Parafio – a convenient online Mass intention system

The Church has served for two thousand years — and it does so by remaining present to each age. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation became especially important. Technology has always developed quickly, and that is particularly visible today.

According to research from Statistics Poland (GUS), in 2020 already more than 90% of households used the internet for shopping and for finding information. In response to these rapid changes we created Parafio, to help communities reach the faithful through many channels of communication.

Parishes going out to their faithful

We live in busy times, when it is often hard to pause even for a moment. Society is open to change and to easier solutions in every area of life. Streaming music or films online is now everyday practice.

Parishes therefore need solutions that make it easier for the faithful to stay in touch and to use what the community offers. A well-run website is the foundation that makes this possible.

The next step is tools the faithful can use actively — not only for those whose health keeps them from coming to church, but for every parishioner online who sometimes cannot reach the parish office at a given hour.

With Parafio, anyone can request a Mass intention online in a given parish for a specific Mass at any time.

Example from the ground up

Fr. Łukasz Bikun from the Parish of St. John Cantius

The first parish to adopt Parafio was the Parish of St. John Cantius in Słupsk, where Fr. Wojciech Filimon is pastor. The parochial vicar — Fr. Łukasz Bikun — contacted us first and introduced online Mass intentions together with our team.

After a few months with Parafio he said:

“A huge advantage turned out to be the ability for the faithful to request Masses online. At first we thought it would be a tiny percentage and that this channel would create the most problems — but it was the opposite. We feared that intentions submitted online might be inappropriate or that someone would spam our intention book. The system is designed so that this risk is reduced to a minimum (for example because a person cannot submit false details and must make an offering).”

and he adds:

“This way of requesting Masses shortened queues to the sacristy after Mass and opened us to new people who had never requested a Mass before, or did so only rarely. Interestingly, offerings also increased.”

About the online Mass intention system

Parafio primarily simplifies requesting Mass intentions for both the faithful and the parish. The parishioner chooses an available time in a public calendar, enters their details and intention text, and pays for the reservation right away.

The parish receives an intention management panel accessible from any internet-connected device. The panel shows all intentions entered by priests and those requested online.

Parafio can print weekly Mass schedules with intentions filled in, which clearly eases parish office work.

Where a parish needs it, we also offer intention accounting — showing exactly which stage an intention is at (paid vs. already booked in the books). Monthly financial summaries distinguish online payments from those made at the parish office or with priests.

Fast intention search replaces time-consuming paging through a paper book.

Beyond online Mass intentions, we help parishes collect remembrance intentions online and online offerings. Remembrance intentions are especially helpful because we minimize errors that come from unclear handwriting. Sensitive data entered with Mass intentions and remembrance intentions is properly protected.

We improve the system continuously, listening to parishes that use it. We stay open to change and aim to meet the urgent needs of every community.