Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.February 14, 2011

With all the hoopla over the new (but poorly named) "Confession" app (it's more accurately described as an "examination of conscience" app, but that sounds much duller to journalists), it would be easy to overlook some other fine Catholic apps.  Jack McLain, a Jesuit priest and self-confessed technophile gives us the lowdown on the best ones.

During a recent discussion with a brother Jesuit about the inherent goodness or badness (I believe the terms ‘Luddite’ and ‘Borg’ were trotted out during the conversation) of smart phones, I asserted that there were plenty of Catholic-centric uses for such devices. In the great Jesuit fashion, my confrere asked me to prove it. So I began combing through Apple’s App Store in order to find the best Catholic apps I could. 

From the beginning, I left a few things off of my list, most notably digital rosaries. I am not opposed to rosary apps; I have one actually, but trying to separate the sheep from the goats in this particular instance proved to be a little too bandwidth intensive. Most rosary apps had free versions so you could try them before you invest your 99 cents. My other criterion was one I alluded to above, namely, I wanted to find apps that were applicable to the non-techno person who was looking to use their device to add to their faith life. I focused exclusively on iPhone apps because of its userbase and because I don’t have access to an Android-based phone.

See Fr. McLain's picks here.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Eugene Pagano
13 years 1 month ago
Another good app (one that i used before converting to the Episcopal Church) is iMissal, an app with the missal, lectionary, liturgical calendar, daily Bible verse, compilation of prayers, etc.
JACQUES CREMER
13 years 1 month ago
This is not really an app, but there is a fantastic daily prayer podcast by the English Jesuits: http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/.

The latest from america

The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis included women from Italy, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Peru, Venezuela and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"We, the members of the Society of Jesus, continue to be lifted up in prayer, in lament, in protest at the death and destruction that continue to reign in Gaza and other territories in Israel/Palestine, spilling over into the surrounding countries of the Middle East."
The Society of JesusMarch 28, 2024
A child wounded in an I.D.F. bombardment is brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on March 25. (AP Photo/Ismael abu dayyah)
While some children have been evacuated from conflict, more than 1.1 million children in Gaza and 3.7 million in Haiti have been left behind to face the rampaging adult world around them.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 28, 2024
Easter will not be postponed this year. It will not wait until the war is over. It is precisely now, in our darkest hour, that resurrection finds us.
Stephanie SaldañaMarch 28, 2024