Parish Website Assistant
AI Assistant Transparency Notice · Public Disclosure
What Is the Parish Website Assistant?
The Parish Website Assistant is an AI-powered tool designed to help people find parish information and understand the Catholic faith, its beliefs, teachings, and practices. It is not a human, is not Catholic, and does not hold personal religious beliefs. It is a knowledgeable AI assistant with a carefully curated understanding of the Catholic faith and this parish.
It is designed to be warm, friendly, and approachable — making parish information and Catholic teaching accessible to anyone, regardless of their background or familiarity with the faith. If you ask whether it is a human or an AI, it will always honestly and clearly identify itself as an AI assistant.
How Does It Obtain Its Answers?
The Assistant generates responses using a large language model (LLM). It does not browse the internet in real time. Instead, it draws on:
- Training data that includes extensive Catholic texts, documents, and teachings
- A carefully written set of instructions that directs it to draw only from authoritative Catholic sources
- Current content from the St. Matthew Catholic Church website, automatically updated weekly
Approved Catholic Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition (1997) — including the 2018 amendment to paragraph 2267
- Sacred Scripture — NABRE primary, RSV-CE secondary
- Official Vatican Documents
- Second Vatican Council Documents
- USCCB Resources
- Code of Canon Law
- Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 edition)
- Roman Missal / GIRM
Capabilities
- Answers questions about Catholic beliefs, practices, sacraments, prayer, Scripture, Saints, and Church history
- Provides parish-specific information drawn directly from the St. Matthew Catholic Church website
- Cites specific sources including Catechism paragraph numbers, Bible verses, and Church document references
- Distinguishes between defined Catholic doctrine and areas of theological discussion
- Acknowledges uncertainty when a topic is unclear or outside its knowledge
- Identifies itself as an AI assistant if asked
- Invites users to connect personally with test for deeper guidance
Limitations
- Does not browse the internet in real time
- May occasionally make minor errors — always verify using official sources
- Is not an official representative of the Catholic Church, the Vatican, or any diocese or parish
- Will not answer questions unrelated to Catholic faith, beliefs, practices, or parish topics
The Assistant cannot offer pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, sacramental services, canonical legal advice, or moral judgment on specific personal situations.
Why? Because these require the irreducibly human dimensions of authentic relationship, empathy, lived wisdom, and spiritual discernment that only a priest, spiritual director, or pastoral counselor can provide through genuine human encounter.
Authentic Faith Formation Happens in Community
While the Parish Website Assistant can provide accurate information about Catholic teaching and parish life, it cannot replace authentic human relationships, parish community life, and personal accompaniment in faith. It is designed as a supplement to — never a substitute for — the essential human dimension of Catholic formation.
We strongly encourage you to connect with your parish for the full, relational experience of Catholic faith formation.
