Introduction

Are you thinking your parish could use an app? Maybe

you already have one and you’re curious to see how
your app stacks up to our trusty pillars. There certainly
is a healthy selection of parish apps on the market
these days and it can be confusing to figure out which
app to call your own. This is especially true if you are
like many parishes that want to step into the app world
but are overwhelmed right from the get go.

To help you assess which app is right for your parish,

we put together a list of the key qualities of an effective
parish app. The final result is what we call The 5 Pillars
of a Parish App. These pillars are a way of organizing the
many features and needs into one easy list. This guide
helps you ask the right questions and gives you a starting
point to answer them.

You will also find a checklist included this pdf. When

you are ready to start looking at the different Catholic
parish apps, be sure to print copies of the checklist. Use it
to take notes and to score each app you consider. When
you are done you will have a starting point to make your
decision. This will be especially helpful if you have a team
making the decision.
*Before We Begin

It’s important to ask yourself,

“What is a parish app and why do I want one?”

Too many companies offer a parish app because it’s the

new thing everyone is doing and too many parishes
are getting a parish app because of the same reason.
This results in parish apps that are strictly vehicles for
text. They list facts like Mass times, contact information,
a glossary of Sacraments, a glossary of prayers, and so
on. They’re one dimensional. Your parishioners won’t use
your app for information they can get faster from a
simple Google search.

A parish app should have depth. It’s a valuable resource

that engages people. It should interact with Catholics
and help them form lasting habits. The following pages lay
out just what a parish app can do for you and your parish.
Have a Plan
A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH
Before we get into the specifics of
the actual app, it’s important we
draw attention to launching the app
into your parish. Many parishes get
an app but don’t have the time or
resources to develop a promotional
strategy. Many don’t even realize
the importance promotion plays.
A challenge you will face without
a good plan will be getting
parishioners to actually download
and utilize the app. If the parish staff
isn’t excited about the app, neither
will your parishioners be. So, how
are you going to launch it? It’s a
good question to think about before
you embark on this journey. A good
launch can really add to the app’s
perceived value and overall success.
An announcement from your parish
priest is the simplest way to launch,
and does wonders. Stagger them
every few weeks.
Why is this a part of the 5 Pillars? As
you shop around, we want you to be
thinking about ways your potential
app developer can help you. The
company you work with should have
a plan already developed for you to
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take advantage of. Some companies
even provide a physical launch kit.
This takes a lot of planning, energy,
and money off your shoulders in the
long run. Make sure to ask about it.
It should be an indispensable part of
your launch.
ONGOING PROMOTION
You can also keep a lookout for
assets that will help you promote
your app on a regular basis. It could
be something as simple as a graphic
in a bulletin that calls attention to
a specific feature within your app.
These are things we try to provide for
our clients because we believe there
is value in ongoing promotion and if
you can get help from the company
you work with, all the better!
Care About the User Experience
DESIGN
Good design plays an invaluable
role in the user experience. It’s the
difference between an app that
succeeds and an app that flops.
Without it your parishioners are likely
to have a poor user experience and
are less likely to use your app.
How does the app look and feel?
Download every app you consider
using. Test drive it to get the full user
experience. We recommend paying
attention to your initial reaction
to the app’s interface. Are you
overwhelmed and have to work at
finding your way around? These are
signs of poor design. A well designed
app should be organized in a way
that is simple to navigate and has a
low learning curve.
AESTHETICS
The app should also look nice. Take
time to consider the look of your app.
Is text black on a white background?
When people see this, they are
uninspired by the actual words. The
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design and layout should reflect the
beauty of the text itself. How is the
image(s) in the app? It should be a
nice photo; well shot and cropped
with great colors.
There is a lot that goes into good
design and it can be tough to be
confident your opinion will resonate
with the rest of your parishioners.
Ask a small group of parishioners,
ranging in age and gender, if they
would be willing to download the
apps you’re considering. Getting their
feedback and opinions can help you
make a confident decision.
CONFESSION
An effective Catholic app should
connect users with their faith.
Many people struggle with going
to confession with regularity. When
done right, the app can help form
positive habits. Along with your
confession times, the app should
allow the user to set reminders for
a specific time and on a consistent
schedule. Other valuable elements
Continued
Care About the User Experience
of a confession feature include a
guide to confession, an interactive
examination of conscience aid, and
the act of contrition.
MASS
The Mass feature can be pretty
simple. There isn’t much that’s
required outside of accurate times.
However, consider additional
functionality like Mass time favoriting
and reminders. An additional function
we think is helpful is the possibility
of adding a “silence phone” reminder
before Mass.
PRAYER
Daily prayer is vital to our faith.
Another way phone technology can
promote the formation of positive
habits is through prayer reminders.
Aside from a list of prayers, the
ability to set a daily prayer schedule
with personal reminders can be
hugely transformative. Look for
an app that gives more than just a
glossary of prayers.
FAVORITING
Because of recent changes in the
App Store, universal apps are
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becoming the norm. A universal app
is a single app that contains multiple
parishes. Think of Facebook. There is
one app with multiple profiles. There
isn’t a unique Facebook app for each
profile.
We think a universal app for parishes
is the way to go. One powerful asset
a universal app can have is the ability
for individual users to create a list of
their parishes; the ability to follow
multiple parishes. Your gut reaction
might be to see this as a threat to
your parish, but hear us out.
This ability can mean snowbirds can
follow their parish in the north as well
as their parish in the south. Families
with children in Catholic schools can
follow their home parish as well as
the school’s parish. Favoriting doesn’t
take your parishioners away from
you. It gives your non-parishioners
the chance to also follow you.
Tailor it To Your Parish
CUSTOMIZABLE
It’s important to be able to shape
the app to fit your parish. If the
app company has done its job well,
you will be 90% of the way there
before you start but the last 10%
will be determined by the unique
needs of your parish. You should be
able to customize your main image.
You should be able to have specific
features added to your app. This
could be things like a local Catholic
radio, your parish YouTube channel,
or your parish blog. Be sure to
look into the various ways you can
customize the app.
We should warn you against too
much customization. Too much
customization will almost guarantee
your app will end up unorganized
and ineffective. It takes a lot of time
to develop an app well. We caution
everyone to beware of companies
that do fully customized apps.
GIVING
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Chances are there is already an
online giving platform you’re using.
You shouldn’t be required to setup
a seperate one just for the app.
Look for an app that is flexible and
integrates your current online giving
system.
SPECIAL CONTENT
AND PARTNERSHIPS
Some parish apps come with content
for formation. If the company you’re
considering does, how is the quality
and variety of the content?
Some companies have partnerships
with other Catholic organizations.
These partnerships make it possible
to have great content within the
app. While you’re thinking about
the content, ask about any potential
partnerships.
Communicate Effectively
DO WE NEED THE APP
TO BE BILINGUAL?
The short answer is yes. Look for
an app that can send bilingual
messages. This ability should
allow you to send two messages
simultaneously and the user,
depending on which language they
have their phone set to, will receive
only one message. If the app is
developed well, it will automatically
default to the language set on the
phone. So those parishioners with
little or no English won’t have to
figure out how to switch your app to
Spanish. Not every Catholic parish
app has this capability, so it is easy to
overlook.
LOOK FOR PUSH
NOTIFICATIONS CAPABILITIES
4
This feature should be a standard
feature for all parish apps. A push
notification is simply a notification
from an app that you receive on
your phone while that app is closed.
For example, if you allow push
notifications from Facebook, even if
the Facebook app is closed on your
phone, you will receive notifications
that someone has commented on
one of your posts.
This is important for your parish app
to have because you will want your
parishioners to be notified right when
you send a message. Otherwise they
will only see your message when they
open the app.
Lastly, look for additional features
with messaging. Can parishioners
bookmark messages? Remove
messages that are not relevant to
them? Are your app messages easy
to share with others?
Continued
Communicate Effectively

GROUP MESSAGING.
GROUP DISCUSSION.
Basic messaging does a good job of
informing parishioners of important
events and news around the parish.
If your app has group messaging
You will want to make sure that

the safety and privacy of your

parishioners.

A COMPLETE CALENDAR
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this feature is moderated, ensuring

you will be able to message a A well designed calendar can make

specific group within your parish. For all the difference. It should be able
example, your youth group or the to upload from an existing calendar
choir. you’re already using. You should
also look for the ability as a user to
You can even find Catholic parish set event reminders (an example of
apps that allow for group discussion where push notifications come into
in private, moderated space. play), RSVP, and get directions.
Parishioners within the group will be
able to message back and all others
in the group can participate in the
discussion. This saves your parish
leaders from having to respond with
the same answers to multiple people.
It also helps to foster small group
activity in your parish.
Take Advantage of Latest Technology

PHONE TECHNOLOGY
A smartphone is a powerful tool
with many great features that help
make our lives easier; they provide us
directions using GPS; send reminders
based on time and location; quick
access to phone, email, chat, and
the Internet. As you compare apps
for your parish, look to see that it is
using phone technology to the fullest.
This will include things like using GPS
for directions to the parish, setting
reminders for prayer and confession,
and two way group discussion. It’s
also good to go with an app that is
developed around phone technology
because as phones develop,
improvements will trickle down to the
app.
PHONE UPDATES REQUIRE
APP UPDATES
Phone updates are notorious for
turning apps on their heads. If
a company is not prepared for
phone updates it can cause a
5
lot of problems for you and your
parishioners. It can even affect
something as basic as not being able
to tap on anything. Look for frequent
updates and new feature releases.
This will help you identify the
company’s track record with phone
updates and give you confidence in
your provider.
The Next Step

A Catholic parish app should do more than just deliver

information; It should interact with users. Gifting your
parish with a well designed app will make a positive
impact. Take some time to consider the above content
and when you’re ready, use the checklist to help you
critique the various parish apps on the market.

WHAT DO YOU THINK AN EFFECTIVE

PARISH APP SHOULD HAVE?
If there is something you think should be on this list,
or if you have any questions, we’d love to hear from
you. Give us a call at 1-800-997-8805 or email us at
myparishapp@diocesan.com.

Learn more at myparishapp.com

How to Use the Checklist

The following checklist is designed to help you better

gauge the fit of a potential Catholic parish app for your
parish. Use this checklist as you evaluate an app.

The checklist is broken up into the five pillars. Each

point relates to the points mentioned throughout this
document. For help understanding a specific point on the
checklist, please reference the corresponding description.

Use a 0-5 point system as you evaluate various aspects of

the given parish app; 0 being the worst and 5 being the
best. If one of the checklists does not apply or you do not
know, give a 0.

When you are finished rating the app, total up each rating
and write it on the bottom. Use the result from each app
for comparison.
 The Five Pillars of a Parish App
CHECKLIST
RATING
0-5
1 HAVE A PLAN
Launch Promotional Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ongoing Promotional Material . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 USER EXPERIENCE
Overall Experience / Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aesthetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Confession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Favoriting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3 TAILOR IT TO YOUR PARISH

Customizable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Special Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Content Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 COMMUNICATION CAPABILITIES
Bilingual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Push Notification Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Group Messaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Group Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 LATEST TECHNOLOGY
Utilizes Current Phone Technology . . . . . . . . . . .

Functions Well on Latest Phones . . . . . . . . . . . .

TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Learn More at
myparishapp.com