In the time of the New Evangelization there have been hundreds of new programs created to help catechize and evangelize. Yet, as phenomenal as many of these programs are, few of them address one of the core problems still facing the church: day-to-day parish life.
In the recent Vatican document on parish life, there is a call for parishes to rediscover their core mission to evangelize, and be bold in using new technology to overcome the obstacles preventing that mission from happening.
Currently, the limited time and resources of priests and parish staff are dominated by chasing down information and paperwork. This takes critical time away from being present to those in need of pastoral care and sacramental formation, resulting in people feeling unseen and forgotten. It is way past time for us to stop using outdated and cumbersome filing systems that hinder evangelization, and start using technology that directly supports the mission of the parish.
Pastoral Parish is a virtual parish assistant created by Fr. Josh McCarty to meet his boots-on-the-ground needs in priestly ministry, as well as the daily needs of his parish staff. From tracking sacramental preparation, to providing better team communication, Pastoral Parish provides the missing tools needed by priests and parish staff, so that instead of focusing on paperwork, they can be fully present to their people and build communities fully alive in the Sacraments.
Here are just five ways Pastoral Parish helps priest and pastoral teams better accompany their parishioners.
5 Ways Pastoral Parish Helps Priests
- Parish Dashboard
Priests and their teams, at a glance, clearly see who is in pastoral care, who has requested a visit that day, what sacrament preparations are approaching (and what remains to be done), and what anniversaries are coming up to celebrate.
- Sacramental Pathway Links
Through emailed pathway links, those in sacramental preparation can participate in their preparation by entering their own personal information, seeing what remains to complete before the date of their sacrament, and (for marriages and funerals) even enter their liturgical preferences.
- Automated Follow-up
Customizable follow-up emails for every sacrament, celebration emails for anniversaries, and daily team reports ensure priests, pastoral teams, and parishioners stay connected to each other.
- Team Collaboration
Pastors and priests can expand their pastoral teams by fully utilizing lay ministers and volunteers through various levels of permissions inside Pastoral Parish.
- Mass intentions and Prayer Requests
Keeping track of mass intentions and prayer requests is an important part of parish life. Pastoral Parish not only keeps these organized, but allows for follow up reminders to connect with those requesting the mass intentions and prayer requests.
The sacraments are the source of grace and evangelization gifted to us by Christ. Parish renewal therefore begins by putting the right tools in the hands of priests and parish staff, so they can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time personally ministering to those seeking to live the sacramental life. Pastoral Parish is the virtual parish assistant designed to help you build a parish that burns bright as a community fully alive in the Sacraments.
To sign up for a free trial or learn more about Pastoral Parish, visit: www.pastoralparish.com
Image: https://www.cathopic.com/photo/12811-emma-didier-hora-santa
