the Church, New Media, and a Mission

Well, how fun is this? I just got back from the Catholic New Media Conference in Kansas City, where I not only wandered around to get autographs for the delightful Angela Santana, who is mentioned in Brandon Voght’s book, The Church and New Media, but Brandon and I sat down together during one of the breaks and chatted with the ustream audience.

My review of his book is currently up at the Catholic Portal over at Patheos.com. I hope you jump on over and read it there.

Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter entitled In the Beginning of the New Millennium (Novo Millennio Ineunte) reminds us that St. Peter and his companions trusted in the Lord when he urged them to “put out into the deep” (Lk. 5:4) and do the work of spreading the Gospel.

This image of the Apostles as fishers of men extends to all of us today, especially those in the field of new media. It charges us with a responsibility to “rekindle in ourselves the impetus of the beginnings and allow ourselves to be filled with the ardor of the apostolic preaching which followed Pentecost.”

friends, Romans (of the Catholic kind), countrymen!


Another Catholic New Media Celebration Conference Celebration wraps up. It leaves me sad in a way, subdued, after the anxiety that leads up to it and that point when a wave of relief washes over us when we realize, okay, this is gonna work.

It’s always a surprise that we manage to pull this off , not because we can’t, because of course, we can’t — it’s the Holy Spirit, but because we always hit that wall of insecurity when doubt plagues us, when we wonder if what we’re doing is valuable, if we’re providing a real opportunity for instruction or growth or support.

We fear that we may be poor stewards of the donations that just barely keep us afloat as an organization if we don’t break even. We fear that we may fail to communicate effectively. We fear, quite frankly, that we’ll flop, and that failure, while a blow to our collectives egos, means a much greater failure in our mission to lead others to Christ. We are, after all, following that star on our logo, too!

So it goes that year after year we hit that wall of angst and realize that the momentum is out of our hands. We can’t stop the world and get off.

And we are afraid.

That fear hits us at a corporate level, but all of us on the board of directors are producers, too. We have podcasts and blogs. We have our own insecurities. We have dreams. We have technical issues, and writer’s block, and looming deadlines, and a million distractions, whether we are pursuing careers in new media or working in other fields and scrambling for the time to dedicate to this creative endeavor.

And then it happens…everybody starts arriving. We re-connect with our friends. We recognize faces from avatars, and G+ hang-outs, and Facebook photos. We are torn between staying at one table where we are engaged in a great conversation, and wanting to meet someone across the room that we’ve admired. There is laughter, and hugs, and did I say laughter? We finally relax.

The resounding message from this year’s CNMC is “Be not afraid.” It was not by design, but perhaps, it was by a greater design. At any rate, the fear of corporate failure going into the CMNC was quickly abated and replaced by the personal fear of failure — for me…as a writer and a small voice in this huge endeavor of the new evangelization.

I looked through various passages from scripture to find references to fear and seek consolation and I finally settled on Isaiah:

10 fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Perhaps it is our human frailty to be afraid and feel alone. And yet, we are not alone as Isaiah points out. Each one of those phrases comforts. I am with you….I will strengthen you….I will help you.

I don’t have to do this alone.

As always, it’s the relationships that pull me into the CNMC. The spark of recognition when a name connects during registration — the spontaneous joy of a hug — saving seats at sessions — sharing meals — laughing together — praying together — being silent together — being present.

All of these things buoy me. They refresh me. They show me, in a very real and personal way that the work we do here is in communion. Because our God is a God of love, and we cannot take this love and keep it for ourselves but share its abundance with each other.

Where He consoles us with His presence, we follow His example and become present to others.

Where He strengthens us, we become an extension and a network for others.

Where He helps us, we extend our hands not just in collaboration but in friendship.

It’s why we do this. And why I picked such a silly picture to accompany this rambling post. It’s really not so silly — if you look closely, you’ll see three women from three distant geographical locations who might never have met had it not been for Catholic new media and previous CNMCs, and I couldn’t ask for a better, stronger, more loving beacon in this new evangelization than these women.

Here’s hoping that this year’s celebration has helped foster new relationships, both professional and personal. I know it continues to bless me.

 

some snapshots of #CNMC11

Hey, so the CNMC 2011 is over and I’m on the last flight out of Kansas City. It’s always the same for me – an overload of things that need to be done, keeping an eye on the program, and at the same time, slipping into the presentations I want to watch, talk to the people I want to get to know, and catch up with old friends.  In short, the CNMC zoomed by and I need a minute to gather my thoughts and think about the whole experience, both in its delightful little snippets of conversations, and in the broad picture of The Conversation.

But first, I have to think about some logistics and some conversation that need to be held following the point when everyone has checked out of the hotels, boarded their flights home, and put the conference behind them.

Then I’ll get to reflect. In the meantime, here are some highlights that continue to make me smile :

Fr. Jay Finelli is hilarious. Really hilarious. And he yells at his GPS.

Steve Nelson is a superhero with an invisible cape.

Paul Camarata is one of the most gracious people I know.

Lisa Hendey delights me…because she is delightful.

Matt Warner’s baby girl is adorable and likes oatmeal cookies.

Cheese puffs are a universal snack. Fr. Roderick and Ian Maxfield know this, even if they’ll never admit it.  Pshaw to their European sensibilities.

Jeff Geerling is really really smart…and really really clever. And his wife makes really really tasty cookies. Really.

Pat Gohn may have a new podcast, Homilies-R-Us. Kinda redefines her Among Women segments on women in the pew.

Sean Patrick Lovett is absolutely, unquestionably, amazingly charming.

Sr. Anne, I discovered, loves raspberries and dark chocolate. You should send her some.

Greg Willits is still very tall. And tore up Mac Barron’s shoes.

Scott Maentz is magical with his camera. Look up the CNMC11 on Flickr and see the smiles, fun, and intensity that he captured, both in the sessions, and the celebration.

Jeff Nielsen, Pat Padley, and Nick Padley are unsung heroes. If you watched any of the goings on anywhere at the conference, it was because of their untiring work to make it happen…not just technologically, but in the liturgies as well.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas was so welcoming, and their beautiful Savior Pastoral Center was magnificent. Archbishop Naumann gave us a lovely treat by leading evening prayer and visiting with all of us.

And finally, a big hug and a kiss to all the people who came to the CNMC and participated in the dialogue – making new friends, reinforcing old ties, and jumping into the deep together.

I didn’t take any pictures during the CNMC because, well, I’m a #FAIL, but here’s a little peek at the shenanigans during the set-up, and then grabbing dinner in town (a little under-dressed and over-tired, and then the next day, another super early morning…and then…the CNMC!).

 

 

 

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