Key takeaways
- One fee table keeps stipends consistent.
- Balances survive instalments without a receipt search.
- Offerings can be anonymous or credited to a member.
- The fund figure is after expenses, not before.
A parish office handles small amounts very often, which is exactly the pattern that defeats a notebook. A wedding booked in August is paid in three instalments before December, a mass intention is paid at the door, and the Sunday collection is counted by whoever is available. ParokyaDesk PH keeps members, requests, payments, offerings and expenses in one place so the parish council can be shown a figure instead of an impression.
One table for the suggested stipend
Baptism, wedding, funeral mass, house blessing, mass intention and confirmation each carry a suggested stipend in one small table. A request only names the service type, and the stipend follows.
That is what keeps the amount consistent between the secretary who takes the booking on Monday and the volunteer who takes one on Saturday.
A balance that survives instalments
A wedding booked months ahead is usually paid in parts. Each payment is recorded against the request it settles, so paid accumulates and the balance is always current.
When the family calls to ask how much is left, the answer is a column rather than a search through a receipt book.
Offerings with or without a name
A Sunday collection is recorded with the mass it came from and no member. A donation to a chapel repair drive is recorded with the member who gave it.
Both roll into the parish total, but the named ones also appear in that member's ledger, which matters when a drive needs to be acknowledged.
The figure the council actually needs
Parish funds after expenses adds stipends collected and offerings received, then subtracts expenses. That is the working figure, not the collection total.
The checks count duplicate request identifiers, requests naming a member who is not on file, payments naming a request that does not exist, and any request collected beyond its own stipend.
Review exceptions every week
Resolve duplicate IDs, missing links, overdue balances, negative amounts, and open operational items in CHECKS before using the dashboard for decisions.
ParokyaDesk PH Microsoft Excel Edition is designed for Microsoft Excel 2019 or newer on Windows or macOS.
No canonical registry of baptism, confirmation or marriage records for civil or diocesan submission, no diocesan reporting or remittance, no online giving or payment gateway, no mass scheduling calendar sync, and no membership certificate printing.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the official sacramental register?
No. It records requests, schedules and stipends for parish administration. Canonical registers for baptism, confirmation and marriage stay in the parish books.
Can a collection be recorded without naming anyone?
Yes. Leave the member blank. It still counts toward offerings received and the parish fund.
Can a family pay a wedding stipend in instalments?
Yes. Record each payment against the same request. The balance falls until the status reads Paid.
Does this replace official records?
No. No canonical registry of baptism, confirmation or marriage records for civil or diocesan submission, no diocesan reporting or remittance, no online giving or payment gateway, no mass scheduling calendar sync, and no membership certificate printing.
