Parish of St. Andrzeja Boboli in Lublin uses a phone application that has been specially created for its needs. Thanks to it, the faithful can watch online mass broadcasts, communicate with each other within the created groups or send messages to the priest. The initiator of this solution is the parish priest. About 14,000 people have already downloaded the application, which is more than there are faithful in the parish.
– She did a great job, for example, during the last Christmas carol. The faithful asked what time the priest would be, whether he would come that day, and so on – says Fr. Mirosław Ładniak, pastor of the parish of St. Andrzej Bobola in Lublin.
It was he – in 2019 – who came up with the idea to create a parish phone application, thanks to which the faithful could even watch masses online.
The app has a number of features. For example, you can send a message to the parish priestParish of St. Andrzej Bobola in Lublin
The application has about five thousand active users
– Although the application also had other functions, in practice, until recently, only parish announcements and videos with the pastor’s commentary on the Holy Bible could be found on it. Now we are taking full advantage of the possibilities offered by the application – comments Fr. Paweł Saran, who has been a vicar in this parish for six months.
The priest is currently taking care of the application and has promoted it on the web to such an extent that there are more downloads – about 14,000 – than all the faithful (about 12,000) in the parish. The application also has about five thousand active users, i.e. those who ask questions, write on individual groups, etc.
The parish has about 12,000 faithfulParish of St. Andrzej Bobola in Lublin
– Thanks to the application, the faithful have everything in one place. They do not have to look for information on the parish website or on our Facebook profile. Each new message that is made available through the application appears in the notification that the user receives on his phone. In addition, for example, during the last Advent, each user received one quote from the Bible every day – reports Fr. Sarah.
Pastor: It was a bull’s-eye
Fr. Ładniak adds that while earlier the parish focused primarily on developing the website and Facebook profile, and the application was somewhat “let go”, since Fr. Paweł, all three communication channels are already thriving. The application is currently the most popular.
– It was a bull’s-eye, because it turns out that there is a very large group of people who prefer to use the application rather than enter our website or use Facebook – the parish priest points out.
He also explains that there are more downloads of the application than parishioners, because it is also used by the faithful who do not belong to this parish, but want to watch, for example, a broadcast of the service.
Thanks to the application, you can even watch broadcasts of servicesParish of St. Andrzej Bobola in Lublin
– There are also broadcasts of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which is very important for people who are ill and cannot come to church – emphasizes Fr. pretty.
They write to the parish priest, asking for a meeting and a longer conversation
The application is also used by members of individual formation groups, who – through it – can communicate with each other. For example, it is about a group of young people preparing for Confirmation.
– Through the application, the faithful also report various types of matters. They write what they like and what they would like to change. We receive a lot of such messages. Thanks to this, we are in constant contact with the faithful, and the parish is alive. If there is good communication, there is also good cooperation. There are also requests for a meeting and a longer conversation. I think that many people who ask me for it through the application would not dare to approach and ask for it in the temple, in front of others – says the parish priest.
Anyone can draw a card with a quote from the Bible
The application is not the only innovative solution that is used in this parish. For the second year in a row, in January, during the Sunday of the Word of God, it was possible to draw “Life Cards” from baskets held by priests. Each was created in the style of a credit card, and each contains a quote from the Holy Bible.
Priests are preparing “Life Cards”. They resemble credit cardsParish of St. Andrzej Bobola in Lublin
– The quote has been carried in the wallet since then and accompanies us all year round, being a daily support. We distributed four thousand such cards. Of course they are free. Just like the application. Anyone can download it by entering “Bobola Lublin” in the search engine – stresses Fr. pretty.
When asked how much the application itself cost, she says she doesn’t remember exactly, but it was several thousand zlotys, and the costs were covered entirely from the parish’s funds.
Main photo source: Parish of St. Andrzej Bobola in Lublin