New ‘CHATechism’ app combines AI, Catholic teaching to explore the faith

Garrett Stephenson, left, and Tim O'Neill, right, show their new app, "CHATechism," on their own phones. (Courtesy photo)

By Philip A. Janquart

ICR Editor

What if there was an application that harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide documented answers to questions about Catholic teaching?

It’s a question Tim O’Neill, a parishioner at Holy Apostles in Meridian, discerned with fellow IT professional Garrett Stephenson over the course of a year, co-developing a new app called “CHATechism.”

Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest? Can Catholics believe in evolution? What does the Church say about purgatory? Why does the Church oppose abortion? What did Pope St. John Paul II teach about marriage and family life? Those are examples of questions the app is meant to answer, providing sources from Church teaching and other Catholic resources.

The application grew out of an interest in the potential of AI to serve the Church’s mission of evangelization.

“It’s an application that, leveraging AI, gives the faithful—or even people who aren’t Catholic, or maybe Catholic-curious—an opportunity to ask a question about what the Church teaches and get a sourced answer to those questions with Catholic sources, including magisterial documents, writings of the saints, scripture and, of course, the Catechism.”

The name itself combines the Catechism of the Catholic Church with the conversational chat style of AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

O’Neill said he saw both the potential and the risks of using AI in matters of faith and morals.

“AI is such a powerful tool; it’s all over the headlines; it’s everywhere. But it should also be approached with caution, especially when you’re asking questions on faith and morals. On these issues, users need to be assured they are getting the right answer.”

That concern led O’Neill and Stephenson to develop CHATechism with an emphasis on sourcing its answers.

“It was a question that kept entering my head and piquing my curiosity. ‘What if we could harness the power and technological innovation of AI and anchor it to over two millennia of Church teaching?’” he said. “What a powerful tool for the new evangelization that would be, to make the richness and beauty of Church teaching accessible on such a big scale.”

O’Neill said AI can sometimes produce answers that sound authoritative even when they are inaccurate, a phenomenon commonly known in the industry as “hallucination.”

“That’s why our slogan is, ‘Sourced Answers, Not Guesses.’”

The application initially was developed as a web-based app. An iPhone version became available through the Apple App Store in early July.

There are three plans available when creating an account:

• “Venerable,” FREE;

• “Blessed,” $4.99/month; and

• “Canonized,” $7.99/month.

At the heart of CHATechism is a carefully curated database of Catholic sources, built to ground every response in the Church’s own texts. O’Neill said the application draws from scripture, the Catechism, official Church documents, and other trusted Catholic materials so users can explore the faith with confidence and clarity.

“CHATechism has a lot of built-in intelligence that is designed to understand the intent of the user’s question, quickly match that question with appropriate Church sources and leverage AI to synthesize an answer that draws upon only provided sources,” he said.

The application also provides citations for its answers. “There’s a superscript citation on every part of the answer that draws from a source, and then the answer is provided with a citation block at the bottom,” O’Neill explained, adding that the citations allow users to pursue further study and determine where the information originated.

Designed for Catholics and ‘Catholic-curious’

Although CHATechism can be used by Catholics who want to explore questions about their faith, O’Neill said he particularly hopes it will serve people who are curious about the Church.

“The demographic I really hope to engage is people who are exploring the Catholic faith,” he said. “Maybe you’ve considered converting, or you’re simply not sure what the Church actually teaches and need a clear, trustworthy answer.”

O’Neill said the application could provide an accessible way for people to ask questions they might otherwise have difficulty answering.

Since the application became available, O’Neill said several people have approached him about family members who are curious about Catholicism.

Harkening back to Apple’s 2009 ad campaign promoting its new iPhone, O’Neill joked that in those moments it feels great to say, “There’s an app for that!”

Not a replacement for human interaction

At the same time, he stressed that CHATechism is not intended to replace personal relationships or the life of the Church.

“I think, ideally, we should be there for each other, human to human. The faith should be a lived human experience. I would hope people aren’t experiencing their faith through a glowing screen or a chatbot. And this is the developer of an AI application telling you this. That should not be our primary method for how we grow in the faith and grow with others.”

Instead, he described CHATechism as an additional resource.

“So, I think of it as a tool in our tool belt, something that can help augment those conversations we all find ourselves in about our Catholic faith.

More than a question-and-answer app

While question-and-answer interaction is one of CHATechism’s primary functions, O’Neill said the application offers several other features.

• One is called “CHATechism Chat.” Users can enter a paragraph number from the Catechism and receive a summary of the paragraph. They can then ask additional questions about that section, with the answers remaining sourced.

  
  

  O’Neill said the feature is intended to make Church documents more accessible. “Sometimes these Church documents can be a little heavy,” he said. “They’re sometimes written in a language that is not so accessible to everybody. We’re all different, with different educational backgrounds and different fluencies, etc.”

  
  

  Users also can explore the Catechism through its table of contents, selecting a part, section or topic and receive a summary.

• Another feature provides the "Daily Readings" along with a reflection based on those readings and related Catholic sources. The application also includes a “Saint of the Day” feature.

• A “Guided Study” feature allows users to select a Catholic topic, such as the vocation of marriage, and choose a level of difficulty. CHATechism then generates a six-part study based on sources related to the topic. After completing the study, users can take a quiz to further their knowledge. O’Neill said Guided Studies can also be shared with other CHATechism users, providing a potential resource for groups such as OCIA classes.

• The application also includes a “Study Room” feature designed to bring users together for discussion. Users can invite friends into a chat room, share CHATechism answers and participate in guided studies together. CHATechism can also be brought into the discussion to answer questions. O’Neill said the feature could eventually be useful for men’s and women’s groups, Bible studies and other Catholic formation programs.

• "The Challenge" feature provides a fun way for users of the app to play Catholic trivia games in solo mode, pass-and-play, or remote-enabled games regardless of where your friends are.

• A "Find a Parish" feature is another effort to connect users with the Catholic community. Users can find nearby parishes and access parish websites where they can view information such as Mass times.

O’Neill said the variety of features reflects the application’s broader purpose. “All that to say, there’s a lot more it does than just AI-generated answers.”

Not a replacement for the Church

O’Neill repeatedly emphasized that CHATechism should not become a substitute for the human relationships at the heart of Catholic life. “Even CHATechism is not a substitute for real human interaction.”

He said the application is not intended to replace spiritual direction, clergy or parish community. “It’s a tool of the new evangelization to bring us closer to our faith and to dive deeply into our faith.”

O’Neill also cautioned that people facing serious personal struggles should seek help from people rather than an artificial intelligence application.

He said CHATechism’s purpose is ultimately to help people learn about and engage their faith while encouraging them toward human community. “We’ll never position ourselves as a replacement for the unique care and nourishment we get from each other as human beings.”

From California to Idaho

O’Neill’s own journey to Idaho began in San Diego, California, where he spent about 20 years after serving nearly eight years in the Navy. He met his wife in San Diego, and the couple now have six children.

The family relocated to Idaho in August 2020.

O’Neill said the family was looking for a different environment in which to raise their children and eventually chose Idaho after considering numerous locations.

“We love the outdoors; it’s a beautiful place,” he said. “I think that, at least from my perspective. Idaho brings an emphasis on family values, and I would say, just generally speaking, a kind of a strong Christian ethos that’s been in the state.”

He said that experience has extended to the Catholic community. “And the Catholic Church here, has been phenomenal. The diocese is great. It’s really a great community we have here.”

Stephenson, CHATechism’s co-founder, came into the Church in 2005. “I really wish I had a tool like CHATechism when I was beginning my journey into the Catholic faith. As a convert myself, I hope this app can help lead people to the truth of the faith,” he said.

O’Neill said they both share a concern for people who may misunderstand Catholic teaching and consequently never seriously engage with the Church.

That concern is one reason they hope CHATechism can be useful both to practicing Catholics and to those considering entering the Church.

Ultimately, O’Neill said the application’s success is in God’s hands.

“I hope it will be successful—God willing.”

He added, “We’ll have to use it how He wants us to use it.”