Holy Cross College recently announced that Alex Jones will deliver the commencement address at the college’s 59th annual Commencement Ceremony in May. Jones, a 2015 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, is also the co-founder and CEO of the Hallow prayer app.
In the news release, Holy Cross President Marco L. Clark described Jones as a man who “represents the kind of thoughtful, faith-filled leadership we hope to cultivate in every Holy Cross graduate.”
“His story reminds us that vocation often emerges at the intersection of personal conversion and courageous action,” Clark continued. “Alex has taken his own journey of faith and transformed it into a global ministry that brings hope, prayer, and peace to millions. We are honored to welcome him to Holy Cross as we celebrate the Class of 2026.”
Past commencement speakers at Holy Cross include Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C., President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, and Kary Alys Robinson, President of Catholic Charities USA.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Jones majored in mechanical engineering at Notre Dame and later earned a masters in business administration from Stanford University. Though he was raised Catholic, Jones fell away from the Church in high school and college, describing himself as an agnostic. While working post-graduation at McKinsey & Co. in Chicago, Jones returned to his faith and tried practicing meditation with secular apps like Headspace and Calm. Dissatisfied with the existing options, he reached out to a priest at Notre Dame for advice on prayer.
Inspired by his own experience with prayer and meditation, Jones co-founded the Hallow app with fellow Notre Dame graduates Alessandro Dissanto and Erich Kerekes. The app’s offerings include daily prayers and readings, the “Bible in a Year” podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz, and sleep meditations.
Since its founding in 2018, Hallow has become the largest and most downloaded faith app in the world. In June of 2025, the company announced a landmark of one billion prayers prayed on the app. With over 30 million downloads around the globe, the app is consistently ranked top 10 in the App Store, and reached the No. 1 spot last year during Lent, beating out other apps such as Netflix, TikTok, and Spotify.
Jones has been the recipient of many awards, including Forbes 30 Under 30, Notre Dame’s Domer Dozen, the Legatus Bowie Kuhn Evangelization Award, the Christifidelis Laici Award, and the Catholic International University Founder’s Award. He now lives in Chicago with his wife and their four children.
Notre Dame, in partnership with Hallow, offers all its students and faculty free access to the premium version of the prayer app.
Lucy Spence is a junior majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and piano performance, with a minor in philosophy. She’s hoping to deliver Notre Dame’s 2026 commencement address. Send her tips for the speech at lspence@nd.edu.