iPieta: The Little Blue Book & More on Your Phone

In today’s Tuesday Tech Talk, I review the smart phone application iPieta.

Some of you may be familiar with the Pieta blue book that you see many people carrying with them, especially daily communicants. Like the paper version, iPieta contains a collection of traditional Catholic prayers, but this has much more than that. The application is organized into four categories: Bible, Calendar, Prayers and Veritas.

Bible

The bible section contains two choices of public domain bibles: the Douay-Rheims (old English) and the Latin Vulgate. Each of the bibles is indexed by the name of the books and you can simply scroll down and select the book you wish to read. The books are organized by chapters and when the book is opened the entire chapter is displayed. The bibles may be read in English, Latin or English-Latin. Although the application does not currently contain the NAB (used in daily readings for mass) or the popular RSV-CE, the developers are hoping to receive permission to include them in the future.

Calendar

The calendar has two options. You may select the Ordinary (or Novus Ordo) Calendar or the Extraordinary (or Traditional) Calendar. The application permits you to toggle between the calendars by shaking the device. The calendars distinguish the mass types (solemnity, feast, etc.) with different colors and fonts.

Prayers

iPieta literally has hundreds of prayers stored in it. It contains all of the traditional prayers and novenas most of us are familiar with. It also contains a vast library of lesser-known prayers. The prayers are indexed by topic and many are also available in audio format.

Veritas

To tell the truth, this is the section that makes this app unique and worth purchasing. This section is comprised of numerous spiritual writings from popes, saints and councils. Some of the more famous works include The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis, Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales and The Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas.

At $3.99 the iPieta application is a bargain. Is available in formats compatible with the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and the Android. It is also available in a Spanish version.