Clergy & Bookings FAQ

Find answers to common questions about managing clergy profiles, publishing confession hours, and booking spiritual appointments.

How do members book confession appointments with their priest?

Members can schedule appointments easily through their portal:

1. Log into the member portal and navigate to the Clergy section.
2. Select their designated Confession Father (priest).
3. Click Book Appointment.
4. View available time slots published by the priest on his calendar.
5. Select a slot, enter an optional private request note (e.g., “Requesting home blessing”), and click Confirm Booking.

How does a priest block out vacation days or retreats?

To prevent members from booking slots during absences:

1. The priest logs into his dashboard and goes to My Schedule.
2. Click Create Schedule Block.
3. Select the date range (e.g., June 10th to June 15th) and the reason (e.g., “Metropolitan Synod” or “Retreat”).
4. Choose whether to automatically cancel and notify existing bookings, or hold them for rescheduling.
5. Once saved, these dates are blocked, and no new appointments can be booked on those days.

Can we schedule a visiting priest to cover parish services?

Yes. To include a visiting priest in service plans:

1. Navigate to Clergy Directory and click Register Visiting Clergy.
2. Enter their name, title, and home diocese.
3. Save their profile. You can now select them from the officiating priest list when planning liturgies, scheduling sacraments, or listing confessions.
4. Visiting profiles can be set to expire automatically, removing them from lists once their visit concludes.

How are confession booking notifications sent to priests?

When a member books or requests an appointment:

• Instant Feeds: The booking appears in the priest’s dashboard queue.
• Push Alerts: If enabled, the priest receives an in-app push notification on his device.
• SMS/Email Summaries: Priests receive email notifications with details, allowing them to approve, decline, or suggest a new time directly from the link.