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.

How to get the latest Android version

Some of you have been waiting for version 2.159 of the Universalis app for Android from Google Play. This is now in the Play Store.

Automatic update

The Play Store automatically updates most people’s devices, so you may find that it has already updated yours without you having to do anything.

Getting the update by hand

Here are Google’s instructions for getting the latest update directly, without having to wait for the Play Store to send it to you.

The Kindle e-book service

If you have a registration code, we give you the ability to create a Kindle e-book using either your computer or our web site. If you use your computer, you can install the e-book on your Kindle yourself. If you use our web site, you can send that e-book through Amazon’s Personal Documents Service and have it installed wirelessly on your Kindle.

Until now, the website route has transmitted your e-book to Amazon directly. At 06:30 UTC on 1 November 2022, Amazon reprogrammed their systems to block this route. They now reject any e-books we send them on your behalf.

We have accordingly changed the way our web site works. It now sends the e-book to you, and you forward the e-book to Amazon yourself.

This blog post is simply here to explain why the procedure has changed. There is nothing that you need to do, except read the instructions carefully next time you create an e-book.

If you requested an e-book after Amazon’s embargo at 0630 on the 1st and it was rejected by Amazon, we have already re-requested the e-book for you and it has been sent to you, for you to forward to Amazon.

November 2022 newsletter

As October is the month of the Rosary, so November is the month of the dead. Outside, the trees finish making next year’s buds and drop their leaves and take on the appearance of death. In the Church’s calendar the year comes to an end and so does the world itself, with readings dominated by the Apocalypse and the prophecies of Daniel.

At this season the Church bids us remember the dead. The day after All Saints we pray for the souls of all the departed, followed a week or so later (in many parts of the world) by those who gave our lives for us in war.

October 2022 newsletter

The Rosary

Sometimes you step into a church for a moment of silent reflection, and as the noise of outside fades away and the silence takes over, from out of the shadows you start to hear a voice. It is saying something, you don’t know what, and after some moments that voice stops and other voices take over and still you don’t know what exactly they are saying. Then it is the first voice’s turn again and you realise: it is the Rosary.

It is like when you are on a ferry and touch a part of the structure and feel the pulse of the engines that are making the whole thing go. The Rosary is the engine-room of the Church.

The Liturgy of the Dead

Here is how to find the Hours for the Dead and the Mass for the Dead in the Universalis apps and programs.

September 2022 newsletter

Welcome back! This has been a properly summery summer, but now is the time to welcome you all back from it, both literally and metaphorically. Autumn is a time for new beginnings.

How the spoken audio works

The spoken audio of the Readings at Mass and of the Liturgy of the Hours is available on subscription. It is very simple to use. If you haven’t tried it before, do! You can listen to a sample before you subscribe.

How it works is this: you press the Play button, and a real, recorded human voice will speak the whole of the page you are looking at: the readings at Mass or one of the Hours. A yellow highlight follows the spoken lines and sentences, so you always know where you are.

You can read more about it all here for Android and here for iPhone and iPad.

The purpose of this blog post is to go just a little below the surface so that you can understand how it all behaves.

Catholic Calendar on very old iPads

If you are using Catholic Calendar on a very old iPad running iOS 9.3.5, you may have difficulty activating it with your registration code. An error message can appear saying “An SSL error has occurred and a secure connection to the server cannot be established”.

“The Creed in Slow Motion” interviews

Two interesting interviews have recently been published which will take you deeper into the thought behind the book. If you haven’t already got the book, here is how to get it!

Christian Bergmann of Melbourne Catholic (a publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne) interviewed Martin Kochanski about The Creed in Slow Motion.

Here is the published interview. This is an exceptionally revealing interview, based as it is on a thorough reading of the book, and it is well worth taking the time to read it.

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The Irish Catholic interviewed Martin Kochanski, and you can read the author’s thoughts and ideas here.

June 2022 newsletter: special book edition!

This is a slightly unusual newsletter because instead of giving various bits of news about the Universalis website and apps, it is devoted to one subject. The Creed in Slow Motion, by Martin Kochanski, is published today by Hodder & Stoughton. Being by the same author as the majority of the “About Today” pages in Universalis, it isn’t entirely unconnected with the normal subjects of this newsletter. And I would like to claim that this is an important book and worthy of your notice!