2nd Annual Catholic New Media Celebration Announced

Roswell, GA, March 30, 2009:

In his message on the 2009 World Day of Communications, Pope Benedict XVI called on Catholics, especially young Catholics to “… to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives.” He also wrote, “It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this ‘digital continent’.”

Following the encouragement of Pope Benedict, as well as Pope John Paul II before him, the second annual Catholic New Media Celebration will be held in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, June 27, 2009.

To be held in the magnificent Sky Room of the University of the Incarnate Word, the Catholic New Media Celebration (CNMC) is an international conference which focuses on evangelization of the Roman Catholic faith using new media.  It is a day to Learn, Share, and Explore how New Media can help the Catholic Church in the New Evangelization called for by Pope John Paul II.

“It will take place during the final weekend of the year dedicated to the apostle Saint Paul,” says Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, CEO of SQPN.   “Just like Saint Paul who traveled the world to tell the nations about Jesus, Catholic new media evangelists reach out to a worldwide audience with the message of the Gospel.  At this year’s CNMC, we will explore how we can follow in his footsteps,” he says.

SPECIAL GUESTS
Keynote speakers for this year’s Catholic New Media Celebration will include Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP and Mr. Patrick Madrid.  The celebration will close with a special concert featuring Ms. Sarah Bauer.

FATHER DAVE DWYER, formerly of MTV Networks and Comedy Central, is director of Busted Halo, and host of The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.

PATRICK MADRID is the publisher of Envoy Magazine, a journal of contemporary Catholic thought, and director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College.  He is also an author, apologist, and a host of several shows on the EWTN network.

SARAH BAUER is a Catholic singer-songwriter from Indiana with a special calling through her “Dare to Dream” ministry, to challenge young people to dream big and to recognize the great plans that God has for their lives.

PROGRAM

The CNMC program will include the keynote presentations by Fr. Dave Dwyer and Mr. Patrick Madrid, a Friday night reception for conference attendees, break out sessions by notable producers of Catholic new media, and the closing concert by Ms. Sarah Bauer.

SUMMARY
The Catholic New Media Celebration is a festive, educational, and spiritual one-day event to help all Catholics live out the “great relaunching” of evangelization called for by Pope John Paul II.  In the spirit of the Holy Father’s writings regarding the New Evangelization, the CNMC is a day of sharing the latest technologies used to creatively and effectively invite others to grow in the Catholic faith through new and modern ways.

New media includes podcasts and online video, games and software, websites and blogs, mobile technology and all things interactive.  The Catholic New Media Celebration is a gathering of today’s new media producers within the Catholic Church, as well as of those who simply enjoy and have a desire to learn more about new media content, to grow as a community in an effort to more effectively create and share powerful and unique content for the benefit of the universal Catholic Church.

Anyone interested in New Media is invited to attend.  Registration and additional information is available online at http://celebration.sqpn.com

LOCATION
The CNMC will be held in the Sky Room on the campus of the University of Incarnate Word, 847 E. Hildebrand, San Antonio, TX 78212.

ABOUT SQPN

SQPN, the Star Quest Production Network, is a non-profit Catholic apostolate dedicated to evangelization and formation through the use of new media.

Just as the star of Bethlehem emerged within the foreign culture of the three magi, and invited them to start an adventurous journey to the newborn Savior, the programs of SQPN tap into popular culture to invite people on a journey of discovery towards an encounter with Christ.

SQPN produces on-demand audio and video programs, also known as podcasts, and offers a portal for a select number of affiliated Catholic podcasters that share the vision and media strategy of SQPN.

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An Invitation

We invite you to become a volunteer member of the SQPN Star Teams and help spread the work about online Catholic media and SQPN to even wider audiences.

SQPN Star Teams
The SQPN Star Teams are open to anyone enthusiastic about informing people about SQPN, helping people find the shows that interest them, and sharing the ways that Catholic new media can help people on their individual spiritual journeys.  As a member of the SQPN Star Teams, you will join an important part of the SQPN community, working at the local  level to share what SQPN has to offer.

How does this work?
Anyone interested in promoting SQPN, one or more of the SQPN shows, the SQPN website or forums, can find helpful instructions and downloadable flyers or brochures on this website.

Here you will find flyers for many of the most popular shows, suggestions for using them and more!  Feel free to download them, print them, or email them to your interested friends and associates!

• learn about new and updated promotional materials when they are released.
• share new and successful ways of promoting SQPN in your community.
• be among the first to learn about new SQPN shows and upcoming events (like the Catholic New Media Celebration).
• be a dedicated participant in SQPN’s efforts in Pope John Paul II’s new evangelization.
• provide “direct from the field” feedback to SQPN about its shows and how it is reaching out to new audiences.
• Receive the Star Teams e-newsletter with all the latest information!

Register today!
Registering is easy! Just send an email to starteams@sqpn.com.  We’ll handle it from there!

As a Star Teams member, you will have the opportunity to help inform people about Catholic New Media and SQPN.   The terms “old” and “new” media can be misleading.  Here are some helpful definitions to guide you.

Old or traditional media are what the vast majority of the public is familiar with.  These include printed materials (books, pamphlets, newspapers, etc.), radio, television, and film.

New media are those forms of communication that have typically been created since the advent of the internet.  These include audio and video shows that are accessed via a computer or portable mp3 player (i.e. podcasts).  They also include web logs (“blogs”), social networking systems, such as Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube and many more.

Why Is This Important?
Pope John Paul II called all Catholics to become part of  a “new evangelization,” the work of a new generation of missionaries to reach out to an increasingly secular world. A large and important part of this new mission field is the online world where much of the world’s youth go for social interaction, communication, information, and support. To be successful in the new evangelization, the Catholic Church, through organizations like SQPN, needs to express its moral and ethical voice in the online world.

Your work as a Star Teams member will have a definite impact on those learning more about the Catholic faith, history and culture.  You will be a part of Pope John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization!

Available Resources
Check the download section of this website for the latest flyers, brochures and other information that you can use in spreading the word about SQPN.

Check out the Star Team Volunteer Information and the Suggestions brochures as starters.  Next, have a look at some of the show flyers.  These will be your first tools for letting others know about the great shows on SQPN.

As the Star Teams effort grows, we will be adding other documents and media for those wishing to give presentations to clubs, religious education classes, and other interested groups.

Approaching Your Pastor or Parish
Your church is a great place to start in helping get the word out about SQPN.  Most churches have tables, bulletin boards, or information racks where SQPN material can be placed for others to find.

It is important to ask permission to place material in one of these places before doing so.  Not only is it polite, but you want to make a good impression when telling  them about SQPN!

The information in the Star Team Volunteer brochure will help you inform them and others about what SQPN has to offer.

Friends, Families, and Clubs
A great way to spread the news about SQPN is amongst your families, friends, club members, co-workers, etc.

Downloading and emailing one or more of the promotional flyers to people you know will help SQPN reach new audiences.