Service Support - Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

We have collected the questions that we most frequently receive from ministers, ministry leaders and parish administrators and have summarized answers to these on this page. We have organized the questions and answers into groups according to the person asking the question. Select your area of interest below to view the questions and answers that pertain to you.

Move your pointer over the area of interest to see the relevant questions. Place your pointer in the white area of the question block and use your mouse scroll wheel or keyboard up/down arrow keys to scroll through the questions. Then move your pointer over the question of interest to see the answer.

Minister

  • Why do I get a message that the site is closed because a new schedule is being prepared when I attempt to log in to my account?

    Your parish administrator has implemented a feature that does not allow access to accounts so that the data is stable while the next schedule is being prepared.

  • I forgot my user id, how can I get to my account?

    You can restore access to your account using the "I Forget" feature. Enter your first and last name as they are on the roster and the email address used for your account and a link will be mailed to you to allow you to restore access to your account. By following the link, you will be able to see your user id and to reset your password.

  • I forgot my password, how can I get to my account?

    You can restore access to your account using the "I Forget" feature. Enter your first and last name as they are on the roster and the email address used for your account and a link will be mailed to you to allow you to restore access to your account. By following the link, you will be able to see your user id and to reset your password.

  • My email account has changed and I can no longer access the email account listed in my profile. I cannot access my account to change the email address because I forgot my log in information. What can I do?

    Your Ministry Leader or Parish Administrator can change the email account in your profile and then you can use the "I Forget" feature to gain access to your account.

  • I am having trouble using the service. How can I get help?

    You can contact your Ministry Leader and Parish Administrator for assistance. If you cannot get your problem resolved, you can complete a personalized assistance request form in the "Support" section of our website.

  • Do you provide technical support via telephone?

    Our technical support is provided using a trouble report form and email. Since each inquiry can take a significant time for resolution, we believe that voice calls with long contact times are not productive for our clients or our staff. Using the email method, clients can be free to do other things while their problem is being investigated and resolved.

  • How is minister privacy handled?

    Minister information is retained in a database dedicated to your church. Ministers access their information using password protected accounts. Ministry Leaders and the Parish Administrator have access to all minister information so that they can provide support to the ministers as necessary. In addition, Meteor Technologies, Inc. personnel can access minister information so that they can provide support as required and monitor system performance. We will not disclose minister information to third parties unless ordered to do so by law.

  • If I forgot my user id and I use the I Forget feature, do I need to reset my password?

    No, if you remember your password, there is no need to reset it. Just notice the user id on the page that is sent to you and use that and the password you remember to log in.

  • How secure are the accounts?

    The service uses clear text communication between the ministers' computers and the service's computers. Except for passwords, data is stored in the database in clear text format. Accounts are accessed through minister specified user id and password combinations. Break in attempts can be successful if ministers choose insecure user id and password combinations or if this information is released to others intentionally or unintentionally.

  • How can ministers who do not have computer access update their preferences?

    Ministers who do not have computer access can send their updates to their Ministry Leaders. The Ministry Leaders can access their accounts and make the updates for them.

  • How can ministers without Internet access get reminders or know when an assignment is available for transfer?

    Of course the reminder feature and the requests for subs which are based on email will not be available to ministers without Internet access. However by entering the email address of a Ministry Leader for those ministers without Internet access, the Ministry Leaders can keep the ministers informed of items sent to them via telephone and fill the open assignments after getting the agreement of the minister by clicking the link in the email. So, with support from the Ministry Leaders, ministers without Internet access can enjoy all of the features of the service.

  • I am trying to set up a keep together relationship, but the minister is not on the list of ministers from which to select. How can I find the minister that I want?

    Keep together relationships can only be established between ministers who have the exact same mass preferences. Make sure that the minister you want has set the same mass preferences as shown in your profile. When that is done, he/she will appear on the list.

  • I have a keep together relationship with another minister, but I was scheduled to serve and the other minister was not. Why is that?

    The keep together relationship would be better described as don't schedule apart. If a mass needs a minister and one of the keep together ministers is available, he/she may be scheduled, even though the second minister will not be scheduled so that the position is not left unfilled. However, the two ministers will never be scheduled for two different masses on the same day.

  • How far in advance is an e-mail sent to ministers to remind them they serve at a given mass?

    Reminders are normally sent out on Monday mornings for the following week.

  • When can I use the Find-A-Sub feature to request a substitute for an assignment I cannot fulfill?

    The Find-A-Sub feature is available for use anytime up to 2 days before the assignment. The 2 day lead time is built in to allow time for ministers to see and respond to the request for a sub.

  • I no one volunteers to take an assignment through the Find-A-Sub request, how can I find a substitute?

    You can log in to your account and view the Roster to find ministers who have a preference for the mass in question and then use the telephone to request an emergency substitution.

  • I accidently volunteered to substitute for an assignment and I cannot fill it. What can I do?

    There is no way to undo an assignment transfer. You are now scheduled to serve. You can use the Find-A-Sub feature to advertise the assignment again and try calling other ministers to request that they sub for you.

  • Is the associated Ministry Leader notified when an assignment transfer is made using the Find-A-Sub feature?

    The online schedule is automatically updated with the change. The Ministry Leader can check the status of the schedule at any time.

  • When the Find-A-Sub feature is used, to whom is the request mailed?

    The request for a substitution is mailed to all trained ministers in the ministry and if available, the substitute ministry who are not already scheduled to serve at the mass in question. Mass preferences and personal calendar settings are ignored since taking the assignment is completely voluntary and it is desirable to explore all possibilities.

  • I've made some changes and the next time that I logged in to my account the changes were not shown. Why is that?

    You probably failed to save your changes. No changes are recorded until the Save Changes button is clicked.

  • I made a change in error. How can I correct it?

    If you realize that you made an error before you saved your changes, you can click the Cancel button to abandon all the changes and start over. If you have already clicked the Save Changes button, then you will need to make another update to restore the old information.

Ministry Leader

  • Why do I get a message that the site is closed because a new schedule is being prepared when I attempt to log in to my account?

    Your parish administrator has implemented a feature that does not allow access to accounts so that the data is stable while the next schedule is being prepared.

  • I forgot my user id, how can I get to my account?

    You can restore access to your account using the "I Forget" feature. Enter your first and last name as they are on the roster and the email address used for your account and a link will be mailed to you to allow you to restore access to your account. By following the link, you will be able to see your user id and to reset your password.

  • I forgot my password, how can I get to my account?

    You can restore access to your account using the "I Forget" feature. Enter your first and last name as they are on the roster and the email address used for your account and a link will be mailed to you to allow you to restore access to your account. By following the link, you will be able to see your user id and to reset your password.

  • My email account has changed and I can no longer access the email account listed in my profile. I cannot access my account to change the email address because I forgot my log in information. What can I do?

    Your Ministry Leader or Parish Administrator can change the email account in your profile and then you can use the "I Forget" feature to gain access to your account.

  • I am having trouble using the service. How can I get help?

    You can contact your Parish Administrator for assistance. If you cannot get your problem resolved, you can complete a personalized assistance request form in the "Support" section of our website.

  • Do you provide technical support via telephone?

    Our technical support is provided using a trouble report form and email. Since each inquiry can take a significant time for resolution, we believe that voice calls with long contact times are not productive for our clients or our staff. Using the email method, clients can be free to do other things while their problem is being investigated and resolved.

  • How is minister privacy handled?

    Minister information is retained in a database dedicated to your church. Ministers access their information using password protected accounts. Ministry Leaders and the Parish Administrator have access to all minister information so that they can provide support to the ministers as necessary. In addition, Meteor Technologies, Inc. personnel can access minister information so that they can provide support as required and monitor system performance. We will not disclose minister information to third parties unless ordered to do so by law.

  • If I forgot my user id and I use the I Forget feature, do I need to reset my password?

    No, if you remember your password, there is no need to reset it. Just notice the user id on the page that is sent to you and use that and the password you remember to log in.

  • How secure are the accounts?

    The service uses clear text communication between the ministers' computers and the service's computers. Except for passwords, data is stored in the database in clear text format. Accounts are accessed through minister specified user id and password combinations. Break in attempts can be successful if ministers choose insecure user id and password combinations or if this information is released to others intentionally or unintentionally.

  • How are maintenance releases of the service handled?

    When a maintenance release of the service software is issued, your service will automatically be updated. No involvement on the part of the parish IT staff is required.

  • Our schedule shows unassigned positions in a ministry even though ministers are available at the mass serving in other ministries. Why are they not assigned to these positions?

    The scheduler functions in a way that is strictly consistent with the Roman Missal and is designed so that a minister serves only one ministry at any given mass.

  • I am adding ministers to the parish. Is there a pre-set password, or do I assign one for the ministers as I enter their information?

    You will need to assign a password when you set up the account. When you provide your ministers the log in information for their accounts you can include the user id and passwords in your correspondence, or if you prefer withhold that information in the correspondence that you send and ask them to go to the I Forget feature with their email address and first and last name information to read their user id and reset their password to a value that they desire. The second method is a little more secure in that it does not provide the user id and password in clear text, but it is less convenient for your ministers.

  • How can ministers who do not have computer access update their preferences?

    Ministers who do not have computer access can send their updates to their Ministry Leaders. The Ministry Leaders can access their accounts and make the updates for them.

  • How can ministers without Internet access get reminders or know when an assignment is available for transfer?

    Of course the reminder feature and the requests for subs which are based on email will not be available to ministers without Internet access. However by entering the email address of a Ministry Leader for those ministers without Internet access, the Ministry Leaders can keep the ministers informed of items sent to them via telephone and fill the open assignments after getting the agreement of the minister by clicking the link in the email. So, with support from the Ministry Leaders, ministers without Internet access can enjoy all of the features of the service.

  • Once a month we schedule children as Readers at a weekend mass. The children are selected by our school teachers. How can we handle this scheduling?

    You can add two special ministers to your Reader Ministry to handle this situation, say Child Reader 1 and Child Reader 2 and set the mass at the first preference for both of these ministers. Designate these ministers as Special Ministers on the Ministers tab in the Parish Administrator's console. Then block out all weekend dates that child readers are not scheduled on each of their calendars. When the schedule is run, these ministers will be scheduled for their first preference mass on any date that is not blocked on their calendars.

  • I am trying to set up a keep together relationship, but the minister is not on the list of ministers from which to select. How can I find the minister that I want?

    Keep together relationships can only be established between ministers who have the exact same mass preferences. Make sure that the minister you want has set the same mass preferences as shown in your profile. When that is done, he/she will appear on the list.

  • I have a keep together relationship with another minister, but I was scheduled to serve and the other minister was not. Why is that?

    The keep together relationship would be better described as don't schedule apart. If a mass needs a minister and one of the keep together ministers is available, he/she may be scheduled, even though the second minister will not be scheduled so that the position is not left unfilled. However, the two ministers will never be scheduled for two different masses on the same day.

  • If a Ministry Leaders changes the proposed schedule will the changes be reflected in the Parish Administrator's console?

    Yes, the next time that you log in as the Parish Administrator any changes made to the proposed schedule by Ministry Leaders will be reflected in the proposed schedule shown.

  • I've made some changes and the next time that I logged in to my account the changes were not shown. Why is that?

    You probably failed to save your changes. No changes are recorded until the Save Changes button is clicked.

  • I made a change in error. How can I correct it?

    If you realize that you made an error before you saved your changes, you can click the Cancel button to abandon all the changes and start over. If you have already clicked the Save Changes button, then you will need to make another update to restore the old information.

  • Is the associated Ministry Leader notified when an assignment transfer is made using the Find-A-Sub feature?

    The online schedule is automatically updated with the change. The Ministry Leader can check the status of the schedule at any time.

  • When the Find-A-Sub feature is used, to whom is the request mailed?

    The request for a substitution is mailed to all trained ministers in the ministry and if available, the substitute ministry who are not already scheduled to serve at the mass in question. Mass preferences and personal calendar settings are ignored since taking the assignment is completely voluntary and it is desirable to explore all possibilities.

Parish Administrator

  • Why do I get an error message stating "There is an error in the name NULL you entered, please try again" when I click the Set New Schedule button?

    If your browser has a pop-up blocker, you may not see the box to enter a name for your schedule and this error will be seen. To correct the problem, register your website as trusted in your browser so that you will see the form to enter the schedule name

  • Printing a schedule results in a file that can be displayed in a web browser. Do you recommend that this file be posted on the parish website so that everyone can view it?

    We recommend that the schedule file be kept private. That file contains personal information that can be misused in ways that can harm ministers and should not be made publicly available.

  • I forgot my user id, how can I get to my account?

    You can restore access to your account using the "I Forget" feature. Enter your first and last name as they are on the roster and the email address used for your account and a link will be mailed to you to allow you to restore access to your account. By following the link, you will be able to see your user id and to reset your password.

  • I forgot my password, how can I get to my account?

    You can restore access to your account using the "I Forget" feature. Enter your first and last name as they are on the roster and the email address used for your account and a link will be mailed to you to allow you to restore access to your account. By following the link, you will be able to see your user id and to reset your password.

  • My email account has changed and I can no longer access the email account listed in my profile. I cannot access my account to change the email address because I forgot my log in information. What can I do?

    If you participate in a ministry, your Ministry Leader can change the email account in your profile and then you can use the "I Forget" feature to gain access to your account.

  • I am having trouble using the service. How can I get help?

    You can complete a personalized assistance request form in the "Support" section of our website.

  • Do you provide technical support via telephone?

    Our technical support is provided using a trouble report form and email. Since each inquiry can take a significant time for resolution, we believe that voice calls with long contact times are not productive for our clients or our staff. Using the email method, clients can be free to do other things while their problem is being investigated and resolved.

  • How is minister privacy handled?

    Minister information is retained in a database dedicated to your church. Ministers access their information using password protected accounts. Ministry Leaders and the Parish Administrator have access to all minister information so that they can provide support to the ministers as necessary. In addition, Meteor Technologies, Inc. personnel can access minister information so that they can provide support as required and monitor system performance. We will not disclose minister information to third parties unless ordered to do so by law.

  • If I forgot my user id and I use the I Forget feature, do I need to reset my password?

    No, if you remember your password, there is no need to reset it. Just notice the user id on the page that is sent to you and use that and the password you remember to log in.

  • A vigil mass falls on the last day of the scheduling period, but is not being shown on the schedule, why?

    Vigil masses are considered part of the schedule for the next day. If the next day falls outside the selected scheduling period, the vigil mass will not be shown on the schedule, but will appear when the masses for the next day are scheduled even though it may not fall within the selected scheduling period.

  • How secure are the accounts?

    The service uses clear text communication between the ministers' computers and the service's computers. Except for passwords, data is stored in the database in clear text format. Accounts are accessed through minister specified user id and password combinations. Break in attempts can be successful if ministers choose insecure user id and password combinations or if this information is released to others intentionally or unintentionally.

  • How are maintenance releases of the service handled?

    When a maintenance release of the service software is issued, your service will automatically be updated. No involvement on the part of the parish IT staff is required.

  • Our schedule shows unassigned positions in a ministry even though ministers are available at the mass serving in other ministries. Why are they not assigned to these positions?

    The scheduler functions in a way that is strictly consistent with the Roman Missal and is designed so that a minister serves only one ministry at any given mass.

  • I would like to clear the start and end date fields for a mass, but I am having trouble. How can I do this?

    You can clear the start date and end dates for a mass by clearing the field on the edit mass form. To do that log in to you Parish Administration console and click the Masses tab. Select the mass you want to change by clicking the check box next to it and click the Edit Selected button. Highlight the entry in start date field and press the delete key. Highlight the entry in the end date field and click the delete key. These field must be empty, they cannot contain a space character. Click the Update Mass button to record these changes.

  • I am adding ministers to the parish. Is there a pre-set password, or do I assign one for the ministers as I enter their information?

    You will need to assign a password when you set up the account. When you provide your ministers the log in information for their accounts you can include the user id and passwords in your correspondence, or if you prefer withhold that information in the correspondence that you send and ask them to go to the I Forget feature with their email address and first and last name information to read their user id and reset their password to a value that they desire. The second method is a little more secure in that it does not provide the user id and password in clear text, but it is less convenient for your ministers.

  • How can ministers who do not have Internet access know when they are scheduled to serve?

    When the schedule is published, the Parish Administrator is given the opportunity to print the schedule, roster and post cards for mailing. These features provide the administrator with three files that can be opened and printed. The three files are html files (web pages) that can be printed using your browser's print capability. There is also a feature that allows download of all of the schedule information in a format that can be imported into a spread sheet for any use that you desire. These paper-based outputs are meant to support those ministers who do not have Internet access.

  • We are changing the timing for a mass. How can we best accomplish this?

    If the only thing that is changing is the mass timing and all ministers and requirements are not changing, the easiest thing to do is to just edit the mass fields that show the timing. To do this log into the Parish Administrator's console and click the Masses tab and select the mass that is changing and click the Edit Mass button. Edit the fields click the Update Mass button and save your changes.

  • We are dropping a mass during the next scheduling period. How can we do that?

    To drop a mass during a scheduling period, log into the Parish Administrator's console and click the Masses tab. Select the mass that is being dropped and click the Edit Selected button. On the form displayed, enter the date the mass will be dropped in the End Date field click the Update Mass button and save your changes. The mass will not be scheduled after that date.

  • We are starting a new mass during the next scheduling period. How can we do that?

    To start a new mass during a scheduling period, log into the Parish Administrator's console and click the Masses tab. Select the mass that is being dropped and click the Edit Selected button. On the form displayed, enter the date the mass will be started in the Start Date field, click the Update Mass button and save your changes. The mass will be scheduled after that date.

  • Once a month we schedule children as Readers at a weekend mass. The children are selected by our school teachers. How can we handle this scheduling?

    You can add two special ministers to your Reader Ministry to handle this situation, say Child Reader 1 and Child Reader 2 and set the mass at the first preference for both of these ministers. Designate these ministers as Special Ministers on the Ministers tab in the Parish Administrator's console. Then block out all weekend dates that child readers are not scheduled on each of their calendars. When the schedule is run, these ministers will be scheduled for their first preference mass on any date that is not blocked on their calendars.

  • If a Ministry Leaders changes the proposed schedule will the changes be reflected in the Parish Administrator's console?

    Yes, the next time that you log in as the Parish Administrator any changes made to the proposed schedule by Ministry Leaders will be reflected in the proposed schedule shown.

  • How can I get the schedule in Microsoft Excel format?

    Before the proposed schedule is published, log in to the Parish Administrator's console and go to the Schedules tab. Click the Download button. A .tsv format file will be sent to your computer. The .tsv format may be imported into many programs (e.g. excel, word, etc.). You can then use those programs to do whatever you wish.

  • I've made some changes and the next time that I logged in to my account the changes were not shown. Why is that?

    You probably failed to save your changes. No changes are recorded until the Save Changes button is clicked.

  • I made a change in error. How can I correct it?

    If you realize that you made an error before you saved your changes, you can click the Cancel button to abandon all the changes and start over. If you have already clicked the Save Changes button, then you will need to make another update to restore the old information.