By Brittany Wilson | Diocesan Social Media Coordinator

Social and digital media might seem daunting to those working in parishes and ministries around the Diocese of Trenton, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

“The virtual world has become a community much like any other in many respects. We share what's happening in our lives, what we're struggling with, what we're feeling, our likes and our dislikes,” said Matthew Greeley, associate director of the diocesan Office of Communications. “We are in relationship with people we actually know and with many we have never met. Our websites, social media outlets and blogs connect us. That's why our diocesan family is moving to do what we do online better and more intentionally."

And the Diocese of Trenton is working to continue to shine the Light of Christ via the World Wide Web.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Digital Church Conference, which features Catholic social media and website experts, will make a stop in St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square. The Digital Church Conference offers practical strategies on how to create an engaging presence online while framing that presence through the lens of the Catholic faith. With dynamic activities, topical themes and presentations designed to encourage both the people designing what that online presence will look like and the people administering the content and conversation online.

The idea to host the conference stemmed from a diocesan committee that Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., tasked with finding ways to connect digital media to the New Evangelization.

“We live in a world that is dominated by ever-evolving forms of media, which have become an integral part of how we communicate with one another and the very language we speak,” Bishop O’Connell wrote earlier this year. “ More than 50 years ago, the fathers of the Second Vatican Council had no idea what words such as ‘tweet,’ ’share,’ ‘like’ and ‘tag’ would someday come to mean. Yet they anticipated the function of these digital media techniques brilliantly … Because of the advent of social media networks, the reality today is that we all have access to very powerful and far-reaching forms of media; we all bear the responsibility to use these media in the way that the council fathers aspired.”

With Bishop O’Connell’s charge at the forefront, the diocesan committee booked the conference, which is geared toward all who are interested in building their digital skill sets.

Main presenters include Brandon Vogt, Matthew Warner, Josh Simmons and Michael Marchand.

Vogt is a bestselling author, blogger and speaker, and is the content director for Auxiliary Bishop-elect of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Robert Barron’s Word on Fire. His work has been featured by NPR, FoxNews, CBS, EWTN, Vatican Radio, Our Sunday Visitor, National Review, and Christianity Today. Also was named one of the Top 30 Catholics Under 30 in 2013 by the Fellowship of Catholic University Studens and one of the Top 24 Catholics to Follow on Twitter by the same organization in February.

Warner is the founder and CEO of He is the founder of FlockNote.com, an online networking tool for faith-based communities. He also is a Catholic husband, father, tweeter, blogger and self-proclaimed social media nerd. In 2008, Warner left his engineering career to focus how new media can best be used by Catholics.

Simmons, a former youth and music minister, released the original, beta version of eCatholic in late 2005 after designing websites on the side to support his growing family. In 2006 the company, which is now the largest provider Catholic websites in the country, had its wide release.

Marchand is the founder of Parishdesigner.com, a subscription-based design service for Catholic institutions. He also has several years of youth ministry experience and wrote a book about Catholic evangelization.

All are welcome and encouraged to participate in the day of faith and learning, especially those who are website and social media administrators, content creators for parish and school sites, priests and deacons, catechists, teachers, youth ministers and anyone who wants to know how to join in online ministry in the Diocese of Trenton.

The Digital Church Conference is a large step in our journey as a diocesan virtual community to be intentional and united in who and what we are online.  Cost of individual registration is $35 and groups of 10 can register for $250.

Details on how and when to register for the conference will be shared soon.

“Sharing our faith online is not just the work of the webmaster or the site administrator. We are all called to be unabashed and creative with how we share Christ’s Light with all,” Greely said. “For this reason, we are excited with the URL for this virtual and very real ministry … www.URCalled.org.

“We are called. You are called. U R called. We’ll see you on Dec. 5 for the Digital Church Conference!”