iBreviary

When I bought the iPad, the very first application I downloaded was iBreviary, created by Dimitri Giani and Fr. Paolo Padrini. (From what I understand, the vision was Padrini’s and the programming was done by Giani.) At the time it was only an iPhone application. Those familiar with the iPad platform know that it will run any of the iPhone applications and blow them up by a factor of two in an attempt to fill the screen. However, because the applications were designed for such a small screen, when they are expanded to the iPad screen the resolution is quite poor. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of a native version of iBreviary for the iPad. Yesterday, it hit the App Store, and the wait was well worth it.

While the functionality of iBreviary is the main reason to obtain it, the first thing that strikes the user upon loading it is the sheer beauty of the application. Upon starting the application this morning, it showed a beautiful picture of St. Clare (today being her feast day) and a short biography, all displayed on an ornate bronze background. When the iPad is rotated into landscape orientation, the functionality of the program takes center stage.

The first feature of iBreviary is the obvious. It is a fully functional breviary including all of the hours for the Novus Ordo (Office of Readings, Lauds, Daytime Prayer, Vespers, and Compline). The text for the prayers appears next to the menu in a very similar format as it would in the actual books. The iPad can be rotated into portrait orientation for a full screen viewing experience of the text.

It should be noted that the English translation used is exactly how it appears in the American Liturgy of the Hours, unlike with some other applications and internet sources who use alternate translation. Kudos to Giani and Padrini for going through the copyright hoops in order to give us a translation that can be used in communal recitation. (While it is recognized that the current translations are not up to par, as is the case with the current translation of the Mass, there is value in having the translation that the vast majority of people praying in community are using.) While the entire Liturgy of the Hours is present, it did take me a little while to find the Invitatory. It is located at the beginning of Lauds. Perhaps I have been reciting this wrong all these years, but I was taught long ago that the Invitatory should be said before the first hour of the day. Of course, if Lauds is the first hour that people say, then this is appropriate. I, however, have always placed it before the Office of Readings. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to list the Invitatory as a separate entry to give maximum flexibility.

The second feature of iBreviary is a full Missal. It contains the Order of Mass, Readings and Prayers, Prefaces, Eucharistic Prayers, and even Prayers of the Faithful. In short, it has everything needed to follow along in, or even celebrate, Mass. The same text format is used in the Missal as in the Breviary, and the iPad can be rotated into portrait orientation in order to have full screen reading.

The third feature is a selection of common Catholic prayers. They include the Divine Mercy Litany, Acts of Contrition, Our Father, the Rosary, Prayer at the Day’s Beginning, Nicene Creed, Ave Maris Stella, prayers and directions for Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, Angelus, Salve Regina, Lauda Sion, the Fatima Prayer, Litany of Our Lady of Lourdes, Stabat Mater, Act of Sorrow, Act of Thanksgiving after Communion, the Rites of Baptism and Anointing of the Sick, the Rite of the Apostolic Blessing with Plenary Indulgence at the Hour of Death, and a few other prayers and resources. Once again, the reading experience is identical to the previous two examples.

The final feature is titled “Lectures” and contains a “daily missal” of sorts. In it, the reader will find the Entrance Antiphon, Collect, daily Readings, Prayer over the Gifts, Communion Antiphon, and Prayer After Communion for use in Mass that day. All of these prayers occur in the Missal section, but they are collected into one nice location for someone in the congregation under the “Lectures” heading.

There are two features advertised in the iTunes description that I have been unable to find. I do not know if they were only present in the original iBreviary and no longer available in the new, or if I am simply not looking in the correct place. One is the ability to “hear and read the words of the Holy Father daily.” I am unsure whether this refers to the Wednesday Audience and Sunday Angelus addresses or something else. Without being able to find it, it is hard to tell. The second is “the official documents of the Church”. Once again, perhaps this was a feature of the old version and no longer available, or perhaps I need to look harder.

Finally, there are two features that may go unnoticed but are extremely useful. First, the entirety of the resources are available in five languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Latin). This is of particular interest for me. Let me first say that I cannot see something like iBreviary replacing my four-volume set. There is something about holding a physical book and turning the pages when praying. I love books, and it is difficult for me to see them ever replaced completely by electronic readers. However, for a husband and father such as myself, while I invested in the four volume Liturgy of the Hours, it would be financially difficult for me to invest in the same four volumes in Latin. Even though I have an interest in occasionally reciting the Divine Office in Latin, the vast majority of time it will be in the vernacular. I can’t justify the expense, then, of purchasing another set of breviaries just for the occasional use. Therefore, a resource like iBreviary is invaluable in this respect. For the whopping cost of $0.00 I am able to hold in my hands the entire Litugia Horarum (in Latin).

Second, iBreviary has the capability of storing up to ten days in the cache. This means that I can hold ten days of Breviary, Missal, etc., on the iPad and access them without the use of an internet connection. (Here would be a good opportunity to note that iBreviary does not store the information on the iPad but instead accesses it from an online source. Thus, for days that are not cached, you would need a wifi connection in order to use the application.)

In terms of a few odds and ends, iBreviary has a copy of the Ambrosian Rite, a copy of the instructions for using a breviary (though as far as I can tell these are only in Italian for now), and the ability to alter the font size for easier reading.

I am incredibly impressed with both the functionality and the beauty of iBreviary. It is a great resource for Catholics and, at least for now, is a free download from the iTunes App Store. The only resources I would like to see added are the Missal and Breviary of the extraordinary form.

I should also point out that the technical support is fantastic. The original review I posted pointed out a problem with the current day (The Memorial of St. Clare) and the fact that the Collect was from the ferial day and not from the Proper of Saints. I incorrectly assumed that this was a permanent problem and generalizable to other Memorials and Feasts. Upon reading my review, Fr. Padrini emailed me, thanked me for the review, and informed me that the texts for today were entered incorrectly. Thus, it was a problem only with today, and by the time I got his message, the breviary was fixed and included the proper texts for the Memorial of St. Clare. Once again, kudos to Fr. Padrini for his promptness and concern that the application runs without flaws.

As I said, I cannot see this replacing the traditional bound books for the Liturgy of the Hours. As for the Missal, there has been an increasing amount of internet chatter about the merits and problems with using an electronic device either by a member of the congregation for following along or even by the priest in celebrating Mass. I cannot recommend this application for either. Seeing an iPad in the hands of the faithful, let alone on the altar, would prove to be a distraction. There is the risk that the technology would upstage the mystery. However, for those who are used to reading the daily readings on the internet because of their inability to find a daily Mass, this is a tremendous reading experience. I could even see a priest using the iPad Missal for a private Mass when he is on the road and has forgotten to bring a printed Missal with him.

Overall, this is a grand effort and remarkable product by Giani and Padrini. They are to be complimented for their vision and hard work, and commended to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for their attempt to spread the his Gospel and the official prayer of his Church.