Using the Leader Portal
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church · Faith FormationHow a Faith Formation leader uses the Leader Portal to see their role and group, take attendance, read the next session, do the tasks the office gives, check their clearance, write the session summary, and read the messages and links for leaders.
Parents and other adults who serve as Faith Formation leaders (small group leaders and hospitality), and parents of a teen leader. You sign in to the parish app to open the portal.
One page holds what a leader needs for the year. You do not search old emails for the guide, the group link or the summary form.
What you will do, in one sentence
Sign in, open the Leader card on the Faith Formation page, select Open Leader Portal, and use the sections from top to bottom.
Last verified against the staging system on 2026-11-06. This guide has no screenshots yet. The screens reach the staging system with the Leader Portal release. Every name in this guide is invented for training. Prepared 6 November 2026.
1. Open the portal
- Sign in to the parish app.
- Open Faith Formation.
- Find the Leader card under Volunteer · Events · Resources.
- Select Open Leader Portal.
The Leader card shows your program, your role, your group and the next session. It also counts the things you still need to do.
The card shows only after the Faith Formation office places you on the leader team for this year. Until then the card says Sign Up to Volunteer. If you signed up and the card does not show, contact the Faith Formation office.
2. The top of the page
The top of the page shows:
- Your role in plain words, for example Small group leader · Middle School. You can hold more than one role.
- Your group, the day, the time, the room and the first names of your co-leaders.
- Take attendance. It opens the attendance page for your group, the same page that you use on the day of a session.
If the office has not placed you in a group yet, the page says so. Most sections then stay empty.
The row of buttons under the top of the page jumps to each section.
3. Next session
This section shows the date and the topic of your next session, and the materials the office added for it. Open a material before the session.
4. To do
This list has two kinds of item:
- A summary you did not write. For example "Summary for Sun, Nov 1 not written". Select it to write the summary (see section 7). The item goes away when the summary is sent.
- A task from the office. For example "Complete your background check". A task can have a due date, more text and a link.
To finish a task, tick its box. Tick it again to undo. When nothing is left, the list says You're all caught up.
5. Clearance
This section shows the two parts of your clearance:
- Safe Environment training, with the date it ends.
- Background check, with the date it ends.
The first line says if you are cleared to lead. When a part is missing or ends soon, the section shows the next step. A button can start it. The section also names who to contact with questions.
A leader under 18 does not need a background check. The Safe Environment office reviews every leader under 18.
6. My group
This section lists the students in your own group only:
- the grade
- an alert chip for an allergy or a special need
- how many sessions the student came to
A guest child whose guardian has not given permission shows Guardian permission: No. The portal shows only yes or no. It shows no name, date or method. Send the family to the Faith Formation office. When you add a guest to your group from Today's guests, the portal shows the same reason and keeps the guest on the list.
To reach a parent, select Contact parent. The parish sends your message. The portal does not show phone numbers.
7. Sessions and the session summary
This section lists the sessions of your group for the year. The next session is marked. Each past session shows the state of its summary:
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Summary sent | Families received the summary. |
| Waiting for approval | The office reads the summary before it goes out. |
| Write summary | Nobody wrote the summary yet. |
To write a summary for a past session:
- Select Write summary on that session.
- Write a few sentences about the session. Families read this text.
- Add a picture if you want one.
- Select Send summary.
The summary goes to that session, not to today. It is the same summary form as on the attendance page, so you can use either one. A summary that was already sent cannot be sent again.
8. Messages for leaders
This section lists the messages the office sent to leaders. Select a message to read the whole text, as it was sent. Links in the message open in a new tab.
Messages to your family stay in your family view. They do not show here.
9. Resources
This section lists the links the office keeps for leaders: the handbook, the year calendar, the safety rules and similar. You see the links for your program and the links for all leaders.
10. A teen who is a leader
If your teen serves as a leader, the Leader card says so. Select See their leader details to see the teen's role, group and clearance.