CatholicTV

CatholicTV is the Catholic broadcasting station out of Boston, and this app is essentially their content streamed to your phone or tablet. You get live TV, on-demand video, daily Mass, and recorded series — all from a Catholic perspective.

The flagship offering is the daily Mass, streamed live and archived for later viewing if you can't catch it live. They also air the Rosary, Adoration, talks from priests and theologians, and documentaries on saints, pilgrimage sites, and Church history. Some programming is family-friendly; some is more substantive theology and apologetics.

What I appreciate: this is genuine Catholic broadcasting, not entertainment dressed up with religious branding. The bishops who appear on the air are real bishops; the theology is in line with Church teaching. For Catholics who used to watch EWTN on cable and don't have it anymore, this gives you a similar experience for free.

What it's good for: shut-ins, anyone unable to attend daily Mass for health reasons, families who want quality Catholic content for occasional viewing, road-trippers who want something to listen to on long drives. Older relatives often love it.

What it's not: a replacement for in-person Mass on Sunday (which is still the obligation when reasonably possible), and not a heavy interactive experience — you watch, you listen, that's it.

Free. By CatholicTV in Boston. Available on the App Store: CatholicTV. One of the most useful Catholic apps for older adults and anyone homebound. Worth having even if you only use it for the daily Mass.