A groundbreaking mobile app aimed at enhancing connectivity within India’s Latin Catholic community is in the works.
The Catholic Connect App is set to establish a National Database of Latin Catholic followers, each with a unique ID, heralding a new era of transformation, according to Father Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).
This app, available on both Android and iOS platforms, is expected to be launched in February 2024.
Currently, a trial run of the app is underway in the Bangalore archdiocese. Depending on the results and feedback received, the final version of the app will be developed.
In May 2022, the 88th Executive Committee of the CCBI decided to create a database app to connect the Catholic community in India.
The trial version of the Catholic Connect App was inaugurated by Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, at the 92nd Executive Committee meeting of CCBI at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences in Bangalore on September 21, 2023.
Developed by the CCBI Media Apostolate, the app aims to connect the Indian Catholic community both within India and abroad.
It will provide a platform for accessing spiritual resources, finding nearby churches, and accessing the various services offered by the Catholic Church in India, such as education, health insurance, marriage services, job portals, and emergency assistance, as explained by Father Alathara.
The app will also promote visibility for all the CCBI Commissions and their activities, trainings, and programs. It will be fully equipped to disseminate pertinent news and information about the Indian Catholic Church from its 14 different Ecclesiastical Regions.
The Secretaries of the Commissions can showcase their activities and upcoming programs directly on this platform to reach a wider audience, Father Alathara added.
Various Catholic institutions, entities, and associations will be engaged as stakeholders in this ambitious initiative, the priest said.
