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Tell us a little about your work with the Star Quest Production Network (SQPN).

For the past two years or so, I’ve been employed by the Board of Directors of SQPN (Star Quest Production Network) as its Executive Director.  As anyone who works with a small non-profit organization knows, I have to be a Jack-of-all-trades in this position.  Linda Nielsen (our CFO) and I are responsible for all the rather mundane aspects of the corporation, including accounting, budgeting, a certain amount of public relations, and facilitating the other work of the Board of Directors.

Fr. Roderick Vonhogen is, of course, the main creative brain behind SQPN.  He’s awfully fun to work with because you never know what new idea he’s going to come up with.

We have a number of on-going audio programs (podcasts) that tell the story of Catholic Christianity and reach out to the secular world in a friendly and helpful way.

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This fall, there’s an exciting Catholic New Media Conference (CNMC) shaping up, and you’re in charge of the details, right? Share what’s going on for this year’s CNMC.

This will be our fourth annual CNMC and this year it will be held in Kansas City, Kansas.  Archbishop Joseph Naumann and the staff of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas have been very welcoming and supportive of this year’s event.  At their invitation, we will be located at the Savior Pastoral Center, the converted former seminary of the archdiocese, so I suppose it will have a bit of a “college” feel to it.

We’ve got some excellent speakers again this year.  Sean Patrick Lovett, director of Vatican Radio, will share his experiences and Vatican perspective on Catholic media.

The American perspective will come from Sr. Anne Flanagan (aka “the nunblogger”) from Pauline Books and Media.  I’m very excited about both of these speakers.

Our workshop and breakout presenters will include our good friend and well-known author Lisa Hendey (CatholicMom.com) and writer and speaker Pat Gohn (AmongWomen and Patheos).  They will provide our attendees with invaluable advice and resources for the spiritual formation of the “Catholic Communicator.”

Matthew Warner and Jeff Geerling (both from flockNote.com) will be our resident techies.  For those looking to incorporate new technologies into their online presence, especially the use of “social media,”  you won’t want to miss them.

In fact, we believe what they have to offer is so invaluable, we are offering an extra day of workshops preceding the CNMC for some extra focused presentations.

Besides the speakers and presentations, the CNMC has become an excellent networking event for all involved in Catholic media, whether they are authors, podcasters, and bloggers or clergy and parish webmasters.  I think anyone would benefit by attending.

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What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing as you work behind the scenes on this year’s CNMC?

I think we have organized an excellent conference for this year.  I am very excited about it.

The challenge now is to get the word out so we can have as many people attend as we have room for.  I hope your readers will consider coming and pass the word about the CNMC to their friends and colleagues.

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What are you personally most looking forward to at the CNMC?

I am very excited to have Sean Patrick Lovett and Sr. Anne Flanagan in the same room together.  Not only do they have unique and interesting perspectives, but they are just wonderful people to be with.

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How is this year’s CNMC going to be different than in past years?

Each CNMC has been in a different part of the country and has had a different flavor to it.  This year will have a Midwest flair to it and since all activities will be at the Savior Pastoral Center, I think we will have even more opportunities to get to know one another.

We’ve also incorporated some shared spiritual time to the schedule, including Morning and Evening Prayer and Sunday Mass.  Being a former seminary, the Savior Pastoral Center is an ideal location for this.

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Why should all try to get ourselves to the CNMC this year?

It will be two days of sharing and learning about Catholic media, particularly how to incorporate social media and new technologies into personal, parish and organizational communication strategies.  So much of the New Evangelization is going to start in the online world.

In my opinion, everyone working in Catholic evangelization and outreach needs to learn what these new techniques are, how to be spiritually formed for this type of work, where to meet others working in this field, and to be encourged to begin.  This is what we’re hoping the CNMC will provide.

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For those of us who won’t be able to attend, is there a way to be involved?

Absolutely!  Please encourage anyone you know who working in Catholic media to attend.  This might be your pastor, parish webmaster, organizational leaders, or anyone who has a blog or podcast and promotes the Catholic faith.  Anyone interested in Catholic evangelization and outreach is invited.

If you cannot physically be present at the CNMC, we plan to stream live video from some of the presentations during the CNMC.  We know that much of the SQPN worldwide community cannot come to Kansas City, so we will do our best to share the conference with them.

For registration information and to follow all the CNMC news, please visit http://cnmc.sqpn.com.   As we get closer to October 1, we will post information about how to tune into the presentations.  You can also follow CNMC news on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnmc.

Don’t miss the other Quick Takes today over at Conversion Diary!

I so hope I can join all the cool kids in Kansas City for the Catholic New Media Conference, Saturday, October 1.

It’s possible I won’t be able to attend, life being what it is.

But boy, do I ever WANT to attend!

The program? It looks like the BEST YET.

The extra day of workshops? AWESOME!

If you have any inclination, register now, while you can. (Last year it sold out.)

Usually I approach this screen with excitement.

Not today. Not this week. Not lately.

CNMC overload? A questioning based on some of the thoughts that were planted during that time? Coming into the third trimester with a bang?

I’m not sure.

I think, in fact, I may take a few days “off” from this space, for no good reason except…I can. This week has brought some big changes, next week brings more, and the week after that marks the “end” of summer.

So…see you this weekend. Or early next week. :)

And speaking of the dog days of summer…don’t forget to enter the Dog Days of Summer Catholic Fiction giveaway at CatholicMom.com!

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I was so busy looking for the hat that I almost missed her.

There were rumors that a “certain someone” would be attending last weekend’s Catholic New Media Celebration sporting a cool new chapeau, and meeting the wearer was high on my list.  I had, after all, been a follower of her blog practically from the day back in 2008 when I became a blogger myself.

I was in Boston to attend the conference, glean wisdom and practical tips from the illustrious attendees, and become the kind of new media maven God had certainly created me to be.  I was also there to stand in the same room with some of my heroes, more than a bit starstruck, and wonder that I had been given the opportunity to make a real difference with the talents and tools with which I’d been blessed.

And I did want to see that hat.

More importantly, I wanted to see the woman wearing it. I know Sarah will blush when she reads this, and her humility will push her to the point that she won’t want to print this post, but she’ll have to, because she offered me the guest post spot and I snatched it up.  (I think the truth is that she was too busy planning for the weekend to find a better option, but that’s beside the point!) I was eager to write for her this week not only because it is an honor to be a guest in such a lovely place, but because I saw it as an opportunity to do something Sarah would never do here.  It gave me a chance to tell you about the REAL Sarah.

Oooh, now things are getting interesting!  Will this turn into an expose, a revelation of shocking new THIS JUST IN-style tabloid gossip?

Well, the hat was pretty spicy.

And the woman wearing it?  She’s just as wonderful as you think she is.

Now, before you start thinking this is just one big kiss-up post from a guest blogger looking for readers, I must reveal my motivation.  I set off for Boston for all the reasons mentioned above, and more. I wanted to discover the heartbeat of the new media movement, and that meant meeting the people behind it.  I love reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and eating up the latest YouTube – or better yet, CatholicTV – videos.  Like many new media consumers, I think the vibrant content so readily available to us is a delightful feast that keeps me well fed, entertained and enlightened. But I know that it really is, after all, about people.

Everything in life is about relationships. All that really matters is how we develop the relationships in our lives.   That’s it.  If we get the relationships right – those between us and God, between ourselves and our neighbors – it’s all good.

That’s why I wanted to meet Sarah, and the other attendees at the conference.  I wanted to shake their hands and thank them.  I wanted to tell them that what they were doing was making an impact in my life.  I needed to see their smiles and hear the enthusiasm in their voices while they talked about their work and about the One they were doing it all for.

One of the bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting, the bright young Papist Thomas Peters, told me that he has a theory about faithful Catholics.  Recalling the six degrees of separation that supposedly connect each of us with a particular actor, he said he’s sure that those of us who love the Church are separated by far less. “I’m convinced there is only one degree of separation between us,” he shared, and I think he’s right.  Being in a room with these wonderful people was an edifying reminder that we really are a close-knit family, this Body of Christ to which we belong.

And as for Sarah?  She’s humble, smart and witty.  She’s genuine and real, just exactly as I knew she’d be.  She’s adorable, with or without the hat.

We chatted for a few moments, took a few snapshots, and discovered we shared a love for red wine.  It was wonderful to bring into the Real World a relationship, a “cyberfriendship” but an honest-to-goodness relationship, nonetheless.  It was refreshing to meet Sarah and the others like her who are using their gifts to give the internet a soul, as our Holy Father has suggested. 

And it was great to know that in this age of new media, we really aren’t more than a degree apart.

If I forgot anyone, or if you were there and didn’t get a chance to sign my sheet in my session, leave your link in the comments and I’ll add it back to the post afterward. (And, of course, if you notice that your link is broken or incorrect, just let me know and I’ll fix it with an apologetic smile.) :)

I think I’m going to also start a list of blogs started and/or inspired by this year’s CNMC — if you know of any (or if you have one), let me know and I’ll get a list started!

11 on My Own – Kristin Bothur

American Papist – Thomas Peters

Barb in Nebraska’s Posterous – Barb Gilman

Bilik Family – Scott Bilik

Bridget_M – Bridget Mejza

Catholic Company – Nicholas Cole

Catechist Corner – Carlos Torres

Catholic Foodie – Jeff Young

CatholicMom.com – Lisa Hendey

Catholic Parish Media Liaison – Kerry Madden

Catholic Roundup – Sean McGaughey

Catholic Spiritual Direction – Dan Burke

Da Tech Guy’s Blog – Peter Injeni

DanielleBean.com – Danielle Bean

Divine Office Ministry – Dale Falkner

Encourage & Teach – Joelle Shea

Faith & Family LIVE – Rachel Balducci Danielle Bean, Lisa Hendey, and Robyn Lee

Fallible Blogma – Matthew Warner

Feminine Genius – Genevieve Kineke

From the Field of Blue Children – Cathy Adamkiewicz

Get Real – Christine Warner

In the Middle of Things – Jeff Young

iPadre – Fr. Jay Finelli

Jeff Young – Jeff Young

Kathryn Hermes – Sr. Kathryn Hermes

Kodaly and Orff Music Teacher’s Blog – Suzanne Gonsalves

Life is a Prayer – Jeff Geerling

Mary Ward – Mary Ward

Musings from a Catholic Bookstore – Ian Rutherford

Of Sound Mind and Spirit – Lisa Jones & Shelly Kelly

Our Catholic Prayers – Chris Castugueli

Parish Geeks – Scott Maentz

PIME Missionaries of North America – Cathy Adamkiewicz

Sister’s Blog – Little Sisters of the Poor – Sr. Constance Veit, ISP

St. Joseph Helps – Sr. Kathryn Hermes

Steph’s Random Thoughts – Stephanie Weak

Testosterhome – Rachel Balducci

Title Varies Slightly – Naomi Young

We Need Boo Hoo to Get to the Woo Hoo – Anne Ishikawa (who participated via uStream)

The Wine Dark Sea – Melanie Bettinelli

The World According to Taquoriaan – Inge Loots

Zombie Parent’s Guide – Joseph Reninger

A Mary Moment Monday post

I hate crying. As a certified (and probably certifiable) ENTJ, I hate the fact that I have this tendency to…cry. I don’t mind it in others; I can even see it as a beautiful expression of the moving of that person’s heart. I don’t mind sentimentality so much in other people. In myself, though…well, I don’t like it. At all.

Especially in Mass. Or when a priest talks. (Seriously. Priests touch my heart. It is beautiful…and embarrassing.)

In the last nine years since becoming Catholic, I have cried more than I ever cried before. The tears just seem to slip out, to slide down my face. Then my nose gets in on the action and, well, it only gets worse.

I was complaining about mentioning this on Twitter and Facebook before Friday night’s Meet-n-Greet (which was part of the Catholic New Media Celebration). My five-year-old daughter, who had been crying when I left her at the airport, was expecting to talk to me via the uStream. I was thinking of singing her a lullaby, except that the thought that I might get choked up. I knew, in fact, that I would get choked up.

One of my dear friends (who’s been wise in this space before) made a comment I’ve been thinking of ever since:

Smiling that you said crying is private. God created us to cry publicly, right on our faces. Maybe He had a good idea. Besides, just do a disclaimer at the beginning about tears being possible. Everyone loves you and knows how deeply you feel about things. That’s part of why we love you. [Emphasis mine.]

I thought of that when I was sitting at the CNMC during Fr. Roderick’s opening prayer. I thought of it when I used the last of my napkins during Fr. Reed’s keynote address. I thought of it when I was praying in the Adoration chapel (and missing most of Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s remarks).

I thought of it at Mass yesterday, holding my husband’s hand, feeling the joy of the Eucharist, reveling in both the experience of the weekend and the comfort of being home.

I was crying at each of those times. Tears came: unbidden, unwanted, unexpected.

Mark Shea commented, when I was moaning talking about my propensity toward tears before dinner Saturday night, that I should be thankful for them.

And, even though I know that tears are a gift, I can’t seem to believe it when I’m in the middle of crying and snotting at Mass. Even though I know they’re coming, even though it’s almost like watching the radar and predicting a big storm in two hours, I never fail to be both surprised and dismayed by their appearance.

Some people maintain there’s a strength in crying. I can tell you that, when I cry, I do not feel strong. I do not feel anything except small, humble, open. When I think of that cocktail of experience, I realize that there’s a cleansing in the crying that I will continue to need until I beat down the ego that keeps me from receiving God and His grace.

Tears are powerful…and they are uncomfortable. Even though I’m a frequent cry-er, I’m never at ease with my wet face and dripping nose.

This is yet another chance for me to turn to Mary. She’s invoked as Our Lady of Tears, and maybe there’s a reason that the rosary of Our Lady of Tears came into my life.

Maybe, when I’m sniffling and snuffling at Mass and trying to find a way to remember to keep tissues in my purse, I can think of Mary, tears sliding down her face as she watches her children on earth stumble and struggle with daily life. Maybe, when I’m wishing I didn’t have to hide in the restroom to get a hold of myself, I can say a prayer for the mother who buried a child, for the wife facing her husband’s daily health struggle, for the daughter seeking her father. Maybe, when I’m most resentful of the tears that accost me unawares, I can give them to Mary, so that she can wash her Son’s feet and turn my pitiful disconsonance into something beautiful for Him.

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Related posts and columns:

• Tears as a Gift?
• Only Say the Word
• My Witness Talk on Special Celebrations of the Eucharist
• Our Lady of Tears
• Turning to Mary for Comfort

image source

It was the end of the day, though it hadn’t felt like a long day until the silence surrounded me.

I knelt, I genuflected, I prayed. I sat in the chapel, and I realized that I was in the best part of my day.

The Catholic New Media Celebration was fantastic. I met Facebook friends and blogging buddies. I networked and talked and yakked and laughed. I embarrassed myself (but hopefully not anyone else) and I shared.

But during those moments in the Adoration chapel, I was struck by what evangelization truly means, by the One I serve, the Light I follow.

The best part of the day, by far, was being able to take a few moments, however brief, and share them with Jesus. It was the tangible reminder of Who it is guiding the star of the New Evangelization.

A special thanks to the wonderful people who joined me during my talk on blogging content and catechesis. I collected their names and websites/blogs and will post that list in the next day or two.

If you’re interested in my talk about blogging content and catechesis, it will be live on uStream at 11:35 AM EST on Saturday, August 7. (I’m not sure if it will be saved for later viewing or not. If so, I’ll link to it.)

Here’s the CNMC uStream schedule, and here’s the direct link to SQPN Live, where you’ll find the action.

1. No experience necessary (but still welcome).

The Catholic New Media Celebration is for newbies and veterans alike. We want people from many dioceses to come and learn the potential here.  No experience necessary. Come, watch, and learn.

On the other hand, this is a chance to share your experience if you have it (and let’s face it, we all have experience of some sort!).