A new app is helping Catholic military personnel grow in their faith. “Catholic Military Connect” is geared towards service men and women who seek an outlet to deepen their faith around the demanding schedule of a soldier.
The app was announced by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, to those attending an annual pilgrimage in Lourdes on May 13. According to UCA News, the prelate addressed active-duty and veteran military members in a video message. He said:
“I believe that the app will be immensely helpful to all military personnel and, in a particular way, to young men and women who in this important sector of civil service, seek to grow in personal friendship with Jesus Christ and in the understanding and appreciation of the beauty and richness of our Catholic faith.”
Catholic Military Connect
The app itself is an easy to navigate program that offers a range of features. Tweeting with God, a multimedia outlet that helped develop Catholic Military Connect, explains that the app provides answers to questions, testimonies from Catholic service members, and inspiring quotes.
The app also provides what they call “Spiritual First Aid.” This feature connects the user with their national chaplaincy and the Apostolat Militaire International (AMI). “Spiritual First Aid” is completely run through the app for convenience and privacy.
The app is fully equipped with a list of prayers for the military and a way to follow weekly Mass in a variety of languages. For ease of access while on deployment, Catholic Military Connect is fully available in an offline format.
In a press release, the developers of Catholic Military Connect wrote:
“In this difficult time, it is important to disseminate the Catholic Military Connect app to meet the spiritual needs of Catholic military personnel and give them comfort in whatever theater of operation they find themselves in.”
Download
The Catholic Military Connect app is currently available in both the Google Play and App stores. The release includes eight languages: English, Italian, French, Spanish, Croatian, German, Portuguese, and Dutch.