Students react positively to alumni-established prayer app
Notre Dame Student Government and Campus Ministry hosted “The Hallow Story,” a panel featuring Notre Dame graduates Alex Jones, Alessandro DiSanto, and Erich Kerekes, the founders of the Hallow app, Cate Von Dohlen, Hallow’s Chief of Staff, and Father Pete McCormick, C.S.C. The panel, held on October 8, discussed Hallow’s founding, mission, and success.
The Hallow app, launched in 2018, is now the top prayer and meditation app in the world. The app offers users a wide variety of ways to pray and meditate, including content by Father Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron, Jonathan Roumie, and others.
Joshua Johnson, Student Government’s Director of Faith, told the Rover that Student Government hosted this event “hoping that students [would be able] to see a perspective of life outside of Notre Dame, in which faith remains relevant in one’s career and normal life.”
Johnson continued, saying that Student Government also hoped that “students especially interested in business and entrepreneurship might be inspired and moved to discern God’s voice in their own lives, pursue the integration of faith into their career aspirations, and bring Christ to people in that manner.”
Von Dohlen, who served as a moderator for the panel, began by asking Fr. McCormick to discuss his connection to the founders of Hallow. Fr. McCormick, who now serves as the Assistant Vice President of Campus Ministry, shared with attendees that he was the dorm rector for two of Hallow’s founders, Jones and DiSanto. While admitting that he did not see founding the most successful prayer app in the future of these men, Fr. McCormick expressed his pride in the work they have accomplished and the men they have become.
Von Dohlen then asked Jones, DiSanto, and Kerekes to share what led each of them to help start Hallow.
Jones explained that he was raised Catholic, but fell away from the faith. During a stressful time in his life, he started to practice secular meditation, but he was not completely satisfied. He began to explore ways to connect practicing meditation with the Catholic faith, by asking a variety of people if and how meditation and Catholicism were connected. Through this, Jones learned about different forms of Catholic meditation and reconnected with his faith. Feeling that God was calling him to do something with what he had learned, he quit his job and started Hallow.
Similar to Jones, DiSanto and Kerekes also felt called by God to found Hallow. Upon graduation from Notre Dame, DiSanto began a successful business career. After talking with Jones about Catholic meditation, he began the practice himself, which deepened his prayer life. Ultimately, DiSanto felt God calling him to quit his job and help start Hallow.
For Kerekes, starting Hallow meant leaving a good job right before a promotion and moving away from close family and friends in his native Chicago area. Like the other founders, Kerekes chose to answer God’s call, despite not knowing whether Hallow would be successful or not.
At the end of the evening, attendees asked the panelists a variety of questions about faith, business, and the connection between the two.
When asked how he thought the event went from an organizer’s perspective, Johnson said, “The event was wonderful! We had a line of students out the door of Jordan Auditorium in Mendoza and students were interested and interactive, asking questions that the three founders enjoyed.”
Attendees were also pleased with the event. One Notre Dame student, Olivia Sayani, told the Rover, “I use Hallow often, so when I found out the founders were coming, I was excited.” She continued, saying, “It was beautiful to see [the founders’] trust in God. I took away that God’s plan is always greater than our own.”
Sophomore Kateri Mantooth had similar thoughts, commenting, “[The founders] truly gave up everything to follow [God] by starting Hallow.” Mantooth also described the panelists as “very down to earth people and very relatable, as they themselves were Notre Dame students.”
Johnson echoed their sentiments, saying, “The founders emphasized a unique note about their decision to drop everything. … If Hallow doesn’t work out, then there was a reason why God brought them to that point; there was a reason why the app was made; and they’ve planted the seeds for someone else to come along and fulfill the goal for social ministry through technology in the modern world. And if it is successful, then thanks be to God!”
Hallow’s list of advisors also includes several notable figures close to Notre Dame: Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend; John Cavadini, professor of theology and director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life; and Father Kevin Grove, C.S.C., associate professor of theology. The Hallow app is free to download, and Notre Dame, in partnership with Hallow, provides students and faculty with free access to the premium version of the app.
Gianna Castillo is a sophomore studying applied and computational mathematics and statistics and minoring in theology. She can be reached at gcastil2@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: The Irish Rover
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