August 4, 2010 - SQPN Announces 3rd Catholic New Media Celebration

If any media plan to attend, please contact Domenico Bettinelli, Manager for New Media & Initiatives, Archdiocese of Boston, in advance of the event.  Dom can be reached at 617-779-3754 or via email at [email protected].  Cardinal Sean will addressing the conference at 2:15pm this Saturday at the Pastoral Center, 66 Brooks Dr, Braintree, MA. 

Additional information available online at http://celebration.sqpn.com 

Registration Opens, as Keynote Speakers and Program are Unveiled for Annual Conference

Roswell, GA, April 29, 2010: The Star Quest Production Network (SQPN) announces the third annual Catholic New Media Celebration, to be held in Boston, Massachusetts on August 7, 2010, answering the Catholic Church’s call for a new evangelization and Benedict XVI’s recent message that God’s Love “must be expressed in the digital world... as something concrete, present and engaging.”

The Catholic New Media Celebration (CNMC) is a festive, educational, and international conference focused on evangelization and building community through new media. This event is designed to inform and inspire how interactive new media platforms, such as blogging, podcasting, and social media are created, shared, and implemented. Within an atmosphere of Christian community, attendees will learn how to effectively create and share powerful, unique content for the benefit of the universal Catholic Church.

"This year's CNMC will focus particularly on three things," says Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, CEO of SQPN. "We will be exploring the best practices for creating quality content; how authentic catechesis and spirituality are incorporated; and, how a true sense of mission is instilled in those who consume this media and become a part of our online communities," he says.

Registration is now open at http://celebration.sqpn.com. All interested in New Media are invited, including young adults (18+), ministry leaders, and priests and religious, to whom Pope Benedict appealed in his 2010 World Communications Day message, to “become an ever more pastoral presence on the web.”

SQPN gratefully acknowledges the Archdiocese of Boston for hosting the CNMC on August 7th at the Pastoral Center in Braintree, MA. A pre-event reception will take place on August 6th at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston.

SPECIAL GUESTS Keynote speakers for the Catholic New Media Celebration are Fr. Robert Reed and Mr. Lino Rulli.

FATHER ROBERT REED, Director of the ever-growing CatholicTV® Network, promotes the dynamic use of television and new media for effective and entertaining Catholic programming. A priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, Father Reed prepared for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, and studied Broadcast Administration at Boston University's School of Communication.

LINO RULLI currently produces Lino at Large, a radio program/podcast sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, syndicated on college radio stations, and affiliated with SQPN. He is host of The Catholic Guy radio show airing on The Catholic Channel of Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Lino Rulli has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and a Master's Degree in Theology.

PROGRAM

In addition to the keynote presentations by Fr. Reed and Mr. Rulli, the CNMC program will include three breakout tracks.

Podcasting Track - The Podcasting Track, hosted by Fr. Roderick Vonhögen leading a team of SQPN podcasters, will focus on the necessary elements for creating a high quality and authentically Catholic show. Both instructional and inspirational, this track will conclude with a live recording of SQPN's flagship program, "The Break with Fr. Roderick."

Blogging Track - New this year, the Blogging Track presents Thomas Peters (American Papist at CatholicVoteAction.org) and Sarah Reinhard (Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering at SnoringScholar.com) sharing their varied expertise and insights about Catholic blogging. Also, blogger and author Rachel Balducci (Testosterhome, FaithAndFamilyLive.com, How Do You Tuck In a Superhero?) will lead a panel discussion with guest bloggers.

Children's Track – This new family-friendly track led by Allyson Sweeney from SQPN's Catholic Family show will introduce youngsters to the fun of creating their own podcasts. Lisa Mladinich of AmazingCatechists.com will demonstrate children’s catechesis with Bible-based puppet shows and more. (Space and age limitations apply, see registration details.)

NEW MEDIA GALLERY

The New Media Gallery is an opportunity for bloggers, podcasters, and other producers of new media to exhibit their expertise. Gallery contributors may display their best practices, innovations, and creative endeavors in an exhibit area, plus interact with conference attendees at designated times. For details, see the Call for Presentations at http://celebration.sqpn.com.

TIME & LOCATIONS

The Archdiocese of Boston is host to the CNMC on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese, 66 Brooks Drive, Braintree, MA 02184. The CNMC begins at 9:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm.

A pre-event Meet-and-Greet reception, sponsored by the Catholic Company, will be held Friday, August 6th, from 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Omni Parker House Hotel, the official hotel of the CNMC, located at 60 School Street, Boston, MA 02108.

ABOUT SQPN

SQPN, the Star Quest Production Network, is a non-profit Catholic apostolate dedicated to evangelization and formation through new media. SQPN creates engaging multi-media, specializing in audio and video productions (known as podcasts) faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Its mission responds to the Church’s call to use the media for religious information, evangelization and catechesis, and formation and education.

SQPN.com is a portal for a select number of affiliated Catholic podcasters that share the vision and media strategy of SQPN.

“Star Quest” refers to the star of Bethlehem that emerged and caught the attention of three Magi from foreign cultures. The Magi’s quest led to the discovery of the newborn Savior. The programs of SQPN tap into popular culture inviting people to journey together and discover their own encounter with Christ.