ATCHISON, Kan. (OSV News) -- This fall, as students return to college and university campuses, Hallow, the acclaimed prayer app, is working to help students build a vibrant faith life through forming partnerships with Catholic educational institutions across the country.
Last February, Hallow launched a new initiative to build its network and usership on Catholic campuses. Jacob King, Hallow's university success lead, has been leading the effort and says that the desire for this initiative arose from Hallow's origin story.
"The founders, Alex Jones, Alessandro DiSanto, and Erich Kerekes, created a little app to help them meditate and pray as the three college friends had recently reverted to the faith," King told OSV News. He said that as it changed their lives, they shared the app "with more and more people" and recognized it could have a much wider life-changing impact.
"We want to give university students a tool that can help change their lives," he said.
As the app has grown, Hallow's founders began looking at how they could expand their network and serve others. They realized that college campuses would be a perfect opportunity to share their app with an audience who often struggles to build healthy prayer habits.
"Prayer can change lives," King said. "College is such a pivotal time. You're planning for your future. You're still young; you have your whole life ahead of you, and we believe that if you stay prayed up, if you stay connected to God, it can radically shift and change your life."
Last year, King began building connections with Catholic universities across the country to see if they would be interested in participating with Hallow. In the past two years, the app has partnered with about half a dozen Catholic colleges and universities, such as the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, and Benedictine College in Atchison.
When Hallow and a school partner with each other, the entire student body receives a free premium subscription to the app. Hallow then works with the administration to help provide the best resources and outreach possible. The program has focused first on partnering with Catholic colleges whose administrations intentionally want to help their student body grow in prayer.
"We are open to working with any college; it could be Catholic, Christian, or secular, but we need the institution themselves to really want to partner with us, so that we can make that effort together to improve the prayer lives of their students," King said. "Thus, the obvious candidates are Catholic colleges that already believe in the mission that college is more than intellectual formation; it's a time to have that human formation, that spiritual formation."
When a college agrees to partner with Hallow, King explained, he meets with administrators and establishes a contact point to meet with monthly. Then, King begins to find students to serve as Hallow ambassadors -- students who will organize events and promote the app across campus.
"We meet at least once a month with the ambassadors, where we pray together and talk about best practices for helping to grow in small groups," King said. "We send physical marketing materials, such as banners and posters, around campus. We also look to bring in speakers that can meaningfully engage students and encourage them to build their prayer lives."
Last February, Emma Fleck began serving as a Hallow ambassador and frequently using the app. As a student-athlete at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, she found herself struggling to build a prayer routine. When she began using Hallow, however, she immediately noticed a difference in her day-to-day life.
"Hallow has helped me grow in my prayer life while in college by sending me reminders and inspiring me to take time to pray even with a busy schedule," Fleck told OSV News, adding that the prayers she has learned via the app "have helped me in times of anxiety and stress, especially while being a student-athlete."
Since she became a Hallow ambassador, Fleck has worked to connect her fellow students with the app. Many students at St. Francis have begun to use the app, Fleck said, adding she can see a difference on campus as it has given students an easy-to-use resource to launch their prayer life.
"I believe Hallow is a great resource for everyone who is looking to deepen their relationship with Christ, no matter where they are at on their journey. It gives people a great starting point who may be overwhelmed on where to start in their prayer life," Fleck said. "A prayer, meditation, inspiring podcast, or worship music is always only one click away with the Hallow app, which helps students connect with God no matter where they are or what they are doing."
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