Update iBreviary: Pray Around the Clock in English, Latin
10:28 am, December 15th, 2008, Nicole Martinelli
We recently wrote about iBreviary, an iPhone and iPod Touch app that gives the morning prayer, evening prayer and night prayer or complines for the day.
The Italian priest who had the brainwave for the app, Don Paolo Padrini, informed us that the 1.2 version of the prayer app, which he says has the blessing of the Vatican, is now available in Spanish, French, English and Latin (for those, like the Pope, who want a return to pre-Second Vatican Council days) and a version that follows the Ambrosian Rite, for the five million Catholics or so in the Milan area.
iBreviary costs $0.99 on iTunes and now also comes with a how-to page to help those unfamiliar with daily prayer rituals. The original Italian-language version was gratis, Father Padrini says the price of the app is a contribution for the developers.
Don Padrini also says an app is in the works for Facebook called that “Praybook” that will let groups use the Breviary via social network.
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, iTunes | Comment on this article
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Stream of consciousness reactions:
1) Not another of these “God For Dummies” gimmicks
2 I like the priest’s creative thinking for his mission
3) I’m a little bothered that this isn’t free. Wouldn’t that be the best way for his mission to succeed?
4) I like the inclusion of Latin (see #2)
5) Duh. Even profligate Catholics can be pious. Why not get the 99¢ that would have just gone toward a latté?
6) I wish I’d thought of it
imajoebob, on December 15th, 2008 at 10:37 am
“for those, like the Pope, who want a return to pre-Second Vatican Council days)”
Well actually Josef Ratzinger participated in the Second Vatican Council and in no way rejects any part of the councils teaching. Allowing the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (which was prayed daily by the Bishops at Vatican II) is not a rejection of Vatican II.
Sorry as a Catholic and Mac geek, had to reply to that.
Jeffrey L Miller, on December 15th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Thank you so much for this story. As an x-Benedictine monk, I thought of doing this myself, but I have no talent for coding. So God bless the priest who did this for those of us who enjoy the Divine Office still.
Van Souza, on December 15th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I bought the program and tested it out. Really quite excellent and is the full liturgy of the hours minus the hymns. The formatting of the text could be better, but this is quite usable.
Jeffrey L Miller, on December 15th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Jeffrey — you’re right, I could’ve been clearer about this, meant to say (see link) was that Ratzinger has called for a return to Latin mass, though I didn’t say (or mean to imply) that he rejected the Second Vatican Council…
imajoebob — as for point 3, the app not being free Padrini says that it’s just to cover the developer’s labor (the original Italian-language version was gratis), I’ve updated the story to reflect that…
Nicole Martinelli, on December 15th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Imagobob:
there isn’t a charge for ultimate truths. The “Hours” is a way to pray; they’re printed in a book (4 volumes). The whole set costs about $200 USD.
You don’t need a book to pray (prayer: a conversation with God).
You can pray all you want for free, and you can start now.
Paul, on December 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
You can also get the full Bible in KJV and ASV versions for $1 on there. Here is the apps website: http://bibleoniphone.co.uk/
James, on December 24th, 2008 at 2:02 am
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