Software for Antiochian Orthodox Parishes

Antiochian parishes in North America often hold two communities in one nave: families whose roots are in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, and the many converts who have come into Orthodoxy through Antiochian missions. A single Sunday can include Arabic hymns, an English Liturgy, a catechumen class, and a coffee hour that feeds both. ParishSignUp helps that parish coordinate: the interface works in Arabic and English, catechesis is tracked from inquirer to reception, and volunteer sheets cover the altar, the kitchen, and the cleaning crew.

Converts, cradle families, and one parish calendar

Many Antiochian missions began with a handful of converts and grew quickly, and their records are still a mix of email threads and paper. Older parishes have long-standing ladies’ societies and food traditions but a younger generation that expects to sign up from a phone. Parish software for both has to be simple enough for a new mission and specific enough for an established parish’s Sunday.

How ParishSignUp serves an Antiochian parish

Catechesis for a parish that receives many converts

With Parish Plus, each inquirer is added to Catechesis and moved to catechumen and then received, with the dates kept. The catechist starts each class and shows a QR code; people scan it as they arrive. The priest can see at a glance who has been coming regularly before a reception date is set.

Arabic for those who want it

The interface is available in Arabic as well as English and 22 other languages, and each person chooses their own. Church photographs from the Antiochian tradition can appear as the page background and can be turned off in Profile Settings. The Gospel of the day is offered only in English (King James) and Russian, not Arabic.

Coffee hour and the parish kitchen

Recurring coffee hour sheets rotate hospitality groups through the year, and Trapeza sheets collect dishes for a feast-day meal with fasting and non-fasting suggestions. When a family offers bread and Koliva for a memorial, a Custom sheet can gather help for the meal afterward. Event RSVP sheets count adults and children for a parish dinner.

Confession and the altar

Parishioners book confession from one parish link and pick their confessor once; only the penitent and that priest can see a booking. Altar server sheets repeat weekly so each server knows which Sunday or feast they serve, with a reminder the day before.

Antiochian dioceses you can choose

Diocese of New York and Washington, D.C.
Diocese of Los Angeles and the West; Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America
Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest; Diocese of Miami and the Southeast
Diocese of Worcester and New England
Diocese of Oakland, Charleston and the Mid-Atlantic
Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York
Other / not listed

In an Antiochian parish

A mission has twelve inquirers after an Orthodoxy 101 series.
The priest adds them to Catechesis, records attendance at each class by QR code, and moves those who are ready to catechumen. The roster shows who has kept coming before Holy Week.
The parish’s patronal feast falls on a Sunday and the whole community stays for lunch.
The ladies’ society creates a Trapeza sheet for the feast. Families note their dish in Arabic or English, and the organizers see the list fill in before Saturday.
Visitors come every Sunday, and the priest wants to follow up with them.
A QR code in the narthex lets visitors leave a card. The priest sees who came and when, and can invite them to the next inquirers’ class.

For a new mission

A mission with a dozen families can start with the free plan alone: a confession link, a coffee hour sheet, a cleaning rotation, and the parish QR code for visitors. Visitors who scan it leave a card so the priest knows who came. Parish Plus can wait until the mission needs membership forms, stewardship pledges, or catechesis tracking.

Setting up an Antiochian parish

Create the parish and choose Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Pick your diocese from the Antiochian list
Give clergy the Priest role
Print the visitor QR code for the narthex
Create recurring coffee hour and altar server sheets
Add Parish Plus when you want catechesis, membership forms, or pledges

Questions from Antiochian parishes

Can our Antiochian diocese see our parish’s members?

No. If the parish lists its diocese and a diocese administrator has been approved by ParishSignUp, they see the parishes that chose that diocese and a read-only view of published signup sheets. Member emails, drafts, pledge amounts, and confession names stay hidden from them.

Which calendar does the Gospel of the day use?

The new calendar by default, which Antiochian parishes in North America generally keep. A person can choose the old calendar in Profile Settings.

Can the app be shown in Arabic?

Yes. Each person can pick Arabic in Profile Settings, or the app follows their phone’s language. Others in the same parish can use English at the same time.

Does it replace our church management system for giving?

No. ParishSignUp does not process online giving or keep accounts. It handles volunteers, confession, visitors, and, with Parish Plus, membership, pledges, surveys, and catechesis.