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ParishSOFT Offerings: Newsletter for ParishSOFT Users & Friends
March 2013 Issue
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New Ways to Reach Us!
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As your Catholic technology partner, we want to make sure we're there for you when you need us! So we've added a few handy tools on our website to help us serve you better.
Look for this button
on our Support page to get in touch with our product support team.
Interested in a new product? Need to our phone and mailing info? Visit our "Contact Us" page. (Look for this in the blue navigation bar at the top of our site).
And our toll-free number makes it easy to reach us by phone:
(866) 930-4774
Sales | x1
Support | x2
Billing | x3
Training | x6
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Lenten Series Video
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Prayer in the midst of our everyday tasks is not only possible, it has the power to transform our lives. Thanks to Fr. Brendan McGuire, for sharing this Lenten series video. 
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Mark your calendar for Users' Conference 2013: October 21 - 23
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Save the Date: October 21 - 23, 2013 - ParishSOFT Users' Conference in Baltimore, Maryland!
What to look forward to:
- 60+ unique technology workshops
- Hands-on training classes allowing you to interact with our software
- Connecting with fellow church staff from across the US
- Keynotes from renowned Catholic speakers
- Daily Mass
- 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, & 2 evening receptions
There's something for everyone, from parish staff members and priests to diocesan staff members. Join us for a time of learning, networking, and spiritual energizing!
To stay in the loop with Conference updates, join our subscription list.
Meet Our First Keynote Speaker:
Fr. Brendan McGuire joins us from San Jose, CA, where he serves as Vicar General of the Diocese of San Jose as well as pastor of Holy Spirit Parish and co-pastor of Our Lady of Refuge. For a taste of Conference, click on the video below to watch Fr. Brendan's keynote from Conference 2012.
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A Season of Reconciliation and New Beginnings
If your parish is like most, the weeks leading up to Holy Week and Easter Sunday can be quite chaotic. Between additional mid-week services, fish fries, and Confirmation preparation, time is scarce and energy is sapped. But despite this rush and exhaustion we experience, this season can be one of reconciliation and new beginnings.
On Easter morning - if past years serve as any indicator - parish pews will fill, and there may be others besides your registered parishioners who pay your church a visit on this joyous morning! For those who haven't been in a while, Easter is one of those times when they may start seeking again. And wouldn't it be great if your parish were able to help them find reconciliation and start a new beginning in the Church?
Entering (or re-entering) the physical doors of a church is not an easy step. It's stressful even in the little ways, like choosing church-appropriate attire. It's important to be sensitive to the barriers a person must overcome and to present your parish and yourself in a way that can overcome those difficulties. With this in mind, here are a few check points for welcoming those who have drifted into your parish fold:
- Make yourself available. You work for the Church, and, we hope, your friends and acquaintances know that you are a person they can go to if they are thinking about visiting a church. If you're approached or engaged in a conversation where someone expresses a desire to reconnect with the Church, be ready to offer your assistance as a friend. Being with someone you know, even if you're not best friends, can take the edge off of their fears. Also, when your friend chooses a Sunday and makes arrangements to visit with you, he or she is less likely to back out at the last minute.
- Suggest reconciliation. Especially during the season of Lent, the sacrament of Reconciliation is an appropriate means of welcoming someone who's been adrift for a while. This is where a thorough church bulletin also comes into play. It's possible that your friend may feel uncomfortable asking about reconciliation but will gladly look through a bulletin to find the next opportunity. Make sure that yours lists when the sacrament is offered and provides details about speaking to the priest before a normal service.
- Encourage membership. Make sure that those who are "trying out" you parish know that they have the opportunity to join. Once they have gotten over the initial fears of entering a church and are on the path of reconciliation, permanent membership is important! The priest can make an announcement about membership classes, and those who know the new attendee should encourage him or her to join the church. Officially being part of the visible church can be a strong motivator to keep people coming back and actively participating at your parish!
Naturally, these steps can happen anytime, but during this season, keep your eye out for the opportunity to invite someone into the church. Who knows what new beginnings this Easter will bring?
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Parish Suite 4.1.12 Release
This release provides important updates for barcoded mail and Address Quality:
- Intelligent Mail (IM) templates have been enhanced to include the IM barcode, which gives your mail improved deliverability and processing efficiency with the U.S. Postal Service.
- Address Quality: If your church is using Address Quality to process address records, you'll need to update your software in order to process National Change of Address files.
Please view the release notes for all the details of this release, affecting modules in the Parish and Diocesan AIM Suites.
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Online Giving 3.8.3 Update
Our latest Online Giving update, effective Jan. 29, 2013, brought many great enhancements directly to your system, including:
- Improved process for reinstating a payment method for a failed transaction
- Several usability enhancements to the My Active Online Giving, Manage My Church, and Givers pages
- NEW! Credit card expiration report
- More frequent automatic reminder emails for expiring credit cards and failed transactions
- And more! View the release notes for details.
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Looking to Offer Online Giving to Your Parishioners?
 Learn more about Online Giving and how other parishes are using ParishSOFT's Online Giving program.
Attend an Online Giving Webinar:
Contact us online or call us today at (866) 930-4774. |
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ParishSOFT serves 8,200 parishes and 74 arch/dioceses
with a mission to listen to the needs of churches and dioceses
and provide relevant technology that supports your ministries, today and in the future!
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