It’s 12:05am and I’m lying in bed, nearly asleep. It’s been a good day — my first weekend at home in a month. I got some things done around the house and spent time hanging out with my wife.
Then it hit me: I forgot to pray the rosary today. I had a 61-day streak going, and now it’s broken. Crap.
If Duolingo can keep me conjugating verbs, why can’t an app keep me praying?
I’ve been on-again, off-again with the rosary for years. I know it’s good for me, spiritually and mentally. But consistency? That’s the real struggle. It’s just like learning a language or training jiu jitsu: you have to keep at it regularly to see the benefits. I’ve experienced the difference when I pray daily versus when I skip days, just like I feel the difference when I train jiu jitsu or study Spanish three or four days a week versus once a week. Even with the feeling of accomplishment that comes with consistency, some days it’s just hard to get started.
Building the Tools for Consistency
So I did the thing that software developers do: I built a tool to help me stay consistent. I needed some accountability, and I’ve seen in the past how powerful tracking can be for building habits. I think anyone who has tried to keep their streaks going on Duolingo knows what I mean.
The result is RosaryStreak.com, a simple web app that tracks your rosary streaks, and even works offline as a Progressive Web App (PWA). It’s like Duolingo for the rosary, but with a lot less owl pressure.
At the moment, it’s just a simple app that tracks your streaks, but I have plans to add more features like reminders, prayer guides, and maybe even some gamification elements.
The 61-Day High
I was on a roll. 61 days of praying the rosary every day. I prayed on airplanes, while driving to work, and in the deserts of Namibia with no cell service or internet. I did not want to break my streak. Every day when I could click that “I prayed the rosary today” button, I felt a little rush of accomplishment. I was building a habit, and it felt good. Some days were easier than others. I prayed in Latin, English, and Spanish. On days when it was difficult to start, I prayed along with the Hallow app. The longer I kept the streak going, the more I wanted to keep it alive, and the easier it became to pray the rosary every day.
The Saturday Slip
But then I just forgot. I did think about praying the rosary that morning. I was motivated to clean up around the house and figured I’d pray later. And for some reason, I just never got around to it. It really just slipped my mind.
I felt so disappointed in myself. I wanted to be able to share this app with others, and show them how it helped me build a habit, with a ridiculously long streak of praying the rosary every day. I failed to live up to my own expectations and felt in some way that I failed God.
Lessons Learned and Resetting
Of course, these feelings were irrational. I know that streaks are not the point of prayer, and that God loves me even if I forgot to pray. But it still stung.
I fell asleep with the realization that beating myself up over this is not helpful. Tomorrow is a new day, and I can start fresh. I can restart my streak, hopeful to build a longer one this time. And if I miss a day again, I can start over again. It’s not about the streak, it’s about the habit of prayer.
The Bigger Vision
So it turns out an app can help you to pray more consistently, but it’s not about the app itself. It’s about the habit you build around it. I want to help others build that habit, too.
If even one person finds it helpful, then the effort is worth it. Maybe that person is you.
I invite you to join me on this journey. Let’s see how long we can go — together. Check out RosaryStreak.com and start your own streak today. And if you have any feedback or ideas for features, I’d love to hear them.