How Clergy Connect Works

From an open Mass to a covered one — the full flow, start to finish.

Set up your regular schedule

In My Schedule, add every Mass and confession time you regularly cover, plus any known one-off events like funerals or weddings. This is what everything else is built on.

Request a sub

When you need coverage, submit a request from the Dashboard for one of your scheduled slots and pick the date. One-off events default to their fixed date.

The diocese reviews it (usually)

Most requests go to the diocesan office for a quick approval first. The diocese can also mark certain types — like confessions — to skip this step and go straight to matching.

Nearby clergy are matched automatically

Once approved, the app finds every pastor and deacon whose travel radius covers the distance to that parish — using whichever of their home parishes is closest — and who hasn't opted out of coverage emails.

Everyone eligible is notified

Each matched pastor or deacon gets an email with a one-time claim link. You don't have to wait for email either — Dashboard → Open across the diocese shows everything currently open, with a one-tap claim.

First to claim, covers it

Whoever responds first is confirmed instantly. If two people click at the same moment, only the first one actually goes through — no double-booking, no awkward phone calls.

It shows up everywhere, instantly

The shared Calendar updates immediately for everyone. Whoever's now covering gets an Add to Calendar link so it lands on their own phone too.

A few things worth knowing

Nothing falls through the cracks

If a request sits unclaimed, the diocese can configure follow-up reminder emails to eligible clergy, and a separate "still unfilled" notice to the diocesan office (and a backup contact) once it's been open too long.

Matching is based on distance, not just a list

Every pastor and deacon sets their own travel radius. If someone serves more than one parish, matching always uses whichever of their home parishes is closest to the parish that needs coverage.

The diocese can tune the whole flow

From Settings, diocese staff can turn on auto-approval for specific event types, set a backup contact for approval emails, and control how many days pass before a reminder or stale-request notice goes out.