With smartphones and ring lights in hand, a new group of pilgrims arrived at the Vatican this week. The Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, part of the church’s celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope, marks the growing recognition of Catholic content creators as evangelizers for our digital age.
The event is a milestone for online evangelization efforts, intended to “celebrate, train, and inspire those called to evangelize on digital platforms.” As a friend to some of those attending, I am excited to see them celebrate together. As a Jesuit and a scholar of communication, I am particularly interested in what training and formation will occur over these two days.
It is a moment worth both celebrating and scrutinizing. In an era marked by both increasing digitalization and religious disaffiliation, this gathering offers the church an opportunity to more seriously consider our response to these technological and societal shifts. This era poses real challenges, some of which I’ve previously explored, but it is not without hope. The church has always sought to understand the best means and practices to proclaim the Gospel, and in preparing missionaries for new mission fields, heartening and prophetic witnesses have emerged.
In the conversations and workshops that will unfold this week at the Jubilee gathering, I hope mission remains at the center of the conversation. Follower counts and levels of engagement are not metrics we should completely discount, but I hope different goals and measures of success come into focus.
What are the more profound, spiritual experiences happening beneath these digital engagements? Who is truly reaching the unchurched or the disaffiliated? Where are seeds being sown amid the digital environment and bearing fruit? Having followed these trends and movements for several years now, I think I can point to several individuals and trends to suggest where we might just find some rich soil.
Context and clarity: credible voices amid the noise
For many politicians, traditional journalists and “legacy media” outlets, the rise of social media has proved challenging. The struggle to understand and deploy the new “grammar” and “logic” of online platforms is complex, but those who succeed in doing so can profoundly shape our political, cultural and religious landscape—in positive and negative ways. During the conclave and election of Pope Leo XIV, several Catholic journalists adapted to the changing circumstances and navigated this monumental moment in church history remarkably well.
Many sought to capitalize on the attention-rich moment, pontificating on papabili lists, sorting cardinals into various (often questionable) “camps” and trying to read the tea leaves in every choice in vestments. The digital space became saturated with hot takes and predictions that left confusion and skepticism in their wake. Amid this confusion, however, more sound and thoughtful voices emerged, with some Vatican analysts stepping into a more “influencer-esque” mode of reporting that guided the conversation to a place more grounded in context and clarity.
Katie Prejean McGrady, a host on SiriusXM’s “The Catholic Channel,” and America’s own Vatican correspondent Colleen Dulle were exemplary in this regard. Along with providing analysis for CNN and ABC News, respectively, both maintained a presence on social media worthy of acknowledgment. While sensationalist content still found traction across various platforms, Ms. McGrady and Ms. Dulle worked to correct misinformation, offering context and translation of comments from church officials, and ultimately serving as voices that were as authoritative as they were prayerful.
Their thoughtful commentary provided a helpful alternative to share with others as I tried to respond to my friends, sifting through the plethora of content the algorithm was presenting them. In response, many described Ms. McGrady and Ms. Dulle’s analysis as enlightening and their prayer as genuinely moving. I believe what made their work most distinctive was that they were not producing content for mere consumption but rather expanding their platforms to give the church a face and a voice in a space that desperately needed more enriched conversation.
Speaking to individuals, not at them
For a long time (and to this day), Catholic voices have spoken of the need to “evangelize the culture.” At times, however, “culture” feels too loosely defined and seems to ultimately stand in as a term that overly generalizes large swaths of real, complex individuals and their beliefs on contentious issues. But while the church does believe in the need to evangelize “cultures,” Pope Paul VI stressed in his seminal 1975 document on evangelization, “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” that we must always “take the person as one’s starting point and always come back to the relationships of people among themselves and with God.”
Many digital missionaries are adopting a more humble approach that takes the people they hope to share the good news with more seriously. “Speak Christ within culture, not above it,” the account @CreativeOfTheImmaculata said in an Instagram post earlier this year. “Real evangelization listens before it speaks. It begins in the mess of today and plants the Gospel right there, trusting God to bring the growth.”
While many digital spaces continue to be dominated by “culture war” issues, some digital missionaries are fostering spaces that don’t ignore these dilemmas, but begin instead at a place of deeper encounter. Responding to the rapid societal growth in depression and anxiety, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have used Instagram as a platform where their brothers trained as licensed counselors can offer mental health advice and spiritual encouragement. In his “One-Minute Jesuit” video series, my brother Jesuit Michael Rossmann, S.J., offers brief reflections that put contemporary findings from economics, psychology and other subjects into conversation with the theological beliefs and spiritual practices of our faith.
These are just a few examples of Catholics who are addressing the real issues weighing on the hearts of people both within and outside our church, acknowledging them and offering a more personal message of the hope we find in Christ.
The road ahead
Despite my concerns about the challenges that accompany proclaiming Christ in our digital landscape, I have great hopes for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers. I agree with those who see the importance of distinguishing between an influencer and a digital missionary. But I also believe this gathering is an essential step in understanding the immense opportunity within this mission—as well as the serious demands.
Speaking after the Jubilee Mass on July 29, Pope Leo XIV told the digital missionaries and Catholic influencers gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica, “It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating an encounter between hearts.”
This Jubilee presents a great opportunity for those gathered in Rome not only to network but to foster a more genuine community of individuals committed to sharing the good news. It is my prayer that the digital missionaries take this time to truly discern how we might better learn to share a message that is not merely consumed but nourishes the spiritual hunger so widespread throughout our world.
