Digital transformation in the Church. Is it the right method to acquaint young people with the benefits of spiritual development? At the time when children are digital natives, it seems that the best way to challenge their attitude lies in the use of mobile applications.
This was well understood by the Misericors Foundation which came up with the “Get Mercy” project. Its goal is to put the words of John Paul II, who called for the “new imagination of mercy”, into practice. Check how HeroDOT contributes to this initiative!
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“GET MERCY” PROJECT – MISERICORS FOUNDATION INITIATIVE
The inspiration for the Misericors Foundation is Saint Faustina. It’s believed that she had a vision of Jesus in 1937 in southern Poland. The words she heard have inspired thousands of people around the world to cultivate the idea of being merciful. A cherished memento commemorating this event is the painting “Jesus, I trust in You”.
“Get Mercy” is a project with three dimensions.
- Primarily, it aims to promote the idea of mercy all over the world. Good deeds and sincere intentions. These two things should guide anyone who wants to follow the path indicated by Jesus.
- Secondly, “Get Mercy” desires to create a community of merciful people united in common prayer and intention. Faith is strong, plans are ambitious. One billion people committed to the 100th anniversary of the apparition, which takes place in 2037. That’s the dream that they wish to come true.
- Last but not least, there’s a mobile application. Its goal is to serve as the main “transmitter of mercy”. People from all over the world will be able to quickly check that they’re a part of a beautiful, widespread community. It’s a perfect example of combining traditional values with modern technology.
One of the objectives that the organizers of “Get Mercy” have at heart is to promote the Sanctuaries of Divine Mercy in the world. When sharing good deeds and sincere intentions, one of the available options in the app will be to locate them in one of such sanctuaries.
The plan is to unite all those who identify with the idea of ”Get Mercy”. They’ll be able to join spiritually in common prayer every day at 3:00 pm [the hour of mercy] thanks to the mobile app. It’ll allow Misericors Foundation both to commemorate Jesus’ apparition to Saint Faustina and spread the idea of mercy and compassion further.
“GET MERCY” RECIPIENTS
The target users of “Get Mercy” should be both more and less religious individuals from all over the world. The idea is to make people intuitively understand and actively engage in the promotion of being merciful. No matter what their life background is.
Thereupon, the project combines two characteristics. On the one hand, it’s close in functioning to social media so that it’s appealing to younger generations.
On the other hand, it’s accessible to people outside of religious backgrounds. This applies to both design and language. As the concept of being merciful is universally good, it’s easier to make all people identify with it.
Double layer collaboration. A balance between religion and values. Such a two-pronged attitude leads to an expanded range of beneficiaries.
“GET MERCY” DESIGN
The mobile app design concept was to make the composition convenient and appealing to various age groups. The visual side of the project is supposed to evoke positive feelings and be aesthetically pleasing. Top-quality UX was one of the objectives. Each person must feel comfortable using the application.
The universality of design embodies the universality of “Get Mercy”. No matter what your life background is, you can join the community of good deeds, faith-filled intentions and positive energy. User interface encourages the actions of all those united in mercy.
Designers use contemporary animation methods making this project even more attractive on digital devices. Digital natives, primary beneficiaries of “Get Mercy”, will associate these solutions with modernity. It’ll also make the Misericors Foundation’ app more familiar for adolescents.
MOBILE APPLICATION FUNCTIONALITIES
Guadalajara, México. Sounds of All Saints day celebrations on the streets. Family meeting. A clock in the living room shows 2.55 pm. An old, wise man leaves his relatives for a while. He takes out a picture of Merciful Jesus and looks at it thoughtfully. With the help of the “Get Mercy” app, he scans the image and shares his faithful intentions. He wishes all the best for the members of his family.
Wieliczka, Poland. Winter, it’s snowing heavily. A teenage girl is texting her friends when she gets a notification. The hour of mercy! She prays and shares her good deeds in the app. On the heatmap, she spots the range of people from the “Get Mercy” community who share the same values as she does. It makes her smile radiantly.
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne. The priest talks after the mass with the altar boys. A clock on the church tower strikes 3.00 pm. They open the “Get Mercy” app to unite with the merciful community.
Mobile app development isn’t that difficult if you precisely know your target. Features included in the “Get Mercy” application must be comprehensive. They need to be both understandable to the older audience and attract the younger one. That’s why they combine the best social media practices with traditional values and symbols.
- Profiles creation
Everyone who registers to the “Get Mercy” application creates their profile. Users can add basic information such as description and profile picture there. Yet, it’s not necessary. It depends only on people’s will and privacy preferences.
Then, each time they log in again, they return to the same account. All the deeds and intentions are recorded in their profile. It pleasantly improves the user experience.
- Good deeds and intentions posts
The principal purpose of the app is sharing intentions and good deeds. This function is available in the form of publishing posts. Each stand is linked to a specific location such as a sanctuary. It facilitates the geographic distribution of the “Get Mercy” community members.
- Social Media solutions
Similarly, as in social media, you can add tags to each post so that it’s easier to be found. There’s also an option of pressing buttons indicating that you want to pray together or fast for a given cause. The product design makes it equivalent to the famous “like” button. The symbols, though, are associated with the Catholic faith in this case.
- Marker scanning with AR
As a user of the “Get Mercy” app, you can scan the “Jesus, I trust in You” painting. It works as a marker in the AR system. It’ll allow you to see how many people in your time zone believe in the same ideals and make you feel a part of this community. It’s of great importance for the strengthening of faith.
- Heatmap
The heatmap will show who is active in the application besides you. It’ll allow you to check where the good deeds take place.
It will be a general, visual representation of where in the world, people are currently praying. Still, it won’t be possible to “spy” on specific people and check whether they’re praying at the same time as you. Privacy will be preserved.
Initially, it’s a project for Poland. But, ultimately, it aims to expand to the whole world. That’s why it includes all “charts options” such as the possibility to navigate through the entire map.
CONCLUSION
Digital church is a concept that is gaining popularity quickly. What we see is that the implementation of modern technologies has a positive impact on the so-called “church engagement“.
“Get Mercy” project is an innovative example of digital transformation in the Church. It forms an excellent inspiration for those seeking ideas on how to share the values they believe in, to a broader audience.
