How to send a Contact Us message

All the Universalis apps and programs now have a command called “Contact Us”. This is a good way of getting in touch with us, because it creates an email which automatically contains a lot of useful information – such as which version you are using, what calendar and language settings you have, and what page you are looking at.

Updating apps and programs

Depending what Universalis app or program you are using, it may update itself automatically when a new version comes out. Here are all the details, with instructions for manual updating.

The Epiphany again

Some people get into a terrible flap after the Epiphany, and six years out of seven they write to us to say that we have got the readings wrong. So this post really ought to appear every year.

In religious parts of the world the Epiphany is celebrated when it always has been: on the 6th of January, when good children get presents from the Kings. In more commercial parts of the world the Epiphany is moved to the Sunday after New Year’s Day, so that the Twelve Days of Christmas become the Eight Days or the Fourteen Days.

The reason for all the panic is that a day such as Saturday 8 January 2022 has different readings depending on where you are. In religious countries (including England and Wales) it is 8 January, the second day after the Epiphany. In commercial countries (including Scotland and the USA) it is Saturday after Epiphany Sunday, the sixth day after the Epiphany.

The Sacred Heart in 2022

The Birthday of St John the Baptist is celebrated on 24 June each year. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated a fixed time after Easter, and in 2022 (and 2033 and 2044) this puts it on 24 June as well.

The standard rules for coinciding feasts would keep the Sacred Heart on the 24th, as being the more important celebration, and move the Baptist back to Saturday the 25th.

However, there is a certain discomfort in having major celebrations on Saturdays, and so the Congregation of Divine Worship has decided to bring the Birthday of St John the Baptist forward to Thursday 23 June 2022. You can find the official document here.

(The one exception is in places of which St John the Baptist is the patron: in that case he remains on the 24th and the Sacred Heart is brought forward to the 23rd).

Advent 2021 newsletter

Advent can be an embarrassing time for those of us who like to live a quiet life as “compatible Christians”, rubbing along next to our pagan neighbours with just a handful of quaint beliefs to distinguish us. Advent rather sabotages the feeling that we are just like everyone else really (or perhaps that little bit nicer).

“The Creed in Slow Motion”

The Creed in Slow Motion is a new book by Martin Kochanski, due to be published by Hodder & Stoughton on 7 April 2022.

“Resurrection is Now”

The book Resurrection is Now, by Dom Aelred Watkin, has been the “sleeping hit” of the Daily Books feature in the Universalis apps. You, the readers, have been so enthusiastic in your response to it that there are now plans to re-publish the printed book. Limited stocks of the original edition have been discovered so that you can buy it now if you don’t want to wait. The remaining and rediscovered stocks of the first edition sold out within 24 hours of this blog post being published!

“Journey into Light”

We are delighted to be able to announce that the recently published book Journey into Light, by Roderick Strange, is now available as a Daily Book in the Universalis apps.

Universalis and old iPads

A recent change in the Internet means that older iPads such as the iPad 2 or the original iPad Mini are unable to reach many web sites (even Wikipedia is affected, apparently!).

This problem prevents Universalis and Catholic Calendar from connecting to our servers. The result is that music and audio cannot be downloaded, and that it is not possible to unlock Catholic Calendar using a registration code.

This blog post explains how to get round this problem, both for Universalis and for all other affected web sites.

November 2021 newsletter

The newsletter is a bit long this month, because this is the time of year to be thinking about books. Advent is round the corner, so if you get the annual or semi-annual e-books of Hours and Mass readings for the Amazon Kindle or some other e-book reader, now is the time to be getting the next one. Christmas is round the corner, so if you enjoyed last year’s “New Every Day” e-book, or gave it as a present to a friend, now is the time to do something about that. We also have a new e-book available this year, just in time for Christmas.

Amazon and Android 12

There is currently a problem which only affects you:

• IF you have bought Universalis or Catholic Calendar from Amazon
• AND you are using it on a non-Amazon device such as the Google Pixel
• AND the device is running the new version of Android: Android 12.

Most people who have Android devices get their apps from Google Play, and so won’t be affected.

Cassian and Cassiodorus

We have corrected two small errors in the English-language printed books. This means that Universalis does not match the books exactly, so this blog post is made, for reference, in case anyone notices the difference.