In the Catholic Church, our time is marked by the life of Christ, so our calendar intimately reflects that connection. That is why our new year starts with the first Sunday of Advent as we officially mark His coming. Since liturgical calendars are the clockwork mechanism of the life of the Church, it makes sense to have one to help keep you engaged. Let’s take a look at what the digital Catholic world offers!
Screenshot from Universalis app
We offer links to two formats of Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendars:
- regular digital calendar to add to your device’s calendar
- digital calendar that’s built within an App on your device
A note of caution: As with all liturgical calendars, many variations unique to your country/diocese may not be taken into account in these digital versions. Updates may lag. Errors are common. It is a good idea to double-check with the official liturgical calendar of your country (Here’s the USA’s for 2024). But remember that your diocese will have variations as well. Both Ordinary and Extraordinary (traditional 1962) Roman Calendars are included in our listing. If you just want to add a Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar (biased to United States of America) to your Google or iCal calendar, click one of these links courtesy of Universalis web site: Google Calendar iCal Calendar. DON’T TOUCH THOSE LINKS UNTIL YOU READ DIRECTIONS BELOW:
To download from iCal…Create a new calendar (very important step); now import the above iCal Calendar and then add that calendar to your new one. If you don’t do that step of creating a new calendar, your regularly-used calendar will get filled up, forcing you to delete each entry! The year’s liturgical calendar will automatically download (in that NEW calendar you set up) and should automatically open your device’s calendar with a message verifying you want to download the year’s calendar. Approve this, and the calendar will automatically load. On mobile devices, you will be shown each day as an “event” to load. Approve all, and the entire year’s calendar of events loads. Within the calendar “event” each day, a link is provided for you to the Universalis web site which you can open to see the color of the day and other specific information for the day (linked in that page). How cool is that?
Ordo 2024 ($17.99/renewed each year) The Paulist Press offers an app version of their annual print Ordo for both Apple and Android with a FREE two-week trial that begins with that download. The General Edition Ordo App contains information found on the right-hand pages of the printed Ordo, common to all regions of the United States. You get Order of Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours and Celebration of the Eucharist 2024 PLUS Necrology, Daily Readings, Data on Saints’ Lives along with page references for daily readings. It does not contain the actual prayers/texts for feast days. Here’s a screenshot of a typical page for the day on this app. Yes, they offer a comprehensive guide to all the many symbols used. You can do a search by date or by text. They do not offer Ordo for religious orders in the app version. 
e-Ordo ($21.95/year) This is an electronic Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar for the United States that can be imported into most digital calendars and platforms (PC, Mac, smartphones, and tablets) delivered via .zip file. Just download, extract the files, and import to your calendar application of choice. Purchase direct from their web site. English and Spanish language. As with a printed Ordo, you get: • proper liturgical colors • seasons • feasts, solemnities, memorials and optional memorials • all readings and alternative readings are listed for every day of the week • information about the Liturgy of the Hours. • the designation as to whether or not the Creed and/or the Gloria are said. You can edit local variants to the universal liturgical calendar after it is imported.
Below are Apps containing a Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar:
Universalis ($9.99) Apple (including Apple Watch!), ($12.99) Android — Roman Calendar, Liturgy of the Hours, Roman Missal (English 3rd Edition), Saint of the Day, and more! For other platforms, you can go to their web site where they suggest setting up the daily email service, or creating your own e-book of their extensive offerings to read on your device. Of course, you can view everything on line for free; it is set up for mobile viewing. Once you download the App, you get it all forever–equivalent of 5,000 pages! And this one-time subscription covers all your devices. YOU GET… liturgical calendar for every year from 1970 to 2300 and beyond. Feasts and celebrations according to the General Calendar and the local calendars of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, Ireland, and others. Also features “About Today” pages giving more information about the saint of the day. This app also comes complete with Liturgy of the Hours. For an additional $30/year you can get the audio version of every hour. Some of those hours you can get in Latin. Hymns are also available.
Get a FREE one-month trial by signing up at this link. After one month, you can pay for a registration code for continued life-time access.
This is an extremely old-school website that hosts this content. It’s there. It isn’t pretty. The app, on the other hand is beautiful with lovely fonts and the ability to scroll or use an animated page swipe. I’ve had my app downloaded for about 10 years. NO problems. This app also comes complete with Liturgy of the Hours. For an additional $30/year you can get the audio version of every hour. Some of those hours you can get in Latin. Hymns are also available.
iPieta.($2.99) Full version for Apple | GooglePlay versions split up into several lite apps. TWO liturgical calendars are offered: the Ordinary Roman Calendar and also Extraordinary Roman Calendar (1962). This major app is loaded with so much more! It is a valuable addition to your mobile device.
Laudate (Free) Apple | GooglePlay | Kindle Fire This probably is the #1 free Catholic app because it is the most comprehensive with many resources packed into a scrolling list on the home page. Among other resources, it offers a Roman Catholic liturgical calendar with the most basic information for the day. Available in English, Español, Português, Italiano, Bahasa and Polski, Slovenian. This is one of our recommended essential apps for your mobile device.
Liturgical Calendar GooglePlay only (free) While not a thing of beauty, this app form of the Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar contains all the basic information you need each day–season, holy day, feast, saint, liturgical color. Get calendar dates of the seasons, holy days and liturgical feasts. The Liturgical Calendar application is in English language. Video explaining this app here.
Catholic Liturgical Calendar (Free) GooglePlay only. Here’s a basic calendar app that one of our Catholic APPtitude members shared. If you’re looking for a stand-alone simplified calendar with daily Mass readings and a go-to listing of the seasons and holy days, this is for you. Readings are offered on background colors that correspond with the liturgical color of the day. Great idea, but it makes for difficult reading, especially in red. Additional offerings include the order of Mass, popular prayers, holy days listing, liturgical seasons listing.
iMissal ($4.99) Apple | Android | Kindle Fire. Contains a Roman Catholic liturgical calendar with bias to American calendar. It opens up to the correct day so you don’t have to hunt, and it offers information like color of the day, designations of Feast or Solemnity etc, and saint(s) of the day. Just enough information for general information, but offers no variants for dioceses, archdioceses. You get a full calendar displaying all of the liturgical seasons. The calendar is color coded based on liturgical season and shows Holy Days of Obligation, Solemnities, Major Feasts, Saints, etc. Calendar is currently available for years 1990 – 2050.
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