Mass Pass Changes

Note: You only need to make sure your record is up to date ONCE, unless your phone number or other information chages. After that, you can simply show up for mass, no pre-registration required.

Mass Pass Changes January 16th 2021

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Beginning Saturday, January 16, 2021, we will no longer use Eventbrite to get Mass passes.

  • We must still track everyone who attends a Mass for contact tracing, but we will use our parish database (Realm), rather than Eventbrite.
  • To use this system, we must have accurate parish records (names, addresses, phone numbers).
  • Realm will let us check in people easily by using phone numbers or barcodes.

How will this change affect me and my family?

We are asking parishioners to request an account in Realm either by clicking the button on the bottom of this email, or directly on our website https://www.stfrancisholland.org/realm by providing names, address, and phone number. When you fill out this form, the parish staff will verify that all your information is correct in Realm, and have the system send you an email with the information needed to set up your account, or they will contact you to correct your record.

If you have already set up an account in Realm, please check to ensure your information is accurate.

If you do not have access to the Internet or run into any problems, please call the parish office 616.392.6700 during our office hours (10 am-3 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). We are happy to help.

You can read more about Realm here https://www.stfrancisholland.org/content/church-family-connecting-realm

Questions and Answers

I am not a parishioner at St. Francis, but I sometimes attend Mass there, how will this change affect me?

  • You are most welcome; you can simply provide contact information at the door.

I am not registered as a parishioner, but I would like to be registered; what should I do?

Why is St. Francis making this change?

  • We’ve been using Eventbrite to be prepared for and/or keep the number of people attending Mass at a number that can be safely accommodated, as well as contact tracing. Since adding two Sunday evening Masses to our weekly schedule, we can normally accommodate the numbers of people attending each Mass. We would like to remove the additional steps that people need to take before attending Mass.
  • Over the summer, St. Francis began moving parish records into Realm, a modern, secure database. We can use Realm to help us in many ways, including text giving and Mass passes. If in the future we need to begin pre- registering for Mass again that can also be easily accommodated in the Realm app
  • Our current records are not accurate. When the pandemic began, volunteers phoned every registered parishioner to let them know about Lenten services and to check on their well-being. Unfortunately, many phone numbers were inaccurate, and we had no way to contact our parishioners. When parishioners set up accounts in Realm, and update their information this problem will be solved! In Realm, parishioners can also manage their giving and pledges, view pictures of parish families, send messages to other parishioners, register for events, and much more.

If you have any questions, please send me an email at pkonczyk@stfrancisholland.org or leave a message at 616-582-8979

 

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