The Catholic Church is harnessing the power of technology to attract more youngsters and has launched its own smart wearable device. The device, dubbed the "Click to Pray eRosary," is an app-driven device that can be worn as a bracelet.
The Click to Pray eRosary device was launched by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network in a press conference on October 15, Tuesday, according to the Vatican News, the church's official website. The month of October also happens to be the month of the Rosary.
The water-resistant device, which is essentially a beaded bracelet with a cross in the middle, is designed for the youth and serves as a tool to educate them about praying the rosary. The interactive device is activated when the user makes the sign of the cross and syncs with a free-to-download iOS and Android app of the same name that keeps track of the user's progress.
Once the user starts praying, the smart Rosary will display the user's progression through the prayers and keep track of each rosary that is completed, as well as the total time spent praying.
"When activated, the user has the possibility to choose either to pray the standard rosary, a contemplative Rosary and different kinds of thematic rosaries that will be updated every year," the church said in its press release.
The Click to Pray companion app is the official app of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network and was launched by Pope Francis in January. The app reminds users to pray thrice a day: morning, afternoon and evening. It also contains videos of the Pope and has a prayer wall where users can write down their prayers.
Moreover, the app helps users through the whole praying process with a combination of music, audio guide, images and personalized content.
The Click to Pray eRosary device and app also function as a fitness tracker, collecting data such as steps, calories, distance etc. The smart wearable device is the church's way of reaching out to tech-savvy millennials and if you're one of them, you can pre-order it for about $110 from Amazon's Italian website, Amazon.it.
