Mitchell Narvasa speaks at a parish as part of his work for the Hallow app.
By Dan Russo
The Catholic Messenger
BETTENDORF — In April, Mitchell Narvasa was in a thrift store in the Quad Cities browsing with two of his sons. He had recently finished a job interview with Hallow, the maker of the “number one Christian and Catholic prayer app” in the world, according to rankings online.
The member of St. Joan of Arc in Bettendorf looked down and noticed a pile of St. Philomena prayer cards someone had left in the used goods shop that were free for the taking.
He decided to pick one up and start praying the novena printed on it, asking for the young martyr’s help. Exactly nine days later, he was offered his role as a parish lead with the company, where he is tasked with helping parishes like his “build a culture of prayer.”
“We’re leaning on this idea that in the Gospel, the disciples asked Jesus, ‘Lord, teach us to pray,’” said Narvasa. “I help parishes get the most out of their parish partnerships with Hallow. There’s four pillars to the partnership. The first is an encounter with the person of Jesus. Then, it’s building daily habits of prayer, building small groups around prayer, and prayer for the sake of the mission of the Church and evangelization.”
Founded in 2018 in Chicago by three entrepreneurs who were backed by prominent investors like Catholic movie star Mark Wahlberg and others, Hallow is a for-profit enterprise that has strived to use Silicon Valley technology start-up tactics and celebrity power to spread ancient prayer techniques. Some app features, like Lectio Divina are free, while others require a paid subscription
“We now have someone like (actor) Jonathan Roumie reading us how to think about the Gospel, how to pray about the Gospel and how to listen to God,” explained Narvasa. “Now, we have these plans and challenges that not only teach us certain things about the faith, but also contextualize them.”
Tool for schools
Schools and parishes in the Davenport Diocese are among a growing number nationally that have forged agreements with Hallow for its services. Assumption High School in Davenport was one of the first, beginning a subscription about six years ago.
“Our subscription offers the opportunity for all faculty, staff, and students to have access to the Hallow app each year,” said Bridget Murphy, Assumption’s principal. “Additionally, we have faculty and staff training and retreat opportunities offered through our contract with them.”
“While the pull of technology can certainly distract us from healthy time apart, the Hallow app has given many of our staff and students a tool to keep them on track and engaged in forming a habit of regular prayer,” Murphy continued.
Aside from institutional partnerships, the company can be used by individuals, but having easy access through school has been useful to the students, according to Murphy.
“Many students have shared they enjoy the organizational aspect of the app, and they appreciate the way they can schedule times for prayer reminders as well,” she said. “With the ability to set a routine and complete seasonal challenges, it provides a great mix of learning about our faith, gaining a sense of community through the millions of people praying alongside those using the app, and practical prayer strategies. We are very blessed to have this option at work in our school community!”
Sister Anthony Worrell, a Franciscan Sister of Christ the Divine Teacher who works at Assumption instructing students in religion, explained that the app offers lesson plans for teachers, but she has mostly used it for music.
“I do try and encourage the students to get into the app,” said Sister Anthony. “The students who I have heard use it find it very beneficial. One student began using the rosary sessions while working out. Other students will use it in their cars on their drive to school. The Bible study groups will use the Advent and Lent challenges, especially the Exodus 40 … The few challenges I have done have always been fruitful for my spiritual life. As a religious sister, Hallow is something nice to have, but it is not essential. I could see for the lay person, the Hallow app could be a tool to bridge the spiritual life from Sunday to Sunday, from parish life to home life.”
This is a screenshot of the Hallow app.
Parish Perspective
St. Mary Parish in Iowa City only recently entered into an agreement with the Hallow.
“While parishioners can join our parish on it now, our formal rollout will be later this summer,” said Father Andrew Rauenbuehler, pastor at St. Mary’s. “While it is new, parishioners that I know are using it have shared their appreciation for it. I have used the app in the past at different times and have gotten a lot out of it. It’s helpful in creating a habit of prayer. We all have the habit of using our phones. Pivoting from mindless scrolling to seeing how this technology can be a part of our daily discipleship is a key way the Hallow app can be one part of a person’s spiritual journey.”
The app aims to encourage interaction among people as well as individual habits.
“We have a parish landing page which allows parish users to upload prayer requests and share what they’ve been praying with,” said the pastor. “We’ll have parish prayer challenges and ways that we can connect through the app.”
A Fresh Start
Although very new to Hallow, Narvasa is eager to make his mark. The company’s employees work remotely using computers, but Narvasa also regularly visits parishes to make presentations and forge bonds in person.
“In terms of the face to face, (the app) should definitely be in service of accompanying each other in person,” he said. “We are looking to flip the script. The addiction to the phone comes with social media and social media is meant for you to continue to scroll and get those dopamine hits. Prayer and meditation through the app helps you slow down and focus. And when the mind slows down and focuses, it thinks about higher things.”
Narvasa, a California native, was raised Catholic, but his family went through some struggles after his parents divorced and he moved to the Philippines. After his dad’s reversion to the faith, the couple got back together and Narvasa later had his own faith strengthened at a retreat.
He met his wife Rebecca while the two studied at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. They moved to her native Iowa some time later and have five children. Narvasa served for five years as pastoral associate of discipleship and evangelization for St. John Vianney Parish. (St. John Vianney merged with Our Lady of Lourdes to become St. Joan of Arc last month.)
Then Narvasa worked for the Augustine Institute, a non-profit Catholic organization. His job there was eliminated due to downsizing and he was unemployed for a while.
“I’ve learned about this concept of redemptive suffering,” Narvasa recalled. “(I asked God), can you teach me how that looks to offer up my suffering for other people? I feel like the Lord really sustained me in that time.”
When the opportunity at Hallow came his way, Narvasa seized it. Participation in prayer programs by stars such as musician Gwen Stefani and Heisman Trophy Winner Fernando Mendoza have led to a buzz about the app, but it’s the eternal desire for a connection with God that is the real attraction, according to Narvasa.
“The reason I believe Hallow will remain an important tool in our faith, especially in our American Church, (is because) what Hallow has been doing has been providing spiritual wisdom accessible everywhere and anywhere … It’s a trend, but it’s not a fad,” he said.
