MiaChiesaDistinguish Bulk Operations and Merged mode
Recognize the pastoral-unit mode and verify whether data and new records stay with member communities or belong to the merged identity.
Read the mode badge
Open Settings → Your parishes & PU. Each pastoral-unit row has a badge: Bulk Operations or Merged. The badge describes the data model, rather than only the page appearance.
Also check the community count and Currently operating state. Do not begin publishing until both the mode and active context match the intended work.
Understand Bulk Operations
Bulk Operations coordinates communities that keep separate identities and public pages. The row is marked not public: the unit is an operating workspace rather than a new shared public page.
Data remains community-specific. For features that support bulk creation, MiaChiesa duplicates content into the chosen destinations; the member selector controls what you are viewing, while the write pill controls where new content is created. Available communities are limited to scopes where you hold an assignment.
Understand Merged mode
Merged mode uses the pastoral unit as owner of centralized content and gives it a public page. The row may be Visible or not public and offers a unit preview. Member communities can be hidden from public search while the merge is active.
Not everything automatically becomes unit-owned. Some settings remain tied to individual members: when an operational surface shows Settings of, that selector identifies the community being configured without changing the unit identity.
When operating in Merged mode, open Identity in the settings menu to review the shared identity. This path is separate from the member dialog used by Bulk Operations.
In practice, in Merged mode: catechism is one for the whole unit and each group states its Hosting parish; Google Calendar is connected once for the unit, while the individual communities’ syncs stay paused after the content import; payments land on one parish’s Stripe account (for GrEst and after-school the Collecting parish) and the MiaChiesa fee follows the unit’s plan for every parish. Preset roles apply to the whole unit: for two separate parish offices use Role scope.
Assess the effect before creating
Quick checks
- Bulk Operations: check the viewed community and the write-destination pill.
- Merged: confirm that the content truly belongs to the shared identity.
- Both modes: check permission and feature availability in the active context.
- For financial data or local settings: always look for a community selector.
Check plan access
Pastoral Unit is presented as a paid add-on and requires at least Essentials. If the control says Activate to operate or the switcher reports that the unit is inactive, open Plan to activate or reactivate access.
When access expires, the structure is preserved. The interface may allow browsing, but operations requiring the add-on remain blocked until reactivation.
What you have achieved
- The pastoral-unit mode has been identified from the settings badge.
- It is clear whether the next record will be duplicated into communities or created under the merged identity.
Troubleshooting
The row says Activate to operate
The unit exists, but add-on access is not active for that flow. Open Plan and verify at least Essentials plus the Pastoral Unit add-on.
A community selector still appears in Merged mode
This is expected for data that remains community-specific, such as Donations. Read the bar heading and note to determine scope.
Bulk Operations does not list every community
The bulk context includes only member communities where you hold a valid assignment.