The Encounter vs Synaxis

When we fall out of the rhythm of daily prayer, we feel it. Life gets noisier. We feel scattered. And slowly, we drift from the One who gives us life. The Encounter is a free Orthodox prayer app that brings the daily prayers of the Church, Scripture readings, saint stories, and sacred hymns together in one peaceful place—so you can stay connected to God throughout your day. Whether you’re just beginning or longing to go deeper, The Encounter meets you right where you are and helps you build a daily rhythm of prayer that draws you closer to Christ. Simple Tools for a Steady Prayer Rhythm​​: Morning, Noonday, and Evening Prayers Gentle reminders and guided prayers (available in text and audio) to help you build a steady rhythm of prayer throughout your day. Daily Gospel and Epistle Scripture Readings Short, meaningful readings from the Church’s Lectionary in both text and audio. Prayer Library for Every Occasion Find prayers for joy, grief, uncertainty, and everything in between. Meet the Saint of the Day Learn from the saints through readings of their lives, videos, and a hymn of the day for each saint. Sacred Music Enter into prayer with peaceful Orthodox chant and choral hymnography reflecting a variety of Orthodox Christian traditions. Daily Quote from the Church Fathers Reflect on the wisdom from saints and elders of the Church. Orthodox Word of the Day A daily word to deepen your understanding of Orthodox faith and tradition. Book of Psalms Access all 150 Psalms in text and beautifully recorded audio. A Peaceful, Prayerful Atmosphere From the moment you open the app, you’ll experience calming music and thoughtful design to help you be still and focus on God. And more—designed to help you grow in Christ and stay consistent in prayer. By using this app, you agree to Apple’s Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Synaxis is a calm, reverent companion for the Orthodox Christian day, made by an Orthodox developer. No ads and no subscription. Every morning, know where you stand: today's fast, the saints and feast of the day, the appointed readings, and the prayers to keep. Synaxis follows OCA practice with Slavic rubrics, on either the New (Revised Julian) or the Old (Julian) calendar. THE NATIVITY FAST JOURNEY • A page for each of the 40 days of the Nativity Fast: the readings, the saint, the Prologue from Ochrid, a prayer and the day's fast rule • Mark each day you keep, and see how many you have kept • A morning reminder for each day of the fast, and a card to share the day • Listen to the whole page read aloud (Synaxis Pro) • Follows your calendar: November 15 to December 24, or November 28 to January 6 on the Old Calendar THE DAILY FAST • Today's fasting rule at a glance: strict, wine and oil, fish, dairy, or no fast, with the reason • Tap it to see what you can eat today, why, and when the rule changes next • The full fasting calendar: Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha, the Apostles', Dormition and Nativity fasts, Wednesdays and Fridays, and the fast-free weeks • Rubrics follow the OCA; Greek and Antiochian practice differs on some days • Pascha from the traditional Paschalion, with the whole movable cycle years ahead SAINTS AND THEIR LIVES • The saints and commemorations of every day of the year • The life of today's saint, and today's Hymn of Praise from the Prologue from Ochrid • Name days: find a name's patron saint and when the Church remembers them • Search saints, feasts and prayers from one place • Share the saint of the day as text THE DAILY READINGS • The appointed Epistle and Gospel of the day in full, offline • Listen to today's Gospel and today's saint, read aloud on your device PRAYERS AND THE JESUS PRAYER • A prayer on rising and a prayer before sleep, the Prayer of St Ephrem, and the prayers before and after Holy Communion, in traditional English from public domain sources • The Trisagion prayers, the Creed, and prayers before and after meals • A prayer rope (chotki) counter for the Jesus Prayer YOUR CALENDAR • New Calendar (Greek, Antiochian, OCA) or Old Calendar (Russian, Serbian, Georgian) ON YOUR HOME SCREEN • A widget with today's fast and feast in the liturgical color of the day • Gentle, optional fast-day reminders SYNAXIS PRO, ONE PURCHASE The Nativity Fast Journey beyond your first three days. Read and listen to the whole Prologue from Ochrid, any day. Listen to every reading and every life, even with the screen locked. Read the lives of all the saints, any day of the year. The Fasting Year: countdowns to every fast and feast and what is coming next. Family name-day reminders, a daily prayer reminder, Jesus Prayer history, and app themes. Pay once and it is yours. Glory to God for all things.