Faith on the Go

In today’s world, it should be no surprise that Pope Francis, of all people, is on Twitter.

Modern technology has seeped into every avenue of life — even spiritual life.

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In a recent survey by AT&T, 41 percent of people who responded said they use one of their devices — iPhones, iPads, tablets, or computers — to connect to faith-based organizations or inspirational websites. Only about 32 percent of those same respondents, by contrast, said they attend some sort of religious service regularly. Of those people, one in four said they use their device in conjunction with that religious service.

“I really like it for the convenience. Having my prayers and readings all in one place keeps me more in touch with my prayer life,” said a frequent user of mobile faith apps.

Many faith apps come with different reminders that users can set, making it easy to remember to pray throughout the day.

That seems to be the consensus. Using mobile devices instead of carrying around prayer books means that wherever you are, wherever you go, a connection with your prayers or faith organization is just a click or tap away.

Many faith apps come with different reminders that users can set, making it easy to remember to pray throughout the day. Some of the more popular apps include Bible Study, Bible Glo, Magnificat, Desktop Bible, Holy Bible Audio Books, The Bible Scholar, Bible Verse, and the Holy Bible (in many different languages).

“People use their mobile devices to manage their lives and access their passions, (and) this research shows that their faith and inspiration practices are no exception,” said Jennifer Jones, AT&T’s vice president of diverse markets.

Young people are the largest group of users of faith-based apps.

Young people, of course, are the largest group of users of faith-based apps. Most use some sort of social media to connect with religious organizations.

Many youth groups and churches have incorporated social media to reach younger believers. The University of Notre Dame’s campus ministry office built its own app, ND Daily Faith, a few years ago, which includes a calendar containing all its faith-based events on campus, as well as prayers and Gospel reflections.

Many universities and faith organizations have created similar apps or websites to attract the younger crowd and distribute information easily.

In this same AT&T survey, 44 percent of people ages 25-34 admitted to using their mobile devices to distract themselves during religious services. The distractions included texting, using social media, watching a video, or playing games. However, 73 percent of people surveyed said they never using a phone for distraction during a service.

The next time you see someone checking his or her phone down the pew from you — give them the benefit of the doubt.