Hallow (app)

Last updated
Hallow
Company typePrivate
Industry Meditation
FoundedDecember 2018;7 years ago (December 2018)
FoundersAlex Jones
Erich Kerekes
Alessandro DiSanto
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
,
U.S.
Key people
Alex Jones (CEO)
Website hallow.com

Hallow is an American Catholic meditation and prayer app owned by Hallow, Inc. [1] [2]

Contents

The Hallow app provides audio-guided Bible stories, prayers, meditations, sleep, and Christian music. [1] [3] Other features include community challenges and daily prayers such as the Catholic practice of Lectio Divina, curated music, praylists, and options to set prayer routines. [4]

Hallow is based in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. [5] [6] Alex Jones is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. [7]

History

Hallow was founded by Alex Jones, Erich Kerekes, and Alessandro DiSanto in December 2018. [8] [9] Alex Jones, who grew up as a Catholic, lost his faith as a teenager. [5] [4] With the use of meditation, Jones chose to revert to Catholicism and made the decision to create a platform to assist others in a similar situation. [1] [4]

In January 2022, the app was launched in the Spanish language. [10]

As of February 2022, the app has been downloaded more than two million times. [7] Hallow's subscription is available in two tiers: monthly and yearly. [4] [9] Since then actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrayed Jesus in The Chosen , has appeared in ads for the app. [11]

In April 2022, Hallow announced a partnership with American actor Mark Wahlberg. [12]

In June 2022, Hallow started the I am Here Eucharist campaign in partnership with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. [13] [14]

In April 2025, the app cut ties with British actor and comedian Russell Brand, after he was charged with rape and other sexual offenses. [15]

Controversies

In November 2023, Hallow received criticism from conservative Catholics, including Lila Rose, after partnering with actor Liam Neeson. Neeson has previously advocated for pro-choice causes, in contradiction with Catholic teaching, and fought to help successfully repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Following criticism, Jones defended Hallow's decision to hire Neeson. [16] In December 2024, Jones changed his stance, describing the partnership as a mistake. [17]

Conservative Catholic magazine Crisis has criticized Hallow as "shallow", and accused the app of "problematic monetization and celebritization of prayer". [18] Giles Fraser of UnHerd has also criticized the app for its pricing model, which is set at $69.99 annually as of May 2025. Fraser also pointed to the app's estimated $51.4 million annual income, while comparing the subscription cost to medieval indulgences. [19]

Popularity

In February 2024, Hallow reached the No. 1 spot in Apple's App Store, ahead of ChatGPT, Google and others. [20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Taylor, Isaac (December 21, 2021). "Religion Apps Attract Wave of Venture Investment". Wall Street Journal– via www.wsj.com.
  2. ↑ "A Catholic app raised $52 million. But praying with your smartphone has its limits". America Magazine. November 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Ignatian Spiritual Exercises on the Hallow app are facilitating encounters with God". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. June 3, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Tribune, Erica Pearson Star (20 March 2022). "Worship apps prompt Minnesotans to pray every day". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Catholic prayer app, Hallow, gets $40 million in funding". Fortune.
  6. ↑ "Chicago company behind Catholic prayer app raises $12 million". Crain's Chicago Business. April 16, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Virtual worship gives organised religion a boost". Financial Times. February 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Hallow Meditation App is All Catholic". NCR. 2 January 2019.
  9. 1 2 Sadowski, Dennis (June 24, 2022). "Small Screen Faith. Prayer apps galore".
  10. ↑ "Crux". Cruxnow.com. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  11. ↑ "Hallow teams with 'The Chosen' cast for Advent prayer challenge". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  12. ↑ Breck Dumas. Catholic App Hallow and Mark Wahlberg Launch Partnership Fox Business News April 13, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Hallow app, Archdiocese launch 'I AM HERE' Eucharist campaign". Catholic News Agency.
  14. ↑ Capizzi, Anna (June 16, 2022). "Detroit Archdiocese, Hallow app launch campaign to share power of Eucharist". Archived from the original on June 16, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Hallow prayer app cuts ties with Russell Brand after police charges". Catholic Herald . 9 April 2025. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "Hallow App Defends Partnership With Liam Neeson, a Supporter of Abortion". Catholic News Agency. 23 December 2023.
  17. ↑ Laffin, Peter. "Hallow App's Alex Jones Calls Liam Neeson Advent Partnership a 'Mistake'". National Catholic Register.
  18. ↑ "Is Hallow Shallow?". Crisis Magazine. 28 November 2023.
  19. ↑ Fraser, Giles (5 May 2024). "The ungodly truth about Hallow". UnHerd.
  20. ↑ Dumas, Breck (2024-02-15). "Prayer app Hallow takes top spot on Apple App Store". FOXBusiness. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
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