Catholic App Beats Google, Facebook, TikTok at the Top of the Charts

In a world more given to reciting Rihanna than the rosary, something very unexpected took place last week.

On Ash Wednesday, the Catholic app Hallow placed third on the list of top free iPhone applications on the Apple store, surpassing  Google, Netflix, Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok, according to The Daily Wire.

By Saturday, the app had slipped but was still running strong in fourth place behind TikTok, the Chinese shopping site Temu and the video editing software Capcut.

On Sunday morning, it was still in the top 20.

Hallow was launched in 2018 by Alex Jones (not the Alex Jones of Infowars fame), Alessandro DiSanto, and Erich Kerekes, all of whom are graduates of the University of Notre Dame.

“Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” #AshWednesday #HallowDailyQuote

— Hallow (@HallowApp) February 22, 2023

“God is doing something pretty incredible,” Jones said Thursday, according to The Daily Wire.

“We never thought in a million years that we might have this many people from all around the world gathered together in prayer,” he said.

“To be top 5 in the App Store is truly unbelievable. Praise be to God!” he said.

Hallow posted on Facebook that it was “feeling truly blessed.”

“From all of us at Hallow, thank you for beginning your Lenten journey with us!” the post said.

Referring to being third on the app store, the post wrote, “This special #3 reminds us of the beautiful Holy Trinity, God in 3 persons, always by our side.”

On Wednesday, Hallow began its 40-day Lent Challenge.

“Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues.” – St. Augustine #HallowDailyQuote

— Hallow (@HallowApp) February 23, 2023

“For forty days, He walked through the desert,” the site reads. “Thirsty, hungry, tired, and tempted by the devil. And He continued His walk all the way to His loving sacrifice for us on the cross. A sacrifice for each and every one of us.

“Together, as one community from all over the world, we’ll pray for 40 days leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

“We’ll journey through the life-changing spiritual classic the ‘Imitation of Christ’ [a 19th century devotional work] and focus our prayer and meditation on the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and giving,” the site said.