Sacred Space Daily Prayer

Sacred Space is a daily prayer app from the Irish Jesuits. It walks you through a short, guided prayer session each day, built on the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Each session moves through six stages: the Presence of God, Freedom, Consciousness, the Word, Conversation, and Conclusion. It ends with a passage of Scripture chosen for the day, with a few quiet prompts to sit with along the way. The project began as a website back in 1999 and has been offering daily prayer ever since, now in more than fifteen languages, so it has a long track record behind it.

What I appreciate is that this is prayer you do, not prayer you read. The six stages are gentle prompts that slow you down and put you in front of God, a little like a daily examen. It is quiet and unhurried, with no streaks to keep or badges to earn, which is a real help on a day that is anything but. You come away having actually prayed, not just having scrolled.

It is a good fit for anyone who wants a structured few minutes of prayer, for people drawn to Ignatian spirituality, and for folks who find a blank page intimidating and want a little guidance to get started. It travels well, too, since it asks only for a few minutes wherever you are.

It is a guided meditation, not a missal, a rosary, or a full Bible. The Scripture comes from the New Revised Standard Version, a translation used across many churches rather than a specifically Catholic edition. That is fine for prayer, but worth knowing if you like to read from a Catholic Bible.

Free, made by the Irish Jesuits. Available on the App Store: Sacred Space Daily Prayer. If you want to build a steady habit of daily prayer, this is one of the gentlest ways in.