Come Aside: Catholic Prayer

Come Aside starts with a simple question: what are you carrying today? Write it down or say it aloud, and the app offers a prayer in your own words along with a verse of Scripture to go with it. From there it opens into a daily Catholic routine that follows the liturgical year.

Each morning brings the day's Gospel, the saints and the season. You also get the daily Mass readings, the Rosary, the Examen, novenas, a place for your intentions and a journal for saved prayers and entries. The Way takes you through Advent and Scripture stories one day at a time, and Bible Scroll offers 24 short passages a day for free.

The app is the work of one person, developer Chisha Kafuli. We asked what he likes most about it. "My favourite part is having everything in one place," he told us. "I can track my devotions and read the daily readings, which I otherwise wouldn't without that easy access." That's the appeal here: it gathers the pieces of a daily prayer life so they're easy to keep up with.

The personal prayers are written by AI, using OpenAI, and only when you ask for one. The app says plainly that these suggestions aren't a priest, confessor or spiritual director, which is the right way to treat them. Use them as a starting point for your own prayer.

There's a community side too. Friends and Held in Prayer let adults share and request prayer, and they need an account and an 18+ confirmation. You can use the rest of the app without them.

The daily readings, reflection and Rosary are free. Come Aside Plus adds guided reviews, devotions such as novenas and fasts, spoken reflections, Prayer Lock and a home screen widget for $39.99 a year after a 7-day trial, or $9.99 a month. If you want one quiet place for your readings, your prayers and whatever is on your heart, Come Aside is well worth trying.