With the two-fold goals of connecting with young adults in a creative, contemporary fashion and contributing to reflective action for justice, the United States–Canada Province has developed a new mobile application. The My Call Me Back (CMB) app was inspired by the desire of Religious of the Sacred Heart to make known the mission and spirituality of the Society of the Sacred Heart through a digital platform. It is available now through the App Store and Google Play for ninety-nine cents.
The My Call Me Back app was developed with input from young adults throughout the United States and Mexico who expressed a desire for spirituality resources not available elsewhere on the Internet. It provides both virtual and face-to-face platforms for young adults to explore, reflect, create, discern and connect with other young adults. It is a both a medium and a place to share one’s restlessness, searching and desire to live lives of meaning, depth and integrity.
Reyna Gonzalez, RSCJ, who led the development team, said, “This platform was chosen in acknowledgment of the need to meet young people where they are, whether physically or virtually. My Call Me Back has both a spiritual and mission orientation with a spirit of discernment for whatever lies ahead for Catholic young adults today.”
There are eight CMB components:
- Faceworld is a way to reflect on the world context, social issues and the reality of young adults today.
- My Route is to explore the questions and intuitions, opportunities and calls of their lives.
- Belonging is a tool for reflecting on one’s experience of belonging to a group, a project, a dream.
- My Creations helps people to get in touch with their creative experience through drawings, music, etc.
- My Journal helps people learn and apply guides for prayer, daily examen (a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to discern God’s desires), principles of discernment and praying with some of the Society of the Sacred Heart’s founding mothers like Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat and Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne.
- My inspiration contains quotes from the Gospel, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, and others to inspire.
- My Toolkit contains the different activities and workshops the Society of the Sacred Heart has to offer (e.g., retreats, leadership training, shadowing a sister, service learning, project design, etc.)
- Home: Portal where one finds access to various areas of the Society of the Sacred Heart.
The CMB development team reflected a cross-section of life experience and geography. In addition to Sister Gonzalez, it included Maureen Chicoine, RSCJ, who serves in New Orleans after many years in San Diego; Kim King, RSCJ, who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Ms. Itza Martinez, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Together they developed a strategic plan and shared the labor of developing content for the various components. The content will be updated regularly to ensure that it remains engaging and timely.
A demonstration of the app by Sister Gonzalez is available on YouTube.
