Pray As You Go

Last updated
Pray As You Go
AbbreviationPAYG
FounderPeter Scally SJ
Location
ServicesPrayer application
Affiliations Society of Jesus
Website pray-as-you-go.org

Pray As You Go is a daily prayer website, podcast and application that was created in 2006 by the Jesuits in the United Kingdom. [1] Since its founding it has been adapted into nine other languages and as of 2020, it is used 30 million times a year. [2]

Contents

Format

Based on Ignatian spirituality, the website and its application has daily audio prayers that regularly use music, passages from the Bible and contemplations from the Spiritual Exercises , with reflective questions based on the examination of conscience. [3] Later other prayers such as the rosary and stations of the cross were added. [4]

History

On 1 March 2006, Pray As You Go was launched. It was founded by Peter Scally who had previously worked on Sacred Space in Ireland and who went on to also found Thinking Faith , an online theology journal in 2008. [5] An open, public trial began. However, after more than 250,000 prayer sessions were downloaded, it was decided to continue it indefinitely. [4]

It started as a website and a podcast, where it could be downloaded and then listened to later, allowing people to be able to do it while commuting or travelling. [6] By March 2008, over five million prayer sessions had been downloaded. [4] On 6 April 2014, a Pray As You Go mobile application was launched. [7] Before 2015, a Spanish version was created and called Rezando Voy. [8] During Lent 2017, the French version, Prie en Chemin was launched, which after two years had 30,000 users. [9] In 2019, in conjunction with Christian Life Community in Egypt, an Arabic version called Fi Tariqi Osally (on my way, I pray) was launched. [10] In 2020, it was launched on Amazon Alexa. [2]

As of 2020, it is available in over 180 countries and there is a version in Dutch called Bidden Onderweg, in Hungarian it is called Napi-útra-való, in Polish as Modlitwa w Drodze, Portuguese as Passo a Rezar, Ukrainian as iMolytva and Vietnamese as Phút cãu nguyên. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus Prayer</span> Short formulaic prayer esteemed and advocated especially within the Eastern churches

The Jesus Prayer, also known as The Prayer, is a short formulaic prayer, esteemed and advocated especially in Eastern Christianity: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The prayer has been widely taught and discussed throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. The ancient and original form did not include the words "a sinner", which were added later. It is often repeated continually as a part of personal ascetic practice, its use being an integral part of the eremitic tradition of prayer known as hesychasm. The prayer is particularly esteemed by the spiritual fathers of this tradition as a method of cleaning and opening up the mind and after this the heart and bringing about firstly the Prayer of the Mind, or more precisely the Noetic Prayer, and after this the Prayer of the Heart. The Prayer of the Heart is considered to be the Unceasing Prayer that the Apostle Paul advocates in the New Testament. Theophan the Recluse regarded the Jesus Prayer stronger than all other prayers by virtue of the power of the Holy Name of Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communion of saints</span>

The communion of saints, when referred to persons, is the spiritual union of the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead, but excluding the damned. They are all part of a single "mystical body", with Christ as the head, in which each member contributes to the good of all and shares in the welfare of all.

A short-term mission (STM) is the mobilization of a Christian missionary for a short period of time ranging from days to a year; many short-term missions are called mission trips. The short-term missionary is a fairly recent innovation in the global missions movement, but many short-term missions agencies are seeing an increased number of trips that consist of a week up to a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intercession of saints</span> Christian doctrine

Intercession of the Saints is a Christian doctrine held by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. The practice of praying through saints can be found in Christian writings from the 3rd century onward. The 4th-century Apostles' Creed states belief in the communion of Saints, which certain Christian churches interpret as supporting the intercession of saints. However, similar practices are controversial in Judaism, Islam, and Protestantism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Members Church of God International</span> Christian religious organization headquartered in the Philippines

The Members Church of God International, abbreviated as MCGI, is an international Christian religious organization with headquarters in the Philippines. It is popularly known in the Philippines as Ang Dating Daan, the title of its flagship radio and television program and the longest-running religious program in the Philippines which was hosted by Eli Soriano, MCGI's "Overall Servant" until his death in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hallam</span>

David Hallam, is a British Labour Party politician and writer. He is the former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Herefordshire and Shropshire constituency in England, in the 1994–1999 European Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legion of Mary</span> International association of members of the Roman Catholic Church

The Legion of Mary is an international association of members of the Catholic Church who serve it on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, as a Marian movement by the layman and civil servant Frank Duff.

<i>Spiritual Exercises</i> 1522–1524 set of works by Ignatius of Loyola

The Spiritual Exercises, composed 1522–1524, are a set of Christian meditations, contemplations, and prayers written by Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Divided into four thematic "weeks" of variable length, they are designed to be carried out over a period of 28 to 30 days. They were composed with the intention of helping participants in religious retreats to discern the will of God in their lives, leading to a personal commitment to follow Jesus whatever the cost. Their underlying theology has been found agreeable to other Christian denominations who make use of them and also for addressing problems facing society in the 21st century.

<i>The Interior Castle</i> 1577 book by Teresa of Ávila

The Interior Castle, or The Mansions, was written by Teresa of Ávila, the Spanish Carmelite nun and famed mystic, in 1577, as a guide for spiritual development through service and prayer. The work was inspired by her vision of the soul as a diamond in the shape of a castle containing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey of faith through seven stages, ending with union with God.

Podcasts, previously known as "audioblogs", had its roots dating back to the 1980s. With the advent of broadband Internet access and portable digital audio playback devices such as the iPod, podcasting began to catch hold in late 2004. Today there are more than 115,000 English-language podcasts available on the Internet, and dozens of websites available for distribution at little or no cost to the producer or listener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinner's prayer</span> Evangelical Christian term referring to any prayer of repentance

The Sinner's prayer is an evangelical Christian term referring to any prayer of repentance, prayed by individuals who feel convinced of the presence of sin in their lives and have the desire to form or renew a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a popular prayer in evangelical circles. It is not intended as liturgical like a creed or a confiteor said or chanted within the Catholic Mass, but rather, is intended to be an act of initial conversion to Christianity; at the same time, it is roughly analogous to the Catholic Act of Contrition, though the theology behind each is markedly different, due to the intrinsically different views of salvation between Catholicism and Protestantism. While some Christians see reciting the sinner's prayer as the moment defining one's salvation, others see it as a beginning step of one's lifelong faith journey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network</span>

The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network is a Pontifical Society of the Catholic Church, which encourages Catholics to prayer and action as part of the church's universal mission. The Network provides monthly prayer intentions determined by the Pope. It is particularly inspired by devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and his compassion for the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic spirituality</span>

Catholic spirituality includes the various ways in which Catholics live out their Baptismal promise through prayer and action. The primary prayer of all Catholics is the Eucharistic liturgy in which they celebrate and share their faith together, in accord with Jesus' instruction: "Do this in memory of me." The Catholic bishops at the Second Vatican Council decreed that "devotions should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some fashion derived from it, and lead the people to it, since, in fact, the liturgy by its very nature far surpasses any of them." In accord with this, many additional forms of prayer have developed over the centuries as means of animating one's personal Christian life, at times in gatherings with others. Each of the religious orders and congregations of the Catholic church, as well as lay groupings, has specifics to its own spirituality – its way of approaching God in prayer to foster its way of living out the Gospel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Smet Jesuit High School</span> Catholic school in Missouri, United States

De Smet Jesuit High School is a Catholic, college preparatory high school for boys located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prayer in the Catholic Church</span> Roman Catholic beliefs on Christian prayer

In the Catholic Church, prayer is "the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." It is an act of the moral virtue of religion, which Catholic theologians identify as a part of the cardinal virtue of justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazon Music</span> Music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon

Amazon Music is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management (DRM) from the four major music labels, as well as many independents. All tracks were originally sold in 256 kilobits-per-second variable bitrate MP3 format without per-customer watermarking or DRM; however, some tracks are now watermarked. Licensing agreements with recording companies restrict the countries in which the music can be sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plex (company)</span> Global streaming media service

Plex is an American streaming media service and a client–server media player platform, made by Plex, Inc. The Plex Media Server organizes video, audio, and photos from a user's collections and from online services, and streams it to the players. The official clients and unofficial third-party clients run on mobile devices, smart TVs, streaming boxes, and in web apps.

Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises, the aim of which is to help one "conquer oneself and to regulate one's life in such a way that no decision is made under the influence of any inordinate attachment." The Exercises are intended to give the person undertaking them a greater degree of freedom from his or her own likes and dislikes, so that their choices are based solely on what they discern God's will is for them. Even in the composition of the exercises by Ignatius early in his career, one might find the apostolic thrust of his spirituality in his contemplation on "The Call of the Earthly King" and in his final contemplation with its focus on finding God in all things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street</span> Church in London, England

The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, also known as Farm Street Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church run by the Society of Jesus in Mayfair, central London. Its main entrance is in Farm Street, though it can also be accessed from the adjacent Mount Street Gardens. Sir Simon Jenkins, in his book England's Thousand Best Churches, describes the church as "Gothic Revival at its most sumptuous".

Pray.com is a Christian social networking service and mobile app that serves as a social media platform for religious communities. The Pray platform includes social media, daily prayers, sermons, biblical content, and podcasts. Pray.com was founded in 2016 by Steve Gatena, Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck and Matthew Potter.

References

  1. Harriet Sherwood O click, all ye faithful: church expands online in 'paradigm shift', The Guardian , 21 December 2016, retrieved 5 March 2021
  2. 1 2 Madoc Cairns, Want to pray? Now you can ask Alexa, The Tablet , 30 April 2020, retrieved 5 March 2021
  3. Patricia Bailey, 5 Ways to make your morning commute spiritually uplifting, Aleteia , 29 October 2018, retrieved 5 March 2021
  4. 1 2 3 [http://www.jesuit.org.uk/jmi/ Jesuit Media Initiatives|Archived 29 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 22 January 2013
  5. Frances Murphy, A decade Thinking Faith, Jesuits.eu, 30 January 2018, retrieved 5 March 2021
  6. Joelle Kidd, Prayer: There's an app for that, Anglican Journal , 31 December 2018, retrieved 5 March 2021
  7. Pray As You Go is 'appy to announce...!, Jesuit.org.uk, 6 April 2014, retrieved 5 March 2021
  8. Sean Salai, What Pope Francis has unleashed cannot 'be put back in the bottle.', America , 9 December 2015, retrieved 5 March 2021
  9. Grégoire Le Bel, Happy Birthday for French “Pray-as-you-go”, Jesuits.eu, 29 March 2019, retrieved 5 March 2021
  10. 1 2 15 years of Pray as you go, Jesuits.eu, 29 December 2020, retrieved 5 March 2021