new media

I was thrilled to speak at the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference in Kansas City, KS, and I've posted all the resources from my presentations and notes from other presentaitons to this website - follow the links below to view them.

I gave two presentations at the CNMC:

• Sanctifying Mobile Technology (...and a little blog post about it)
• The Continuity of the Eternal Word in New Media

Live streams were available on the CNMC website via Ustream, and photos can be found in the CNMC11 group on Flickr.

I also took notes during many of the presentations, and I've posted them here:

• Workshop: Turning your web presence into a social network (Matthew Warner)
• Workshop: Checking in at Church: Parish website development (Lisa Hendey)
• Workshop: From the Word Made Flesh to the Word Gone Digital (Pat Gohn)
• Keynote: Sr. Anne Flanagan
• Session: The Catholic Church in New Media (good, bad, and hope) (Matthew Warner) (video)
• Keynote: Seán Patrick Lovett
• Panel Discussion: Led by Seán Patrick Lovett (video)
• Other sessions that I couldn't attend: Video of Pat Gohn's breakout session / (other session)

Please pray for there to be many fruits from the efforts of the many attendees of this conference!

The 2012 Catholic New Media Conference will supposedly be held in Dallas, TX, sometime during the August 24-26th weekend.

Sean Patrick Lovett

This presentation was given at the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference. Below are my notes on the presentation:

Marconi & Vatican Radio

• Nobel prize winner contacted by the Pope (Pius XI) to help with Vatican communications.
• He was the inventor/innovator (Steve J.) of the early 1900s.
• He helped Pius XI set up Vatican Radio (more than 80 years old).
  • VR broadcasts in 40 different languages.
• VR continues because:
  • Courage and flexibility, no matter what!
  • Only radio station in the world that was denouncing the Nazi regime.
  • Shortwave, to medium wave, to satellite radio, to podcast, etc.
  • Collaborates with Vatican Television (youtube.com/vatican). Live information, news.va integration, etc.

Iconic Images

• BXVI using iPad to send the first Papal Tweet.
• JPII sending the first Apostolic Letter via a laptop.
• "If the Pope can do it, so can we."
  

Progress and Adaptation

• 1995: Vatican went online with three servers (Archangels).
• JPII was the most media-friendly Pope in history; question is still out how much he used media and how much media used him...
  • Last letter: "Rapid Development" - hails the new advances in Internet.
  • Church beginning to realize there's a brave new world (Digital Continent) being built within this world.
• "Is it good, and is it useful."
  • These are the two questions the Vatican asks when considering new forms of communication.
  • (These are the questions Rev. Lombardi asked about the iPod)
  • Does it further the Kingdom of God? Does it improve the human race?
  • Paul VI: "What use is it having a magnificent instrument if you don't use it or put it to magnificentuse?"
    • It is up to us to use these instruments magnificently.
• Vatican Bloggers Conference (2011) - good to meet...
• Document on technology use in seminaries is still under progress.
• Vatican istrying.
  • Vatican is a pyramid (one to many, monologue, slow) / Internet is a sphere (many to many, fast)
  • How can the Vatican compete with 'the social network'?
  • Vatican.va, News.va, Pope2You doesn't do what new media does: The Pope isn't going to respond...
    • It's not that we don't care, it's that we don't dare.
    • There are no 'like' options.
  • The Vatican has the identity of an organization that is part of a network, but it is not theNetwork.
    • Vatican will always choose quality over quantity, technique over technology, understanding over knowledge.
    • "Never before have we known so much and understood so little."
• The Pope
  • One of the few leaders in the world today who has so much worth listening to.
  • The Vatican tries to make sure that everything the Pope says can quickly reach the most people in the fastest way possible.
• Vatican Player
  • Go to vaticanradio.com to get the Vatican Player (7 languages).

The Bad, the Good, and Hope - by Matt Warner

This presentation was given at the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference. Below are my notes on the presentation:

The Bad News

• The Catholic Church is out of control ... of our message.
• Being overly cautious about our message has been detrimental to our image.
• Catholics aren't really using Catholic new media; they're not really using old media either...
  • 2% of Catholics follow religious/spiritual material on Facebook.
  • 11% listen to Catholic radio.
  • Reason? Catholics aren't 'not interested in Catholic media' – Catholics aren't interested in their Catholic faith.
• Technology is not going to bring people back to the Church. YOU are. People are. Needs meaningful relationships.
• Online Search (we stink)
  • Examples: Jesus (nothing Catholic on the first page), God (nothing Catholic on the first page), "Who is God?"

The Good News

• Good examples: Catholic Channel, CatholicTV, CTT, CatholiCon, DivineOffice.org, blogs, etc.
• Pope Benedict gets it.
• We are slowly rekindling a missionary spirit.
  
• There is less blaming others and more doing our part.
• Recruiting talent and leaders.
• Entrepreneurial Evangelization: Where is the Catholic Silicon Valley? Who will incubate great Catholic ideas?
• Idea: Turn the parish's annual financial report into a statement of mission, success.
  • "Donors don't want to support a spreadsheet. They want to support movements. We need to tell our stories."
• We live in exciting times!

Sr. Anne Flanagan

This presentation was given at the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference. Below are my notes on the presentation:

"Go teach the gospel. We have all been commissioned. What is the next step?" (Sister's introductory haiku).

Blessed James Alberione

• Has so much to teach us about being evangelizers in a culture of media.
• He was constantly connecting media ministry with vows in the orders he founded.

Looking at media apostolate in the light of the Angelus

"And she conceived by the Holy Spirit"

• Everything comes from God.
• Networks of collaborators (the Pauline family). "The mystical body of St. Paul."
• Always begin from Bethlehem. (Humble roots).
• We need to use our imaginations, our hearts and our minds.
  

"Be it done to me according to your Word"

• Chastity ≠ Sterility, but spiritual fruitfulness. It is an engine of creativity.
• We should be forming a new mentality in society; we must be receptive (let it be done to me).
• From the tabernacle, Jesus instructs; "I am your light and I will use you to enlighten..."
  • Let everyone be a beacon, an evangelist, a secretary of St. Paul.
  • Your life should be transformed by the message.
• "Saints are needed for these yet untrodden paths." This is a universalcall to holiness.
  • The laity must complete/supply what is lacking in the heirarchical apostolate. This is our baptismal priesthood.
  • The Church needs life apologists today—not necessarily people who can explain theological realities.
  • How does Church teaching intersect with life? In marriages and family life?
• Your faith is something grand and glorious, that you should parade down the road!
  • Don't hide behind too many words of the Catechism and teaching.
  • We need the ability to detect needs and respond.
  • Where shall we get our strength? From the Eucharist: "Light, comfort, nourishment, victory over evil."

"And dwelt among us"

• Obedience: makes receptivity to the Word manifest. Not a passive obedience.
• If you remain in step with the Church, you will continue to be dynamic, successful, and effective. Not just starting with the Church; staying with the Church.
• Don't speak only of religion, but speak of everythingin a Christian manner.
  • Penetrate all thought and learning with the Gospel.
• Every communications development has sparked a 'New Evangelization'
  • That's what's happening among us today: A new culture is rising up—a young, global culture. It has the effects of human sin, and the seeds of the Gospel.
  • These are new means of divine providence.
• bit.ly/autobiog - Alberione's writings.

by Pat Gohn

This presentation was given at the 2011 Catholic New Media Conference. Below are my notes on the presentation:

Introduction

• What's most important is what God's going to say to you tonight—especially as you visit the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
• The heart of the New Evangelization is an actual, beating heart—the heart of Jesus, beating with love for us.
• JPII: An essential characteristic of the New Evangelization is an intimate relationship with Christ.
• First line of the Catechism:
  • "FATHER,... this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (Jn 17:3)
• The REAL workshop tonight will be what's said in your heart between you and Jesus during Adoration.
• The 'New' in the New Evangelization is supposed to be a 'new ardor' in evangelization.
  • For CNMC, the New also represents an innovative dream of what you can do in evangelization.

God's Social Network

• Where do you fit into God's social network?
  • God has a social network: God is a trinity—these three persons communicate perfectly. "The Network is always up. There are no dropped calls."
    
  • God has a communications strategy: God preferred to draw near to his creation, and then slowly reveal himself to them.
    • "And God said" continues through all the Scriptures.
    • God's most perfect word is the Word Made Flesh (Jesus Christ).
• Trinitarian communications
  • Built on Love; every exchange should be an exchange of love.
• God's Word was first distributed through oral communication, then written, then printed, then radio and TV.
• Today God's word is also distributed as a digitized Word.

Putting Out into the Deep Water

• God is asking us to now 'put out into the deep water' of the Internet (ref. Luke 5).
  • God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called.
  • Are you still pondering whether you should put out into the water of social media?
  • Are you at the stage where you're using digital media, but you're still just thinking about going further?
  • Simon 'rolled his eyes' by saying "Are you sure?"
    • "Resistance is the cutting edge of growth."
    • If Jesus asks us to go somewhere, he usually has a really good reason!
    • Do we tell Jesus "I don't want to move out of my comfort zone!" when he asks us to do something new?
  • Pope Benedict XVI: "Let us set sail on the digital sea with great fervor."
    • It's our task to build relationships in Jesus' name. We give the heart of Jesus to the Internet.
  • To what are you being called today?
    • Are you being called to cross over from using digital media to actually creating it?
    • Are you being called to the next big idea?
    • Pay attention to what God is saying to you, even if you're 'in the boat' already.
    • Those who are already using social media: You must be the dreamers, the fathers and mothers of new media, the educators.
• There needs to be more people and resources working on exploration of the new 'Digital Continent'.
  • We even need money, financial leadership!
  • "I am convinced that this is the work of the laity." (So am I!)
  • We can't sweat the details; who gets the credit, whose idea things are. God get's all the credit.
• We are writers, storytellers, filmmakers, reporters, catechists, poets, etc. We must tell the Gospel story, the greatest story ever told.

Our Mission

• We need people of excellence in all these fields.
  • Not only in skills; but also in their relationship with Jesus.
  • This is what will give the Internet soul.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit for "Holy Chutzpah"
• 'Digital Natives' (those growing up with new media) are hungry and searching for truth.
• Like Jesus handed Peter Keys to the Kingdom, God gives us the keys to digital media. We gotta drive!

DREAM

• Daring - Inspiration. 'Delighting'. Might seem impossible. But, write it down. Play with the idea. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
• Risking - Trusting both God (and ourself). Remember who is your inspiration. Risk is to start somewhere, do something.
• Engaging - This is the actual work. You really need to encounter the living Jesus every day to achieve this.
• Achieving - Living it; you've achieved the goal! You realize that your dream was never about yourself alone.
• Magnifying - Sharing it; your dream is for everyone. We're all about community. Other people can begin to spread your dream, and make it bigger.

This is a model for Christian life.

God already knows the books you'll write, the videos you'll make, etc. Everything starts with him and flows back to him. That's why we're going to Adoration tonight.

You'll see that the dreams God dreams in you are full of God's grace.

Peter wrote these words (1 Peter 4:10-11): "As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's grace... so that in all things, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."