Minnesota Public Radio recently reported that the Pope shunned costly trappings like the latest smartphones…

Pope Francis called for structural renewal in the Catholic church to keep up with the times, although advising future priests and nuns Saturday to shun costly trappings like the latest smartphones so they can use more resources to help the poor.

The paragraph caught my eye because it seems like a very shortsighted view of smartphones. It’s being pennywise and pound foolish. I think of the many ways I save time and money with my smartphone. So for a fun weekend post I thought I’d find a few apps that might be church-worthy enough to merit reconsidering smartphones for clergy.  I know with broadband a big reason non-adopters don’t adopt is that they don’t see the value so I thought this might also a test case for anyone else worried that a smartphone (and by extension access to the Internet) is a waste of money.

Also I know that older folks are statistically less likely to be adopters – and at least in my world, a church app might have an influence on getting an older person online. So maybe these are apps that would help get a non-adopter online.

Some Church-Specific Apps

• Roman missal — app containing everything that is said and sung during Catholic Mass throughout the liturgical year. Great for priests in the field.
• ChurchAppLive – lets you create a custom app for your church. You could broadband service via the app, or create a custom app for the youth group.
• Daily Blessing – a collection of traditional and innovative Jewish blessings – audio and written, English and Hebrew at your fingertips
• Confession – an app that helps you track your sins for easier reporting
• Hindu Gods and History – more of a learning app
• The Holy Rosary – audio version and a place where you can submit devotions
• My Prayer Circle – a place to share your prayers and help pray for others.
• Islamic Ringtones – a collection of hamds (songs in praise of Allah), naats (songs in praise of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH) and other songs related to prayer times and celebrating Ramadan and other religious holidays.