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The MyParish App: Keeping Parishioners Connected and Informed
Everything you need to know about what’s going on at St. Leo’s is available right on your smartphone with the myParish App. You can even find information that can help you become a stronger Catholic.
The app was released in 2018 and quickly gained the support of the Diocese of Grand Island.
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Jodi Stauffer, Director of Children and Family Ministries, utilized the app to make as much information available as possible for the benefit of our parish.
“We jumped on the social media aspect when the pandemic hit,” Jodi says. “When in-person Mass was not possible, we told Fr. Don we’d go live and video the daily Mass. We’d have 20 to 30 people at daily Mass, and if we put it out they can still participate. We’re using social media technology to help the parish.”
The app offers hospitality aids if parishioners cannot participate in person. The readings and songs are posted. They can participate in Mass online, or follow the readings on a smartphone during in-person Mass.
“If you want to re-read the Sunday Mass readings during the week, you can go back and do that,” Jodi says. “If you can’t get out to Mass, you can still participate. Parishioners have been truly appreciative of the app. They have had a connection with the church. A lot missed the Eucharist, but they were still able to stay connected through technology.”
The church calendar is also posted on the app, as is the weekly bulletin and parish newsletter. There are links to the parish website, the parish Facebook page, and the parish Instagram account. The ministry schedules are available, along with the parish staff email addresses.
Through myParish, St. Leo’s parishioners can access the FORMED site for valuable faithbuilding resources. Users can call up the Rosary and will have help with the prayers. There are links to “Three Minute Theology,” and links to Spirit radio, Catholic podcasts, the diocesan magazine, and an audio Bible.
This is what appears once the user has opened the app — swipe up/ away the two open messages and get the front page.
The front page for St. Leo’s online app has links for a wide offering of helpful resources.
“The app has a plethora of information and Catholic ‘supplements,’ so if you are feeling you need a little boost of Catholicism, there are so many things you can get from the app,” Jodi says.
Another feature of the app allows the user to post when they had Confession. The user can enter the information for when they would like to return for the sacrament and receive notices. The app can also notify the user when Mass will begin and will silence the phone during Mass.
“By getting the app on your phone, it’s a great communication tool, because if there is a snow emergency or some type of event, we’ll use a text message to your phone,” Jodi says. “We won’t be using it only for announcements, but it is so handy when we need it.
“As with anything, if you don’t use it, it won’t work,” she adds. “Take advantage of it!”
