Session Details

Presenters:

• Kerry Weber, Executive Editor, America Media

• Malea Hargett, Editor, Arkansas Catholic

• Sean O'Driscoll, Senior Communications Manager, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Description:

Whether writing internal guidelines or setting expectations for freelance writers, newsrooms everywhere are making decisions about how and when to incorporate AI into their editorial policies, workflow and creative processes. Weber (plus others?) will discuss why creating an AI policy is crucial to newsrooms today, how to start the conversations needed to create one, and how to communicate your policy to staff and freelancers. This session will review samples of secular newsroom AI policies, consider the CMA Fair Publishing Practices for AI, and discuss real-world examples from Catholic publications. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the steps needed to create an AI editorial policy that prioritizes critical thinking, transparency and efficiency.

Key elements:

• Why create an AI policy for your newsroom?

• What are some examples from secular newsrooms?

• What does the CMA Fair Publishing Practices say?

• How to start the conversation? What to consider? Who is the policy for?

• What are some editorial challenges/opportunities that you might want to account for in your policy?

• How do you communicate your policy to readers, staff and freelancers?

Presenters:

• Kerting Baldwin, Ed.D, APR, Executive Director of Communications and Engagement, Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe

• Maria Hayes, Director of Internal Communications, Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Description:

In seasons of transition, effective communications is both an anchor and a compass for any community or organization. This presentation explores how the principles of synodality — listening, discernment, participation and co-responsibility — can serve as framework for managing change and communications with greater trust, transparency and unity. Drawing on insights from the global Synod process and real national examples of the Provincial Synod that Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe experienced, this session will show how communication rooted in synodality bridges spiritual wisdom and organizational strategy to help leaders guide their communities through periods of uncertainty or moments of disruption into opportunities for deeper collaboration and renewal. For the Franciscan Friars, the one-year long synodal exercise yielded important priorities on the heels of their unification of five provinces into one and helped positioned the communications team as strategic partners for the province

Key elements:

• Present the four principles — listening, discernment, participation, and co-responsibility — as practical tools for managing change and fostering trust, transparency, and unity.

• Show how communication rooted in synodality integrates spiritual values with strategic leadership. 

• Share the Franciscan Friars’ experience: A one-year synodal process after merging five provinces into one. Identification of key priorities. Positioning the communications team as strategic partners in organizational transformation.

• Show how effective communication provides stability (anchor) and direction (compass) for communities and organizations.

Presenter:

Jeffrey Bruno, Photojournalist

Description:

We live in an age of endless content—yet attention has never been more fragile.

Catholic communicators today are not simply competing with other media outlets; they are competing with distraction itself. In a world trained to scroll past everything, being seen is no longer the same as being heard. And still, some stories stop people. They linger. They are remembered.

Why?

This session is about learning to see what others miss, and learning how words and images, working together, can convey something deeper than either ever could alone.

Drawing from years of visual storytelling in the Church—covering major events as well as the quiet, easily overlooked moments that rarely make headlines—this talk explores how subtle human details often become the emotional backbone of the most powerful stories. A glance. A pause. A hand resting on a shoulder. Moments that speak softly, yet carry enormous weight.

Participants will learn how to recognize these moments and how to weave them into narrative experiences that blend photographs and words into a single, coherent story. The essential elements of reporting—the who, what, where, and why—remain intact, but are carried by structure, pacing, and emotion, allowing audiences not just to understand what happened, but to feel it.

The session will also explore how these story forms translate across platforms, using social media as a means of distribution rather than distraction, and how developing a recognizable voice, visual and written, builds trust over time.

This is not a technical workshop. It is an invitation back to the heart of the craft; for photographers, writers, and communicators who want their work to inform, move, and endure… leaving audiences with more than information: a sense of having been there, and something they carry with them afterward.

Key elements:

• Learning to See Before Creating: How attention, presence, and patience shape meaningful storytelling—and why the most powerful moments are often subtle, quiet, and easily overlooked.

• Finding the Emotional Core of a Story: Identifying and honoring the human details that carry emotional weight, allowing audiences not just to understand what happened, but to feel it.

• Weaving Journalism Into Narrative: Integrating the essential elements of reporting (who, what, where, when, and why) into story-driven forms that remain accurate, clear, and compelling.

• Blending Words and Images Into a Single Experience: How photographs and text can work together to deepen meaning, create immersion, and produce work that is more valuable than either medium alone.

• Being Heard in a Noisy World: Using social media as a tool for distribution rather than distraction, developing a recognizable voice, and creating work that builds trust and endures beyond the scroll.

Presenters:

• Marybeth Hicks, Director of Strategic Communications, FAITH Catholic

• Adam Carlisle, Secretary for Evangelization and Communication, Diocese of Metuchen

• Elizabeth Slaten, Director of Communications, Diocese of Tyler

Description:

Nearly half of all U.S. adults have a personal or family connection to Catholicism yet only 20% identify as Catholic by religion. This gap represents a significant opportunity for diocesan communicators to move beyond obligation based messaging toward values driven engagement.

Based on recent Pew Research and a new white paper from FAITH Catholic, this panel provides practical strategies for reaching the millions who cherish Catholic values but rarely attend Mass. Panelists will discuss how to create content hubs, leverage ministries like Catholic Charities and schools, and use high engagement days like Ash Wednesday to build new pathways for curiosity and encounter.

Participants will gain insight into how newspapers and magazines can serve as vital entry points for 21st century evangelization.

Presenters:

• Matt Smith, MBA — Founder, Smith House

• Faith Olono — Project Lead, Smith House

• Liam Kowalczyk — Lead Strategist, Smith House

Description:

Most capital campaigns don’t struggle because the mission is weak — they struggle because the messaging breaks down over time. Drawing from Smith House’s experience supporting more than $200M in Catholic campaigns and appeals, including serving as the digital campaign team behind Fr. Mike Schmitz’s capital campaign, this session explores why campaign messaging often loses clarity and momentum as organizations move from private conversations with major donors into broad public communication.

This presentation will unpack 5 common messaging mistakes that quietly weaken engagement, trust, and donor momentum during appeals and capital campaigns. Attendees will learn practical strategies for simplifying complex ideas, communicating urgency clearly, addressing skepticism before it grows, and creating messaging that resonates with different types of donors.

Ideal for dioceses, Catholic universities, schools, ministries, and nonprofit organizations preparing for a capital campaign or annual appeal — especially teams looking to strengthen donor communication, trust, and engagement.

Key elements:

• Why do campaigns stall when the stakes are highest? Learn why messaging often breaks down during the public phase — precisely when organizations need the greatest momentum, clarity, and trust.

• How do you meet donors where they are? Discover how digital tools, segmented messaging, websites, and landing pages help connect different audiences to the parts of a mission they care about most.

• Should objections be avoided? See how addressing skepticism, hesitation, and indifference directly can become one of the strongest drivers of persuasion and donor confidence.

• What motivates people to give? Explore the messaging decisions that transform passive awareness into emotional connection, urgency, and belief in a mission.

• Which small decisions create big impact? Take away practical lessons and real-world case studies from Catholic campaigns where subtle communication changes significantly improved engagement and momentum.