Evangelization2.0

Happy Anniversary - LoveToBeCatholic Is One Year Old!

Our one-year anniversary has quietly come and gone.  I didn't make a big deal about it.  Perhaps I should have done so.  When I set out to develop LoveToBeCatholic in January 2007, I had no idea what to expect. Would Catholics embrace the concept of user generated video?  Would people be inspired by what they see?  Will the people use this medium to express themselves spiritually and will Catholics post their stories to inspire others?  Will this idea of evangelizing via new media take off?  After a year of plugging away, the answer to those questions are an emphatic yes, yes, and yes.

We are still in our infancy and continue to grow and build credibility.  New members sign up each day and our video library is rapidly expanding.  The Catholic media has noticed and a few bloggers as well.  We still have much work to do.  The potential for LoveToBeCatholic is endless. My limitations are time and resources.  Yet there is no shortage of spirit, drive, hope, and enthusiasm.  Every time a new member signs up or a new video is uploaded, it is a lift that encourages me to drive harder to succeed. 

One thing is for sure, since launching we have impacted a lot of lives, generated some good buzz, and grown into an important worldwide source for on line Catholic video.  We are a global community, with members from around the world including Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, South Africa, Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, just to name a few countries. We have thousands of members and almost 2,000 videos.  All these videos are uploaded by members for the Catholic community.

It has been a terrific and exciting first year.  I hope that everyone continues to enjoy the web site and participates by uploading and sharing videos. Please encourage your friends and family to join LoveToBeCatholic.com.  After all, we are the first Catholic user generated video web site.  Since launching there have been numerous others who have copied our idea.  We welcome them as the more Catholic content on the web the better.  LoveToBeCatholic remains the original and we will continue to make it the premium source for Catholic video. 

You are the stars, the community, the heart and soul of LoveToBeCatholic.  Thanks to you, it is a place to find Catholic spiritual enrichment, any time, 24/7.

Thanks to everyone for your support and inspiration.  I look to great things for many more years to come.

I'm Busted

That is, I am appearing on the Busted Halo show tomorrow night. 

The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer is on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 159, Monday through Friday, 7:00pm to 10:00pm EST.  I am scheduled to do a phone in interview around 7:20 pm CST.  If you have SIRUS radio, please tune in.  Also, Busted Halo has a terrific web site.  Check it out it out as well.

 

Priests For Life Launches Channel

I am very happy to announce the launch of a new Priests For Life channel on LoveToBeCatholic.com.  The channel will feature videos from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and one of the most prominent pro-life leaders in the nation and the world.  Priests For Life does important work and I am happy that we can provide them with a platform to communicate with Catholics worldwide.  Check out the channel and visit the Priests For Life web site.

Faith and Family Magazine Features LoveToBeCatholic.com

The word of our mission appears to be spreading. I have in my hands the September/October issue of Faith and Family magazine. This issue of the magazine features LoveToBeCatholic.com and recommends our web site to readers. Wow! There is a nice little write up with our logo prominently displayed for all to see.

Faith and Family magazine is a national publication dedicated to providing information, inspiration, and encouragement to Catholic Women. It is a great magazine with a terrific web site. Here is the link to subscribe.

Live Across The Nation On The Catholic Connection

Today I was the special guest on Teresa Tomeo's radio program Catholic Connection. Catholic Connection is a great program heard mornings on EWTN Global radio.  It was terrific fun.   I enjoyed the opportunity to evangelize and share the story of LoveToBeCatholic.com with a large radio audience.  A special shout out with sincere gratitude goes to Father Frank Pavone for his role in bringing me on the show.  I am grateful. Every Wednesday Father Frank appears on the Catholic Connection.  He was kind to both ask me to join him on the show and to introduce LoveToBeCatholic to Teresa and her listeners.

This interview was particularly gratifying since listeners could call in to the show and ask questions.  It was nice to hear from listeners and I wish we had time for more calls. 

The interview must have gone well because we had a nice spike in web site traffic.  Since we depend on word of mouth and are not out there bombarding peoples email boxes with unsolicited email ads, I appreciate what little PR we can get.  Being on Teresa's show was a big lift.  Thanks Teresa and Father Frank.

If and when we get an audio clip of the interview, I'll post it here.  In the mean time, tune in to Teresa Tomeo and the Catholic Connection.  Catholic Connection is heard 8-10 am, Monday-Friday, in Southeastern Michigan on Ave Maria Radio and carried nationwide through EWTN Global Catholic Radio and Sirius Satellite Channel 160.

LoveToBeCatholic.com founder Tom Hall to Appear on The Catholic Connection

Here is an announcement from our web site:

Tom Hall, founder of LoveToBeCatholic.com, will appear as a special guest on Teresa Tomeo's radio program the Catholic Connection. The program will air Wednesday morning October 8, 2008. Tom Hall will discuss the inspiration for LoveToBeCatholic.com and the mission of this innovative Catholic web site. During the live broadcast listeners may call into the program and ask Mr. Hall questions about LoveToBeCatholic.com and the use of digital media to evangelize the Catholic faith.

LoveToBeCatholic.com is the first Catholic video web site where users can view, share, and upload their own videos about, and for, the Catholic faith.

Catholic Connection is heard 8-10 am, Monday-Friday, in Southeastern Michigan on Ave Maria Radio and carried nationwide through EWTN Global Catholic Radio and Sirius Satellite Channel 160.