(NewsNation) — Catholic prayer app Hallow saw the “biggest spike” in downloads in its history following the premiere of a Super Bowl commercial Sunday.
“Lent hasn’t even started yet. Glory to God. Can’t wait to pray together!” Alex Jones, Hallow’s CEO, said on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, where he shared a picture of “Hallow” being ranked as No. 37 in Apple’s Top Charts for free apps. Meanwhile, Google Play shows Hallow has over 5 million downloads on the platform.
Hallow, which has both free and paid subscription options, had more downloads in a single minute “than ever before,” Jones wrote.
The Super Bowl ad, which premiered in 15 markets, according to Fox News, featured actor Mark Wahlberg praying.
“God, we take this moment just to give you thanks,” Wahlberg said in the commercial. “We thank you for this time to come together as a family as friends and as a country.”
Before the big game, Jones told NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert the goal wasn’t to try to be “preachy,” but rather invite people into “five minutes of silence, 10 minutes of silence with God.”
Speaking to the National Catholic Register on Monday, Jones said he was “blown away” by the responses to the commercial.
“We’ve heard from many who were inspired to join us and give prayer a try for the first time in a long time this Lent,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
