# Lucerna: Catholic Stories — Bedtime saints. Sleep. Solace. > Catholic contemplative audio stories for sleep, solace, and companionship. (iPhone/iPad app by THOMAS FLETCHER PRICE.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lucerna-catholic-stories/id6768519545 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [THOMAS FLETCHER PRICE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896581270) - Category: Lifestyle, Health & Fitness - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 5 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.1 · 53 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-05-24 - Data updated: 2026-08-06 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lucerna-catholic-stories/id6768519545/reviews.md ## What is Lucerna? Lucerna is Catholic contemplative audio that shows up for you in the hardest hours — without asking you to show up for it first. Saint stories for the hours when you can't sleep, can't pray, can't be alone. Catholic. Quiet. Made to be drifted in and out of. A story-led Catholic audio library organized around how you actually arrive: in bed and can't sleep, anxious between things, sitting with grief, facing a decision, lonely and wanting a voice. WHO IT'S FOR Catholics — practicing, lapsed, or somewhere in between — who want the texture of the tradition delivered as story, not as another thing to perform. Heritage Catholics. Returning Catholics. Catholics who would close any app that performs Catholicity at them. If you've tried other Catholic prayer apps and found they ask more engagement than fits your life, Lucerna is the contemplative companion you'd been looking for in the wrong category. THE FIVE STATES Lucerna organizes content around when you actually open it, not by saint name or liturgical season: • Sleep: narrated saint lives, gospel passages, and Compline for the hours past midnight • Calm: short pieces for anxious moments, between meetings, on a walk • Solace: psalms and gospel passages for grief, loss, and the hard months • Direction: Ignatian discernment, contemplative readings for decisions • Companionship: narrator-anchored stories when you want a voice in the room You can drift, half-listen, fall asleep, or come back tomorrow. The audio never punishes inattention. It welcomes return at any point. FIVE NARRATORS Each story is told by one of five voices, each with a real human texture: • Father Kevin Donovan — Boston Irish parish priest • Rosa Marino — Italian-American grandmother • Father Francisco Reyes — Mexican-American Jesuit • Father Emeka Okonkwo — Igbo Nigerian priest • Sister Maria Wisniewska — Polish-American contemplative Pick your narrator. Return to the same voice across stories. Or let the app surface what fits the moment. CATHOLIC, BY CATHOLICS Every story passes through a Catholic advisory panel before publication. Mainstream Roman Catholic, devotional warmth without doctrinal heaviness. Iconic scripture and liturgical text presented as you'd hear them at Mass. The 2011 Roman Missal, the standard devotional prayers, the translations a practicing Catholic actually hears every week. HONEST PRICING • Free tier: Five free stories every month on rotation. No card capture. • Premium: $4.99/month or $49.99/year for the full library. • Cancel in-app at any time. No trial bait, no duplicate charges, no subscription traps. NEW STORIES EVERY WEEK The launch library covers about 25 stories across the liturgical year. New stories dropping each week — Marian content, saint lives, gospel passages, contemplative readings — anchored to where you are in the year. WHAT LUCERNA IS NOT Not a daily-prayer streak. Not a habit tracker. Not a meditation course with celebrity narrators. Not children's content. Not "transform your prayer life" — just an actual companion for the hours when you can't. --- Subscription Details • Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase or after the free trial period if offered. • Your subscription will automatically renew unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. • Privacy policy: https://getlucerna.faith/privacy • Terms of use: https://getlucerna.faith/terms ## Key features - Contemplative audio library - Saint stories - Organized by emotional states - Multiple narrator options - Weekly new story releases - Free tier with rotating content ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Lucerna Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year | | Lucerna Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month | ## Recent user reviews (4 of 4) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lucerna-catholic-stories/id6768519545/reviews.md ### 5/5 — kids in bed, this on *2026-06-02* Mom of four. The 10 minutes after the kids are asleep is the only quiet I get. Lucerna fills it the right way. ### 5/5 — love this *2026-06-02* i fall asleep to this almost every night now. Father Emeka's voice is so calming. ### 5/5 — My new commute *2026-06-01* I drive 40 mins to work and listening to a Lucerna story on the way in has changed how I get through Mondays. The Annunciation one is my favorite so far. ### 5/5 — Beautiful and unexpected *2026-05-28* I downloaded this thinking it would be another devotional app. It's not. It's stories... Saints, scripture, prayers. They're read like someone who actually knows them is telling you about them. The narrators are real people, not AI-sounding. Highly recommend for anyone in a hard season. ## Frequently asked questions about Lucerna ### What is Lucerna? Lucerna is a Catholic contemplative audio app that provides stories and reflections organized by emotional states like sleep, calm, solace, direction, and companionship. It features a library of content narrated by diverse voices. ### Does Lucerna have ads? No, Lucerna does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use with a limited selection of stories, with an option to subscribe for full access. ### How much does Lucerna Premium cost? Lucerna Premium is available for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, granting access to the full library of stories. Users can cancel their subscription at any time within the app. ### Can I try Lucerna before subscribing? Yes, Lucerna offers a free tier with five rotating stories available each month without requiring any payment information. This allows users to experience the app before committing to a premium subscription. ### How often is new content added to Lucerna? New stories are released weekly on Lucerna, including Marian content, saint lives, gospel passages, and contemplative readings. The library is continuously updated to align with the liturgical year. ### What devices does Lucerna support? Lucerna is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices. The app is designed for users who want to access spiritual content on their mobile devices. ### Is Lucerna suitable for children? No, Lucerna is not intended for children. The content is geared towards adults seeking contemplative spiritual experiences and is rated for ages 4 and up. ### What makes Lucerna different from other Catholic apps? Lucerna differentiates itself by organizing content around user emotional states rather than liturgical seasons or saint names, and by offering a less performative, more contemplative experience. It aims to be a companion for difficult moments without demanding active engagement. ## Version history (last 2 releases) ### 1.3 — 2026-07-17 A redesigned home screen and offline listening, plus a round of playback fixes. The home screen is now built around Moments. A featured story sits up top, with the other listening states laid out below so it is easier to find something that fits where you are right now. Premium users can download stories for offline listening, and the free stories are kept ready so they play. If you are on a free 7-day trial, you now get a gentle heads-up before it ends, both as a push notification and in the app, with a direct link to manage your subscription. No surprises. You can also turn the narrator greeting off in Settings, and enable notifications from Settings. We fixed several playback issues: stories no longer quiet themselves at the start, lock-screen controls stay responsive, and Start Over works reliably. Plus the usual round of stability and polish. ### 1.0 — 2026-05-24 No release notes. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-06.*