Many website platforms can build a nice-looking site, but Orthodox parishes need more than just a pretty template. The OWS Site Manager was created by Orthodox Christians specifically for the life of the Church, with built-in tools for liturgical calendars, saints and scripture readings, feast and fast indicators, parish directories, and much more — all without relying on third-party plugins that can break or disappear. Below is a comparison of the Orthodox-specific features built into Site Manager versus what you’ll typically find in a generic CMS like Squarespace, WordPress, or Wix.
Orthodox-Specific Features
| Feature | OWS Site Manager | Generic CMS |
|---|---|---|
| 📖 Daily Scripture and Saints from trusted Orthodox sources | ✅ | ❌ |
| 🗓️ Liturgical calendar with seasonal rules, feast/fast indicators, start and end times, iCal sync | ✅ | ◔ Basic only |
| 🕯️ Old Calendar date format | ✅ | ❌ |
| 🙏 Prayer and Commemoration forms with database logging | ✅ | ❌ Custom build |
| 🧭 Parish and Clergy Directory with Orthodox fields and map clustering | ✅ | ❌ Basic contacts |
| 👥 Member Directory: contacts, namesdays, anniversaries, birthdays, slavas; password-protected user access | ✅ | ❌ |
| 🎨 Graphic design templates with an Orthodox ethos | ✅ | ❌ |
| 📚 Education articles on Orthodox Christianity preloaded | ✅ | ❌ |
| 🔤 Orthodox-style fonts preloaded | ✅ | ❌ |
| ✉️ Email and mailing list management inside Site Manager | ✅ | ❌ |
| 📰 RSS reader integration for Ancient Faith podcasts, YouTube, and other Orthodox media outlets | ✅ | ❌ Add-ons needed |
| 🌐 Multi-language support (Greek, Arabic, Russian, and more) | ✅ | ◔ Workarounds |
| 🖼️ Orthodox icon and image archive | ✅ | ❌ Not available |
| ✝️ Developed by Orthodox Christians for Orthodox Christians | ✅ | ❌ |
Designed for parish life
| Feature | OWS Site Manager | Generic CMS |
|---|---|---|
| 🎯 Custom parish designs that you keep when refreshing the look | ✅ | ◔ Theme swaps |
| ⛪ Service schedules with seasonal rules and printable views | ✅ | ◔ Add-ons needed |
| 💝 Stewardship campaigns with online and offline gifts counted | ✅ | ◔ Manual work |
| 🧩 Volunteer friendly on-page editing and reusable sections | ✅ | ◔ Varies by theme |
| 🤝 Support team familiar with feast cycles and parish workflows | ✅ | ❌ General support |
| 🔗 Clean, shareable URLs for news, store, parishes, contacts, calendar | ✅ | ◔ Limited control |
Advanced yet familiar
| Feature | OWS Site Manager | Generic CMS |
|---|---|---|
| 🧭 Mega menus, video covers, gradients, glass effects, masonry galleries, PDF viewer | ✅ | ◔ Plugins needed |
| 🔐 Page passcodes, account restrictions, SSL, firewall, IP and country blocking | ✅ | ◔ Mixed or absent |
| ⚡ Performance tools with SEO-friendly URLs, WebP support, image optimization | ✅ | ◔ Extra setup |
| 👥 Multi-admin with permissions and activity logs | ✅ | ◔ Plugin or premium |
| 🧱 Mirror sections and reusable panels to avoid copy and paste drift | ✅ | ❌ Not typical |
| 📲 Progressive Web App and web push notifications options | ✅ | ◔ Third party |
Long-term stability
| Feature | OWS Site Manager | Generic CMS |
|---|---|---|
| ♻️ Consistent platform even when volunteers change | ✅ | ◔ Varies widely |
| 📞 Support included so you always have help if you get stuck | ✅ | ❌ DIY or marketplace |
| 🎨 Design refresh without losing content, structure, or tools | ✅ | ◔ Risk of breakage |
| 🔁 Automatic redirects from old links when URLs are improved | ✅ | ❌ Not default |
| 📆 Proven track record — Site Manager in service since 2003; many other CMS platforms fade away | ✅ | ◔ Not guaranteed |