Notre Dame, IN – The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame has received a $100,000 grant from Porticus to support the development of a Catholic Media Influencer (CMI) Summit taking place Nov. 12-15 at the Conference Center at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. The summit will gather leading voices in Catholic media and the academy to discuss the challenges of communicating for and about the Church while gathering vital information about the values and practices these influencers are bringing to the digital space.

The summit and subsequent resources are aimed at addressing some of the issues set forth in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops synthesis report “A Synodal Church in Mission,” which states: “There is an urgent need to consider how the Christian community can support families in ensuring that the online space is not only safe but also spiritually life-giving.” The report continues, “Digital culture is not so much a distinct area of mission as a crucial dimension of the Church’s witness in contemporary culture. This is why it holds special significance in a synodal Church.”

Over four days, participants will hear from expert presenters from a variety of fields and engage with questions surrounding the risks and rewards of digital ministry. Through panel responses and facilitated small group discussions, each session is aimed toward understanding more fully the reality and implications of what it means to be a digital missionary and how virtual ministry is shaping the Church and her faithful. Notable speakers will include Msgr. Lucio Ruiz, Vatican Dicastery for Communication; Alessandro DiSanto, Co-Founder of Hallow; and Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, Sisters of the Little Way.

“The Catholic Church has a tremendous opportunity to use social media to propagate positive messages about the faith and uplift people. So far, these efforts have produced mixed results,” said Brett Robinson, Ph.D., Associate Director for Outreach at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. “Convening a group of expert influencers who have exhibited effective evangelization techniques will allow us to develop a knowledge base that can assist others who want to participate in the vital work of evangelization.”

When laity seek guidance and inspiration from non-ecclesial sources it can create confusion around whether the information is doctrinally sound. This dynamic has the potential to divide the laity along ideological lines. The ways in which influencers deal with this problem will be among the pressing topics discussed at the summit. Other topics will include strategies for building a following, ethical principles of online communication, and the impact of Catholic media influencers on advancing the Church’s evangelization efforts.

As part of the summit, influencers will be asked to consider developing collaborative content with their peers, including those who differ ideologically from themselves, to foster deeper connections within the Church and demonstrate a commitment to Catholic unity.

A formal research project will be initiated at the summit to gather insights, trends and tactics in effective evangelization efforts. Work will also include the development of an ethics and strategy guide for current and future Catholic influencers.

“We hope to integrate the research and insights from the CMI Summit into our on-going work in the area of Catholic media studies–especially so that we might create resources and programming that continues to illuminate the ever-changing effects of digital media and technology on the faithful and help the Church innovate ways to respond,” said Lesley Kirzeder, M.A., Program Director at the McGrath Institute.

Next steps will also be informed by a study commissioned by the McGrath Institute in January 2023, in partnership with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), which indicated a correlation between the adoption of digital technologies and overall media use with reduced feelings of spiritual connectedness and personal well-being.

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Contact: Maggie Scroope, program director of communications, McGrath Institute for Church Life, 574-631-0153, mscroope@nd.edu.

Originally published by Margaret Scroope at mcgrath.nd.edu on August 09, 2024.