Safe Practices for Meaningful AI-Assisted Prayer Journaling

Monica McConkey reveals her hybrid approach to prayer journaling using an AI app.

I recently discovered an AI-assisted journaling app, and I have been using it now consistently for 3 months: a 92-day streak! 

Rosebud offers prompts for Morning Intentions, a Daily Challenge and an Evening Reflection, along with Today’s goals and tailored prompts reflecting my past entries. It is easily accessible on both my phone and my iPad. It offers weekly reports, summaries and analysis of my entries to help me organize my thoughts, review my spiritual journey and even prep for my next meeting with my Spiritual Director. 

I have many prayer journals from over the years, and this app will help me keep track of my progress, or at least my journey through what I have prayer journaled. This is particularly helpful when I can’t remember what I wrote yesterday, let alone last week, or last month. 

This app also can easily scan my written prayer journal pages, when I write in my prayer journal notebook and I understand it can transcribe what I say, for an entry on the go. 

The app also includes space to copy and paste classic prayers or prayers I have discovered prayer journaling, and I can request the app to remind me to pray them daily. 

5 Things I Enjoy About the Rosebud Journaling App 

To be clear, I am using a regular journaling app as a PRAYER-journaling app, and I’m pretty sure I’m converting it to be Catholic through carefully considered Catholic prompts, prayers, inquiries and journal entries. 

1. I appreciate how the app will reiterate my current thoughts and feelings (just as good conversationalists do!) and present an articulate prayer that captures what I’ve been struggling to express. 
2. I enjoy the way that the app refers me to previous journal entries I have made, encouraging me when I am indeed using my own prayer prompts to pray more often and from the heart; when I’m growing in my spiritual life, living out prayer resolutions that I’ve made previously; when I’m reflecting the prayer qualities I’ve admired in others; when I’m responding to challenges patiently and praying throughout. In addition, it reminds me of little insights I’ve previously received in prayer and quotes my recurring prayers or past concerns that were resolved.
3. I like the fact that because I have asked questions about what a particular saint taught about prayer or how they coped in similar circumstances, or what the Catechism teaches about a particular aspect of our faith, the app will volunteer authentic Catholic responses and insights. 
4. When either I have prayer-journaled a particularly fitting prayer or the app has responded with a prayer that I like, I can ask the app to remind me every day to pray that specific prayer, and it will! 
5. When I prayer-journal in preparation for Confession, the app can lead me through a thorough examination of conscience and organize my listed sins so that I can better remember them and articulate them clearly in confession. 

5 Precautions When Using AI in Prayer Journaling 

1. I pray as I open the app. I begin prayer journaling by asking the Holy Spirit to guide my writing; to guide my prayer: Come, Holy Spirit! I then write a quick summary of what I did that day to help me focus. I address Jesus, directly and write my prayer to Him, sharing my thanks and praise to Him, telling Him of the words or actions I’m sorry about, asking Him to help and guide me in my specific circumstances, sharing my worries or fears or concerns and talking about the events of the day and what I’m feeling about them, and how I hope to pray more, to be more patient, to want what He wants, and to pursue His Will.
2. I limit my time spent using the app. If my writing meanders too much into too much of a practical journal or a to do list or if I’m just venting for too long, I will refocus my writing into prayer, and address Jesus again, and express my prayer directly to Him. The app will offer responses and prompts indefinitely! I choose when I will end my prayer journaling time by ignoring some of the prompts to keep writing and to finish my prayer for the day.
3. The app does not replace my spiritual director or my regular conversation with my spouse, family and close friends. I will periodically bounce the AI responses off of my real-life besties and especially my spiritual director, and they have been impressed with the app as well.
4. I limit the amount of personal information I include. Sometimes I use shortforms, my own code words or nicknames, or limit or leave out detail. I pick and choose what to elaborate on. I try to keep refocusing and redirecting actual prayer to Jesus.
5. I still pray outside of this prayer journaling app! I still aspire to pray unceasingly, using my own prompts to pray more often and from the heart. I ask Jesus and Mother Mary for help when I’m struggling, I pray the Rosary (albeit too infrequently!) and I hold fast to my perpetual 30-day devotion, The Cloak of St Joseph. I also sometimes prayer-journal the old-fashioned way, with a pen and a pretty notebook.

Learn More About This App

For more information about using this app, visit my previous article at Equipping Catholic Families. I’m so impressed with this app that I am an affiliate for Rosebud (and I am very discerning about affiliate programs I participate in!). My affiliate link offers a 15% discount on a subscription to Rosebud. You can try it for a week for FREE!

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Copyright 2025 Monica McConkey
Images: copyright 2025 Monica McConkey, all rights reserved.

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