Mass in a foreign language, understood in your own.
Missa Companion listens to the priest, recognises which part of the Mass is being celebrated, and shows it in the language of the faithful. At the homily, a single tap opens Google Translate with live translation.
- Free of charge
- Works offline
- No advertising
- Manual navigation always wins
Version 1 as a Polish visitor sees it at an English-language Mass. Further languages will follow.
One Mass, one order, every language
Missa Companion is a free mobile app that helps Catholics take part in Mass celebrated in a language they do not speak.
Who it is for
Catholics who travel or live abroad. We are starting with Poles attending Mass in your parishes.
Why it works
The Mass follows a fixed order, the Ordo Missae. The app does not need to understand arbitrary speech, only to know where the priest is within a well-known structure.
Principles
Works offline after a one-time install. No advertising and no paid features. Manual navigation always takes precedence over automatic tracking.
Choose the language once. In church, just tap “Start”.
- InstallThe user installs the app and allows microphone access. The app checks that the phone supports offline speech recognition for the language of the Mass.
- StartIn church, they choose the language of the Mass, e.g. English, and tap “Start”.
- The current partA large title and description in their own language, with the text in the language of the Mass below. The next part is highlighted automatically.
- HomilyAfter the Gospel, the app detects the homily and offers “Homily — open Google Translate”.
- ReturnBack from Translate, tracking resumes at the Creed or the Universal Prayer.
- Always in reachAt any moment they can swipe, or open the “Parts of the Mass” panel and pick any step.
- EndAfter the Dismissal, the app stops listening and releases the microphone.
The app suggests, the person decides: choosing a part by hand always overrides speech recognition.
Version 1 contains the whole framework
The full texts of prayers and readings will be added once the necessary permissions are granted.
Scripture is common; translations have owners
Holy Scripture itself and the Latin Ordo Missae belong to no one, but every official translation does. Missals and lectionaries in national languages are the property of bishops' conferences or their publishers (for example ICEL for English, Pallottinum for Polish).
No single permission from the Holy See covers every language. The Libreria Editrice Vaticana administers only the Latin typical edition; each national translation has its own rights holder.
How the app respects this today
- Only its own content. For each part of the Mass it stores a title, a short incipit and its own description of what is happening.
- Short cue phrases. Tracking relies on cue phrases of up to eight words, never on full texts.
- References instead of texts. Readings are shown as references, e.g. Lk 18:1-8. A reference points to Scripture; it is no one's text.
- Ready for a licence. Every part has an empty
textfield in the app's data files. Once permission is granted, the licensed translation goes there and appears in the app immediately.
Your approved translation, in the hands of visitors to your parishes
We are looking for permission to show your official translation of the Order of Mass and, in time, of the Lectionary, inside the app. We will never paraphrase or retranslate approved liturgical texts.
What we would ask
- A non-exclusive permission to display the approved text of the Order of Mass in your language.
- Optionally, the Lectionary texts, in whatever scope and on whatever terms you consider appropriate.
- Guidance on the required copyright notice and on any texts that must not be shown.
What we commit to
- Texts shown exactly as approved, without changes, with your copyright notice.
- Non-commercial use: the app is free, with no advertising and no paid features.
- Texts stored on the device and used offline, not published on the web.
- Removal or update of the texts promptly on your request.
Even without full texts, the app already helps: the faithful know where they are in the Mass and what is happening, in their own language.