On the same day CNS reported Pope Benedict’s announcement of a 2012 synod on the theme of “new evangelization,” my wife surprised me with an iPad for my birthday. In keeping with the spirit of the Holy Father’s announcement, I’d like to share a few iPad apps that might interest Catholic educators. The following apps are designed to be used with the iPad, taking advantage of its large screen and WiFi connectivity.
iCatholic [Free] – CatholicTV is on the forefront of new evangelization, and their iPad app is just another example of the kind of high quality work the Archdiocese of Boston is producing. The iCatholic app allows the user to read CatholicTV’s monthly magazine. You can download the entire magazine, or read it as it streams into the app page by page. Either way, you’re in for a visual treat as the full color photos and artwork brilliantly illustrate the content. More than just a monthly preview of upcoming programming, iCatholic delves into relevant topics of interest to today’s Catholic.
As I perused the November 2010 issue, I especially appreciated the article on how those with Celiac Disease deal with their allergy to the communion host. My sister has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease for over 30 years, and I was captivated by the stories of other Catholics who have learned to adjust to life without gluten. The November issue also covered baby boomers, the liturgical year, and cyber security.
The app takes full advantage of the iPad’s connectivity. Articles are enhanced with web links and videos that can be opened with a simple double tap. Neither the videos nor the links take you out of the application. Instead, they open in a convenient pop-up tab that can be expanded to the full screen.
All in all, every Catholic educator with an iPad should read iCatholic. But if you don’t have an iPad, don’t worry. The same content can be viewed online at CatholicTV’s website.
iBreviary Pro [Free] – The Liturgy of the Hours is one of the most beautiful but complex prayers available to Catholics. The Divine Office brings out the sacredness in each moment of the day and unites us in prayer with the whole Church. In order to pray it fully, a person usually needs a thick prayer book called a breviary, along with a fairly sophisticated understanding of the liturgical year. Someday we may have an adult Catholic population that is knowledgeable enough to maneuver the ribbons and rubrics of the Divine Office, but until then, the iBreviary app is a godsend.
iBreviary makes each day’s prayers available against a beautiful parchment background with no need to move ribbons or flip back and forth between sections. Available in English, Italian, Spanish, French and Latin, the free app uses official texts and also provides the daily Mass readings, not to mention an impressive collection of prayers and blessings.
While nothing can replace the feel of an elegantly bound prayer book, the visual appeal of iBreviary enhances the reader’s experience of using the iPad to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s unbelievable that an app this beautiful, useful and comprehensive should be free. There is no reason for any Catholic iPad owner to avoid downloading iBreviary.
Free Wallpaper – One of the first things I did after charging up my new iPad was change the main screen wallpaper. One of my favorite images is Sassoferrato’s Mary, and it makes a beautiful background for the app icons. The following picture links to the 1024×1024 image (799kb) that I use for my iPad. If you like it, feel free to download it. The best way to say thanks is by subscribing to Catholic School Chronicle, either by RSS or by email. I’d also appreciate it if you could tell all the Catholic educators you know about the Chronicle.
