November 1, 2026 Essay: Can a Prayer App Help Me Become a Saint? 

Each November 1st, the Church gifts us with a special solemnity: the Feast of All Saints. A tradition of the Church that stretches back to the 9th Century, All Saints Day serves as an annual reminder of our communion with those who have gone to the Kingdom ahead of us, especially honoring those holy men and women the Church has commemorated through canonization into Sainthood. But more than just another holy day of obligation, All Saints Day is also a feast that can speak directly to our own hearts. As we call to mind our favorite Saints and ask for their prayers, we are also given the opportunity to assess our own calls to holiness, the daily invitation we are extended to more fully realize our individual identities as followers of Christ, and, dare I say, our own calls to sainthood.

Yes, we are all called to Sainthood! Too often, we have placed the canonized men and women of the Church on pedestals—their actions irreplicable, their feats unattainable, their holiness unreachable. In fact, the Church has elevated these holy men and women as models for us because even in their ordinariness they did extraordinary things in the name of God. Each of these men and women were regular people who struggled with their lives and their faith like you and me. The great things we remember them for—whether they became Doctors of the Church, Popes, or martyrs for their faith – all came to fruition as they responded openly, freely, and with generosity to the call of Christ. Each of them opened their hearts so fully to the love of Christ that their lives became instruments, vehicles for the work of God. The Lord took what was ordinary and made it extraordinary.

So, how do we respond to our own call to become Saints? A Spiritual Director once told me that God’s daily invitation to us is simple and gentle: let us know one another. In other words, God wants nothing more than to be in relationship with us, to grow in friendship daily, and to build a love that is rooted in intimacy and trust. These are the roots from which our faith can flower. We cannot follow a God we do not know, and we cannot know God if we don’t make the effort to grow in relationship. This is why prayer, in all the forms and methods that it takes, is so central to our lives as faithful Christians. Prayer is what allows us to build an intimate relationship with God, it encourages us to follow the individual call that God has planted in each of our hearts, and it helps to sustain us through the challenges and setbacks that life may bring our way.

One of the best prayer tools that I’ve come across is a free app that you can download on your phone or tablet called Pray as You Go. Developed by the British Province of the Society of Jesus twenty years ago, the Pray as You Go app has grown to serve thousands of people around the world and is now offered in over fifteen different languages. Rooted in Ignatian Spirituality, the app centers around 15-minute daily audio clips that lead listeners through a meditation on the Scripture of the day followed by a guided contemplation. If you’re like me and struggle to find even a few minutes of stillness each day, you might find Pray as You Go similarly helpful. It is a wonderful tool that has allowed me to continue to grow my personal relationship with God, even as I find myself on the move and sometimes overcome by life’s busyness.

I am very excited to announce that we will be hosting our friends from Pray as You Go this November 20-21 for a “Festival of Prayer with Pray as You Go.”  If you’re interested in learning more about how this unique Ignatian resource can help you with your own prayer life and in your own journey towards Sainthood, mark your calendars and join us! The festival will begin on the evening of Friday, November 20th with a LIVE version of Pray as You Go, featuring musical artists The Porter’s Gate. The weekend continues Saturday afternoon, November 21st with a mini-retreat and workshops on prayer featuring speakers from both Pray as You Go and the Jesuit Institute – United Kingdom. Sponsored by the William J. Bergen Office of Ignatian Spirituality & Faith Formation, the entire festival is free, open to the public, and is not to be missed! Let us all walk the path towards sainthood alongside one another—looking forward to seeing you there.

— Roxanne De La Torre, Pastoral Associate for Ignatian Spirituality & Faith Formation