Sherry Hayes-Pierce:
 “Five things every parish should post on social media.”

The social media landscape is parched for the joy of the Good News–the living water of God’s love and mercy! Come join us!

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!