The app is designed as a space for evangelisation, which aims to bring people closer to Jesus Christ and the life He offers. To this end, “Anima” provides various resources on a daily basis that can serve as support and reflection for everyone, but especially for young people, the app's main target audience.
Intended to be a timely response to the spiritual needs of young people and a good companion for everyday life, the app offers Christian commentaries on current events, reflections on biblical themes, prayers, commentaries on the daily liturgy and many other materials.
With this app, therefore, it is possible to make every moment a privileged place to encounter God. There are already many contributors who have accepted the challenge to share their faith, including Salesians, lay people and members of other religious congregations, and they all do so with a sense of mission, which is to be at the service of young people.
The name ANIMA derives from the priestly motto of St John Bosco, founder of the Salesian Congregation, “Da mihi animas, coetera tolle” (Gen 14:21), which indicates the passion of the young people’s saint for the salvation of souls; and, at the same time, refers to the verb “animate”, to give life, to give encouragement. This application therefore aims to animate the spiritual life of Christians and to serve as a support for evangelisation.
Don Bosco, on the other hand, saw social communication as an indispensable means of proclaiming the gospel. From the beginning of his activity, he devoted himself to editing and promoting small publications in the field of evangelisation, religious teaching and education in general. In line with Don Bosco’s work, today the Salesians in Portugal continue to dedicate themselves with passion to the field of social communication, through a publishing house that has been present on the Portuguese market since 1947, three bookshops – in Porto, Lisbon and Évora – a radio station, various publications – in particular the Salesian Bulletin – and now a renewed app.
The new version of “Anima” is available for download both on Google Play Store, for Android systems, as well as on the App Store, Apple systems.
