“There’s an app for that.”
You’ve likely heard this phrase more than a few times in recent years. Smartphone apps offer quick and easy ways to access useful information, customize info to fit your needs and engage with other app users.
During the last several months, the Diocese of St. Cloud has been working with a company, myParish App, to develop a diocesan app to help nurture the faith life of central Minnesota Catholics and improve the flow of information between the diocese and parishioners.
You can access the new app on your mobile phone by downloading the “myParish” app in the App Store (iPhones) or on Google Play (Androids). Once you have the myParish App downloaded, click on “find a parish” and then search for “Diocese of St. Cloud.” If you would like to add the diocesan app to your list of “favorites” for quicker access, you will need to provide an email address and birthdate when prompted.
BUTTONS ON THE APP INCLUDE:
MESSAGES: Be among the first to receive important messages from the diocese through push notifications on your phone. Send a reply message to the diocese or share the information with others by forwarding it via email, text message or social media.
CALENDAR: Find the times and locations of events throughout the diocese; add the events to your electronic calendar with the touch of a button.
READINGS: Experience the daily Mass readings from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
INSPIRE DAILY: Read short reflections on the Catholic faith throughout the liturgical year.
DISCOVER MASS: Locate a nearby church to find Mass times.
PRAYERS: Scroll through a list of classic Catholic prayers with the options to set prayer reminders for yourself and submit prayer requests.
TV MASS: Watch the weekly Diocesan TV Mass for the homebound which features local priests, musicians and lectors.
LEARN THE MASS: View the locally produced video series “Engaging the Mystery: Catechesis on the Mass.”
DIOCESE INFO: Find contact information for parishes and Catholic schools in the diocese.
PRESS RELEASES: Read official statements from the bishop and the diocese.
MAGAZINE: Stay up to date with news and feature stories from The Central Minnesota Catholic magazine.
PODCAST: Listen to the latest offerings from Minnesota Catholic Podcasts, featuring interviews with local Catholics on a variety of church-related topics.
ESPAÑOL: Read news and information from The Central Minnesota Catholic’s monthly Spanish section.
GIVING: Make a gift in support of the local ministries funded by the Bishop’s Annual Appeal.
Lent is a perfect time to download the app, using the prayers, reflections, articles and calendar of events to enrich your observance of this holy season.
If you have questions or need more information, contact me anytime at jtowalski@ gw.stcdio.org or 320-258-7624.