"I kept asking: Can MSP do this? And the answer was usually yes."

When Richard Brehove first encountered Ministry Scheduler Pro at his parish, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Lomita, CA, it was only being used for one group of volunteers: Eucharistic Ministers. As the Lector Ministry leader, Richard was still coordinating his volunteers manually—using spreadsheets and reply-all emails to piece together each schedule.

Richard admits he was skeptical about switching to MSP at first.

"I had my own system," Richard recalls. "But someone in the EM ministry encouraged me to take a look at MSP. I started asking, 'Can it do this? Can it do that?' And as I experimented and read the tutorials, the answer was usually yes."

That curiosity quickly turned into confidence. Richard signed up for a free trial, explored the features, and discovered that MSP could do everything he needed—and more.

Adding One Ministry at a Time

Once Richard saw MSP's potential, he officially took over as primary admin for the parish—with the full support of the previous administrator—and began expanding its use.

He started by incorporating Sunday Lectors into the schedule. Not long after, the Altar Server leader (also a Eucharistic Minister) asked to bring her volunteers on board. Richard added her as a Web Admin so she could manage the ministry independently. Since most Altar Servers are pre-teens, she began using MSP's texting feature to communicate more effectively. They work together as a team.

"All I do now is create the skeleton schedule and run the auto-scheduler," Richard explains. "She adjusts some of the Altar Server assignments based on their specific needs. MSP gives us that flexibility."

Making It Easy for Everyone

MSP, Richard says, has made things "easy, uncomplicated, intuitive, and accessible"—qualities he also strives to offer his volunteers. Even those without email or smartphones are included.

"I still have a few volunteers who don't use email or cell phones," he says. "For them, I export and print out the schedule, put it in an envelope with their name on it, and leave it at the office. I can even print the body of the email using the Announcement print function. It's all manageable with MSP."

The system makes it easier to meet volunteers where they are, whether that means using the mobile app or receiving a printed copy.

Looking Ahead

Richard hopes to eventually add more ministries to MSP, including Weekday Lectors, Ushers, and the Spanish-language Mass. While each group currently operates with its own rhythm, he sees the potential to centralize scheduling even further when the time is right.

Advice for Other Parishes

For anyone still unsure about making the switch, like he was at first, take it from Richard himself:

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