A friend of mine was recently involved in the development and distribution of the first iTunes app that we know of with a Imprimatur (from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Diocese of Ft. Wayne / South Bend -- GO IRISH!).

He gave me a code to get it for free but I couldn't figure it out...so like a high roller I spent the $1.99 and bought the app. [/disclosure statement].

Let me tell ya', it was money well spent.

The App is called "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" and it is suitable for an iPod, iPhone or iPad.

The whole purpose of the App is to help you make the most of this sacrament. Depending on the details you put into your password-protected account (age, sex, vocation and station in life), it will alter your examination of conscience accordingly. There are examinations for kids, singles, married folks, priests and religious, and even one for the elderly. You can even customize it and add any questions to your examination you find helpful. It will keep track of your last confession as well as any sins you tell it you've committed. It has several acts of contrition, including the older form I use and an even older one in Latin.

Finally, there's a spiritual quote that appears when you hit "finish" from a Saint or Doctor of the Church. It's a nice touch.

The interface is simple:





All in all, if this is the kind of thing that will be helpful to you in your spiritual life, I recommend it. It's simple, it's orthodox, it's easy to use, it allows for multiple accounts on the same device (each with their own numerical password), it has a few basic prayers, and - in short - it's exactly the kind of extension into the cybersphere that Catholics need. If you decide to buy the app, leave them a review on iTunes -- it will bump them up so they get noticed by more folks.

Good job, Chip! Keep 'em coming!