Parish Guide

Events — How It Works

From RSVP to the door — finding, reserving, and running parish events in plain language.
A simple, step-by-step guide for parishioners and parish staff · Powered by Nave

At a glance

An event is anything your parish puts on the calendar that people might come to — a fish fry, a faith-formation night, a Christmas concert, a parish festival. Nave gives every event its own page, lets parishioners RSVP (and join a waitlist if it's full), adds it to their phone's calendar, and gives the office a live attendee list with check-in. Times are always shown with your parish's timezone label (for example, 7:00 PM PT) so they’re never ambiguous.

1 · Discover an event→ 2 · RSVP (or join the waitlist)→ 3 · Add to your calendar→ 4 · Get a reminder→ 5 · Show up & get checked in
Simple by default, powerful when you need it. Every event works with no setup — a page, a date, a share link, and add-to-calendar. The extras (capacity limits with an automatic waitlist, attendance check-in, recurring series, room double-booking checks) switch on only where a parish wants them. In this guide, those extras are marked Advanced.

Search, or ask “when?”

The Events page is a finder over every upcoming event, grouped by day. Type what you remember — a name, a place, a group — or tap Today, This weekend, Next 7 days or Pick a date. Filters for place, language, category and ministry appear only when your parish has more than one to choose between.

By category

A curated tag on each event. e.g. Liturgy, Faith Formation, Youth, Family, Social, Fundraiser, Service, Music, Prayer, Sacraments, Seasonal, Meeting.

By ministry

The group hosting the event. Tap a ministry to see only its events; the link also leads to that ministry's page.

You're guided in your own language. Event titles and descriptions are multilingual. Staff write English only; Spanish and other languages your parish offers are translated automatically.

Part A · For parishioners

How to find an event, save your spot, get it onto your phone, and change your mind later — no account or app required.

Use case 1 · Find an event

Who: Anyone.   Goal: See what's coming up.

  1. On the parish website, open Events (upcoming events are also featured on the home page).
  2. Type in the search box — “youth”, “rosary chapel”, “quinceanera” all work, accents or not. A search looks at every date, so an event in December is found in September. A group that meets every week shows once, as “Every Wednesday · 7:00 PM — next Sep 30”.
  3. Or tap This weekend, Next 7 days or Pick a date to see one stretch of the calendar, day by day. The address in your browser carries what you chose, so you can send the link to someone.
  4. Tap any event to open its page: when and where, a description, who's hosting, and how many spots are left.

Result: A clear, up-to-date picture of parish life — in your language.

Use case 2 · RSVP to an event

Who: Anyone.   Goal: Let the parish know you're coming.

  1. On the event (in the list or on its page), enter your name, how many are in your party, and optionally your email.
  2. Tap RSVP. If the event has a capacity, you'll see how many spots are left.
  3. If you left an email, you get a confirmation with the event details, an add-to-calendar link, and a private link to change or cancel later.

Result: Your spot is saved, and the office knows to expect you (and your party).

Use case 3 · Join the waitlist when it's full Advanced

Who: Anyone, when an event has hit its capacity.   Goal: Get in line in case a spot opens.

  1. If the event is full, the form simply switches to "Join the waitlist" — no dead end.
  2. Submit your name and party size the same way. You're added to the waitlist, oldest-first.
  3. If someone cancels and your whole party fits in the freed seats, you're moved up to "Going" automatically (parties are never split).

Result: You keep your place in line — and may be promoted to a confirmed spot without lifting a finger.

Use case 4 · Add it to your calendar

Who: Anyone.   Goal: Make sure you don't forget.

  1. On the event's page (or right on the list), tap Add to calendar to drop it into Google Calendar.
  2. Prefer Apple Calendar or Outlook? Tap .ics to download a file your calendar app opens.
  3. For a repeating event, the calendar entry repeats too.

Result: The event lands on your phone, in your parish's timezone.

Use case 5 · Change or cancel your RSVP

Who: Anyone who RSVP'd with an email.   Goal: Free up your spot if plans change — no login.

  1. Open the manage link from your confirmation email. It shows your event and whether you're Going or on the Waitlist.
  2. Tap Cancel to give up your spot.
  3. Cancelling a confirmed spot frees those seats — and may promote the next person on the waitlist.

Result: A one-tap way to keep the count honest, so the parish plans for the right number.

Use case 6 · Get a reminder & share it

Who: Anyone.   Goal: Remember the day, and invite others.

  1. If you’re holding a confirmed (Going) spot at a one-off event and left an email, you’ll get a reminder the day before it starts. (Waitlisted guests aren’t reminded.)
  2. Use the Share button to send the event to a friend; the link shows a rich preview with the event photo.

Result: Fewer no-shows, and an easy way to bring someone along.

Part B · For parish staff

The office creates and runs events from Admin → Events. Everything you type is in your parish's timezone; English content is translated to your other languages automatically.

Use case 7 · Create a one-off event

Who: Parish staff.   Goal: Put a single event on the calendar.

  1. Open Admin → Events and fill in New event: title, start (and optional end) date/time, location, address (for directions), an optional photo, and a description.
  2. Optionally set a category and the hosting ministry — they are searchable, and they add a category or ministry filter to the public page once more than one is in use.
  3. Leave Repeats on "Does not repeat" and tap Add event.

Result: A polished event page, live on the home page and Events page in every language you offer.

Use case 8 · Create a recurring event Advanced

Who: Parish staff.   Goal: Schedule something that repeats (e.g. a weekly Bible study).

  1. Set the first date/time as usual, then choose Repeats → Weekly (same weekday) or Monthly (same week-of-month + weekday).
  2. Optionally set a Repeat until date to end the series.
  3. The public page shows the next upcoming occurrence and lists the dates after it; the add-to-calendar and .ics entries repeat automatically.

Result: One entry covers the whole series. (Recurring events don't take RSVPs — there's no single seat to reserve.)

Use case 9 · Set a capacity (and let the waitlist run itself) Advanced

Who: Parish staff.   Goal: Cap attendance for a space-limited event.

  1. Make sure Allow RSVPs is on, then enter a Capacity (leave it blank for unlimited).
  2. Once the seats fill, new RSVPs join a waitlist automatically — waitlisted parties never count against capacity.
  3. When a spot frees up, the oldest waitlisted party that fits is promoted to "Going" with no manual step.
  4. Tick Email me each RSVP if you want a notice in your inbox every time someone signs up.

Result: The right number of people, a fair line, and no spreadsheet juggling.

Use case 10 · Work the RSVP roster & export it Advanced

Who: Parish staff.   Goal: See who's coming and hand a list to a volunteer.

  1. Open the event's card to see the RSVPs roster: a seats-filled bar, how many are checked in, and how many are on the waitlist.
  2. Each person shows their party size and email; waitlisted people are tagged.
  3. Tap Download CSV to export the attendee list (name, party size, email, status, attendance) for printing or a sign-in desk.

Result: A live count at a glance, and a clean export when you need paper.

Use case 11 · Check people in at the door Advanced

Who: Parish staff or a greeter.   Goal: Track who actually attended.

  1. On each confirmed guest in the roster, tap Here when they arrive — or No-show if they didn't.
  2. Tap again to clear it. The roster keeps a running checked-in count.
  3. Attendance is included in the CSV export, so you have a record afterward.

Result: Real attendance numbers — useful for planning the next one and for follow-up.

Use case 12 · Avoid double-booking a room Advanced

Who: Parish staff.   Goal: Make sure two events don't claim the same space.

  1. When you assign a Room to an event and save, Nave checks that room against everything else on the calendar — including each date of a recurring series.
  2. If it clashes (honoring the room's setup/teardown buffer), the event isn't saved and you see a banner naming the conflicting booking and time.
  3. Pick another room or time and save again.

Result: No surprise overlaps — the same conflict logic that protects the parish calendar.

Use case 13 · Cancel (or delete) an event

Who: Parish staff.   Goal: Call something off without leaving people in the dark.

  1. Tap Cancel event and add an optional reason. The event stays on the public site with a "Cancelled" notice, and its RSVP form is hidden.
  2. Everyone who RSVP'd with an email — going and waitlisted — is emailed automatically, so no one shows up for nothing.
  3. Changed your mind? Restore it. Or use Delete to remove it permanently.

Result: A clean, kind cancellation — attendees are told, and the page explains itself.

Quick reference

Where do parishioners find events?The parish website → Events (and the home page). Each event has its own shareable page.
What does the home page show?What’s on today, when there is anything on today — otherwise what’s coming up next. The heading changes to match, so it never claims “today” over next week’s events.
The Events page doesn’t show all of them — why?It opens on the next seven days and tells you the real total (“53 events through Fri, Oct 2 · 963 upcoming in all”). Show the next 7 days widens it a week at a time, and a search or Pick a date reaches any date. For a whole year at a glance, the Full Calendar is the place.
Can I announce an event on the home page?Yes — tick “Also announce this on the home page” when you add or edit it. The notice reads the date, place and photo from the event itself, so moving the event updates the notice too. Untick it and the notice is archived, not deleted. See the Announcements guide.
Do I need an account to RSVP?No. Just a name and party size; an email is optional but unlocks the confirmation, reminder, and self-service manage link.
What happens when an event is full?The form switches to a waitlist. If a spot opens, the oldest waitlisted party that fits is promoted to "Going" automatically.
How do I change or cancel my RSVP?Use the private manage link in your confirmation email — no login needed.
Can I add an event to my calendar?Yes — Add to calendar (Google) or the .ics download (Apple/Outlook). Recurring events repeat in your calendar too.
Do I get reminded?If you hold a confirmed (Going) spot at a one-off event and left an email, you get a reminder the day before it starts. Waitlisted guests aren’t reminded.
How does staff see who's coming?Admin → Events shows a live roster with party sizes, the seats-filled bar, the waitlist, and a Download CSV export.
Can recurring events take RSVPs?No — a series has no single seat to reserve. RSVPs and capacity apply to one-off events only.
What if two events want the same room?Nave blocks the save and shows which booking conflicts — across every date of a recurring series, with setup/teardown buffers respected.
What languages?Event pages are multilingual (English / Spanish / more). Staff write English; the rest is translated automatically.
How are times shown?Nave always shows times with a timezone label (e.g. 7:00 PM PT) so the time is never ambiguous.
The big idea: events are how a parish gathers. Nave makes the simple things effortless — a shareable page, one-tap RSVP, add-to-calendar — and the harder things (waitlists, attendance, recurring series, room conflicts) finally manageable, all in one place.

Events — How It Works · A guide for parishioners and parish staff · Powered by Nave