Media consumes our lives in ways we could not have predicted. If you’re like me, moments after you wake up, you’ve already reached for your phone to check your messages and probably tuned into your favorite social media app. No judgment here. I have used, abused, and been used by that tool, and yet I cannot escape it. For all the negative comments we hear about technology and the ever-present consumption of media, it is also a source of important information and engagement, not to mention entertainment. So what’s my beef with this accessibility?
I don’t actually have a problem with it. Media plays a big role in my life. I work as media editor for an international Catholic ministry. I’ve spent nearly two decades working in digital evangelization: writing, editing, creating, encouraging, posting, praying over content, a contentious combox, and unexpected conversations with persons I don’t know outside of media.
It started as playful engagement. I created a blog, and then another blog when I outgrew the first one. It was all very new, and there were many missteps as I learned to find balance in creative expression that was also respectful of others. I didn’t set out to be a Catholic content creator, but also, I cannot separate the Catholic part of my identity from the lens with which I see the world. I was implicitly Catholic which came out subtly in my content, but it took many years for me to begin to use digital media to explicitly share my faith with the world.
In a breakout session at a Catholic Media conference, I had an “aha” moment that struck like a bolt of lightning. I attended a session about the Pauline Charism in media, and suddenly everything I had been doing made sense. I connected all the dots that had been floating around, untethered, and bound them with a mission.
I didn’t have to think about it. Sometimes we move through life making good choices, making plans, and even experiencing joy and success. And suddenly, you find there is a name for the work you do. I was a Media Apostle. I hadn’t recognized that as part of my identity, but there it was, clear as day.
A Media Apostle isn’t just someone who uses media. It’s someone who understands media as a mission field. That every word published, every image shared, every story told is an opportunity to cooperate in Christ’s ongoing work of drawing hearts to himself. My aha moment was recognizing we (ME!) are invited into the work. Just as the apostles were sent into the world, we are sent into the digital spaces, these spaces shouldn’t be an echo-chamber of our lives, but a source of engagement where we meet people who are scrolling, questioning, and hoping.
For years, I said yes to that invitation without fully naming it. I wrote reflections that might reach one weary mom at just the right moment. I crafted social media posts that could ignite a thought or a prayer. I collaborated with others who brought light into digital spaces that can often feel noisy or dark. I worked behind the scenes, trusting that even the smallest offering could be multiplied in ways I would never see.
I didn’t always recognize the impact of what I was doing, and perhaps you find yourself wondering, too. Maybe you’ve felt the nudge to do more, but didn’t quite have the language for it.
Being a Media Apostle isn’t about having a massive platform or perfectly curated content. It’s about fidelity and inviting the Holy Spirit to move through a blog post or a podcast episode.
This isn’t casual work. It’s joyful, yes, but it’s also intentional. It calls us to examine not just what we create, but why we create. It invites us to align our gifts with the needs of the Church and the world in our moment in history. To do that well, we must first be rooted in Christ.
When I look back over the past two decades, I can see how the Lord has been forming me for this through every article written, every project launched, and every conversation that lingered because someone needed to be heard. All of it was preparation.
If something in you is stirring as you read this. If you feel that flicker of recognition, that quiet nudge that says this might be me too, I want to encourage you to accept our invitation.
Sometimes all we need is the space to connect the dots. That’s exactly what the Media Apostle Retreat is designed to offer. It is a place to pause, reflect, pray, and discover how your unique gifts can be used in this mission. A place where that “aha” moment can happen for you, too.
If you’re ready to explore that possibility, I invite you to learn more here:
Come and allow the Lord to reveal how he might be calling you to cooperate in his mission right where you are, with the tools already in your hands.
Your “aha” moment might be closer than you think.