Parish life amidst AI innovation and digital transformation in the Church

Church leaders share the same priority: the desire to foster a deeper, more authentic connection with their parishioners and helping them grow as disciples. Yet, the demands of administration, data management, and day-to-day operations often consume the time we desperately need for face-to-face ministry.

This challenge was the focus of our recent breakout session at the International Catholic Stewardship Conference (ICSC), “The Tech-enabled Parish: Leveraging Technology for Deeper Parishioner Stewardship and Engagement.” I was honored to join the conversation alongside Katie Price from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and Anthony Welch from Pushpay. Nearly every seat was filled for the discussion, which to me reflects the curiosity and desire to learn more about the digital transformation in the Catholic church, and how parishes can embrace technology in a new era of ministry. We explored how AI and technology, when approached ethically, are not a threat to the human element of ministry, but a powerful means to enhance it. Here are some of the takeaways from our conversation.

Amidst fear, parish leaders are already using AI

At the session, we surveyed the audience about their current use of Artificial Intelligence. The results were striking: the fear of AI is giving way to its practical application. The reality is, we’ve actually been embracing AI in our day-to-day for a long time. Do you use Siri? Do you have a Roomba? Are you amazed by the personalized content that shows up in your Netflix dashboard? These brands have woven AI into the customer experience in a really tangible and practical way, that at this point feels natural and almost expected. However, even amidst regular use in society, many parish leaders are still grappling with the concept of embracing it to its full potential in ministry. 

Katie opened up the conversation well, casting strength in that doubt and helping us see clearly that technology can help enhance our purpose and traditions, rather than replace them. She said: 

“It (AI) is never going to be able to replace the sacramental life. The sacramental life and the Eucharist are tangible reminders of God’s divine providence for us and his victory over death. But at the end of the day, we also celebrate God’s creation, and that’s where we can embrace science to help us further the gospel message throughout the world.” – Katie Price

The most common ways Catholic ministry leaders are already leveraging AI (often with free tools) include:

• Refining messaging and drafting communications: Using tools like ChatGPT and Claude to quickly draft, simplify, or refine communication—such as parish bulletins, campaign language, or catechetical messaging.
• Idea generation: Using AI to brainstorm new concepts for events, like an attendee who planned an entire successful fall festival using a simple prompt.
• Data analysis: Uploading anonymized data (e.g., assigning numbers to major donors instead of names) to analyze historic performance, longevity of generosity, and project campaign goals. As one diocese shared, this data insight helped them turn a projected $250,000 campaign goal into one approaching $750,000 to $1 million.
• Note-taking and synthesis: Using tools like Gemini to record meeting notes and synthesize large amounts of data.
• Graphic creation: With free tools such as Canva.

AI can be a tool to enhance human connection

The greatest concern about new technology, especially AI, is that it will reduce human connection. This is a vital and valid caution. However, we emphasized that the Church’s approach to technology should be to increase human connection, not reduce it. In fact, our 2025 State of Church Technology report validates that 86% of churches do believe that technology increases connection in their community, which is positive.

As Catholics, our faith has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology and innovation—from early adoption of the printing press and the radio to the recent canonization of Saint Carlo Acutis, who used a website to proclaim Eucharistic miracles. We must continue to push the limits of what God has gifted us with, through our intellect.

Anthony Welch shared the example of the new Apple AirPods technology that allows two people speaking entirely different languages to hear each other translated in real-time. This is a profound example of technology enabling human connection that was previously impossible.

We highlighted the rise of AI agents trained specifically on Catholic teaching and doctrine. Magisterium AI and Truthly are both examples of specialized Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools designed to provide information, resources, and guidance specifically on the Catholic faith. They’re tools trained on encyclicals, the Catechism, and Scripture. Katie shared that we used it to generate a full, scripturally-backed curriculum for a stewardship talk tailored to specific age groups (K-8), saving 10 to 20 hours of research. This allows a catechist to spend more time preparing the delivery and praying with the content.

Pushpay’s AI search brings natural language to data

At Pushpay, our AI ethics framework is built around the principles of human dignity and enhancing human connection. Our product innovation is guided by the belief that technology should make your job easier, not harder.

Our new AI Search uses natural language query to automatically create advanced search filters, freeing up valuable time. Now your parish staff can simply ask a question in plain language like: “Who gave to this fund last year?” or “Which women are participating in small groups this month?” and the system applies the correct filters and returns the results, saving minutes—or hours—of administrative time per day. Our faith has always been a part of the technology that we bring into the world, and I am incredibly proud of the new AI-powered features and capabilities that we’re developing to help equip our customers. 

AI kickstart guide

If you’re ready to explore AI responsibly, here is a simple way to get started:

1. Pick two tools to explore: Start with a free version of a secular tool like Claude or Gemini for writing and brainstorming, and a Catholic tool like Magisterium AI for theological content. See what they can do for simple admin tasks (e.g., planning a meeting agenda).
2. Anonymize your data: Never put Personally Identifiable Information (PII) like names or addresses into open-source AI tools. Instead, replace names with codes or use anonymized numbers.
3. Start your policy discussion: It’s not too early to create an AI Usage Policy or Ethics Framework for your parish or diocese. Be intentional about what data you will allow to be used and how AI must always complement, but never replace, prayer and human interaction.

I believe that if we can embrace AI to remove 10 hours of administrative processes, which gives you 10 hours more time with your parishioners, that’s a win. I think we can use technology thoughtfully without losing sight of what matters most—authentic human connection and our relationship with Christ. The goal isn’t technology for its own sake, but using it intentionally to amplify our ministry impact. If you’d like to join us on the journey at Pushpay, and how we’re leading the way with technology innovation with the Catholic church, be sure to check out our innovation webpage and product release hub to learn more about what’s coming.