Session Details

Presenter:

Taylor Black, Inaugural Director, Leonum Institute for AI & Emerging Technologies at the Catholic University of America.

Description:

Formatting, reformatting, translating across platforms, chasing the email you know exists—most communications work is friction. AI can eliminate enormous amounts of it. The harder question: some friction is where formation happens. The slow labor of crafting language teaches you what you actually think; resistance from the material shapes the communicator, not just the communication. This hands-on workshop equips participants to use AI effectively while maintaining the judgment to distinguish overhead from formation. You'll build system prompts that encode your organization's voice and theological commitments, transform a single announcement into platform-specific content using agentic workflows, and apply a rubric—Is this true? Is this good? Is this mine?—to AI-generated output. You'll leave with templates, a friction audit for your recurring tasks, and practiced confidence in the tools. Bring a laptop or tablet and a specific task you'd love to make easier.

Key elements:

• The Friction Audit — Mapping participants' recurring tasks along a spectrum from pure overhead (formatting, platform translation, search) to formation-in-disguise (the slow craft of language that teaches you what you think). Not all friction is waste; the discipline is learning which is which.

• System Prompts as Institutional Voice — Hands-on construction of system prompts that encode an organization's theological commitments, tone, and audience awareness. Participants build prompts for their own diocese, publication, or ministry and test them against real tasks.

• Agentic Workflows for Multi-Platform Content — Transforming a single announcement into newsletter copy, social posts, bulletin inserts, and Spanish-language versions using current AI tools. Demonstrating the ceiling of what's possible, then working backward to what's practical for Tuesday morning.

• The Formation Check Rubric — Applying the three questions (Is this true? Is this good? Is this mine?) to live AI output. Participants practice the difference between editing for usability and evaluating for judgment—the operational integrity the keynote names as the core challenge.

• Leaving with Artifacts — Every participant walks out with a working system prompt, a completed friction audit of their own role, and the formation check rubric as a deskside reference. The workshop produces capacity, not just notes about what they saw.

Presenter:

Matt Haas, President, Syndicate Strategies

Description:

Branding is often thought of simply as logos, colors, or fonts, but at its core it is about clarity, trust, and meaning. In many ways, the Catholic Church has been doing branding for centuries through symbols, language, art, storytelling, and a shared visual and theological identity. What has changed is the modern media environment. Today’s communications landscape moves quickly, spans many platforms, and leaves little room for confusion. When branding is unclear or inconsistent, even well-intentioned ministries can struggle with mixed messages, weakened credibility, or a diluted sense of mission.

This session approaches branding from a practical perspective. Attendees will learn how clear brand principles help dioceses, parishes, ministries, and Catholic media organizations communicate more consistently across video, social media, print, and the web.

The session will walk through how to create and use a simple, effective brand guide that brings clarity when working with staff, outside vendors, and creative partners. Common branding missteps seen in Catholic organizations will be addressed, along with practical ways to prevent confusion before it starts. Attendees will leave with a clear, repeatable framework they can apply within their own organization, regardless of size or budget, along with insight into how shared guidelines and clear decision-making protocols help streamline collaboration and provide a consistent reference point when questions, revisions, or differing perspectives arise.

The presentation will close with a discussion of artificial intelligence and its growing presence in content creation and branding. As these tools become more common, the session will explore how they can be used thoughtfully and responsibly, without losing sight of mission, authenticity, or trust.

Key elements:

• What branding really is and why it matters for Catholic communication

• Core components of a strong brand beyond logos and colors

• How consistent branding strengthens trust, clarity, and mission alignment

• Practical steps for building and using a brand guide

• The emerging role of AI in branding and how to use it wisely

Presenters:

• Chris Baker, Owner & Chief Consultant, Chris Baker Multimedia

• Alaina Smith, Social Media Growth Strategist, Chris Baker Multimedia

Description:

Move beyond guesswork and grow with purpose. This session shares proven, real-world strategies for helping Catholic organizations balance organic content with paid outreach. Learn what drives meaningful engagement and generosity, how to evaluate what’s working, and how to measure success beyond surface-level numbers. You will leave with practical insight to strengthen your mission’s digital presence.

Catholic organizations are called to evangelize in a digital landscape that is constantly shifting - new algorithms, changing audience behavior, and increasing pressure to do more with limited resources. This session moves beyond guesswork to help communicators grow with purpose and clarity.

Drawing from real-world experience working with dioceses and national Catholic organizations, participants will learn proven strategies for balancing organic content with paid outreach in a way that supports authentic engagement and generosity. The session will explore what truly drives meaningful connection, how to evaluate what is working, and how to measure success beyond surface-level or “vanity” metrics.

Attendees will gain practical insight into how platforms prioritize content, when paid support is most effective, and how to build sustainable systems that scale without losing sight of pastoral and ministry goals. Rather than chasing trends, participants will learn how to clarify objectives, make data-informed decisions, and strengthen their organization’s digital presence with intention.

By the end of this session, participants will leave with a clear, adaptable framework and actionable tools they can apply immediately - equipping them to communicate their mission more effectively, faithfully, and confidently in today’s digital environment.

Retreat leader:

Mary DeTurris Poust, Not Strictly Spiritual

Description:

The world moves at breakneck speed and expects us to do the same, but Psalm 46 famously tells us, “Be still.” Another translation of this favorite psalm puts it like this: “Cease striving.” This mini-retreat will offer participants an opportunity to step away from the madness to rest, recharge and reconsider the way we move through our days. With a combination of presentation, pause and practical suggestions, this session will offer an opportunity to stop our frenetic pace, let go of our endless striving and create some calm amid the chaos of our everyday lives.

Key elements:

• An opportunity to pause and reflect in the midst of a busy conference week

• Inspiration from Scripture, poetry, and the lives of saints and sages to guide us in the way of creating a more intentional life

• Practical suggestions for bring prayerful ritual and rhythm to everyday life when we return home

• Discussion of what our own "Rule of Life" looks and how we might adapt it to better serve God, ourselves and others