You should have recently received an announcement from ParishSOFT that they are rolling out two significant upgrades to the Family Suite platform this spring. Below is additional information on each of these upgrades.
Upgrade #1 - User Interface Refresh
This upgrade impacts all ParishSOFT users and consists of a “facelift” that will modernize the way the software looks and feels. The new layout will be identical to the way the ParishSOFT Offering module currently looks. This refresh is expected to be cosmetic with minimal or no functional changes.
Upgrade #2 - Religious Education Redesign
This is a major upgrade that impacts all Religious Education Module users. It includes the above “facelift” to a more modern and intuitive design as well as several enhancements to the functionality of the module based on feedback received over the past several years. All the data related to the current school-year will be maintained in this redesign. We will keep you informed of any critical updates that will impact use of the module for the current year (e.g. attendance tracking, report generation, bulk sacrament entry for First Eucharist and Confirmation classes).
What is the timing of these upgrades?
These upgrades will be rolled out between mid-February 2023 and Easter. Specific schedules are unique to each (arch)diocese and will be communicated when available.
How can parishes prepare?
ParishSOFT will be communicating additional information about these enhancements in the coming weeks that will include several webinars, videos, how-to guides, etc. to prepare your parish for these improvements. In addition, parishes will be provided credentials to a demo site through which they can explore the new look of Family Suite and the Religious Ed redesign prior to its implementation in our archdiocese.
The Process, Data, and Technology team, with support from the Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship team, is committed to ensuring that these upgrades, especially the Religious Education redesign, enhance your use of ParishSOFT while minimizing any disruption to your daily work. We will be engaged with ParishSOFT throughout the rollout of these upgrades. We are looking for a few Directors of Discipleship Formation/DREs to assist us with user acceptance testing of the Religious Education redesign; please email Paul Spankie at spankie.paul@aod.org if you would like to participate.
As additional information and resources are provided in the coming weeks, please address any general questions or concerns to support@aod.org.
Wishing you blessings through the rest of the Christmas season and many more missionary disciples in 2023!
