New virtual summit in October aims to empower church's digital evangelization

(OSV News) -- Twenty years ago when Josh Simmons founded eCatholic, which builds websites and technology tools to serve the church's evangelizing mission, he was a 26-year-old former youth ministry leader struggling to support his family, and he worked alone.

"I wore all the hats for about two-and-a-half years," he told OSV News. Ten years later, the company only had four employees serving more than 500 clients.

But in 2014, a long marketing effort paid off, and eCatholic doubled in size serving parishes, schools, dioceses and ministries. It has continued to expand and now has, according to Simmons, 45 employees and about 8,000 clients in all 50 states and 25 other nations.

"I did not set out to do this," he said. "I didn't go to (Texas A&M) to learn computer engineering. I taught myself to program."

The company -- based in College Station, Texas, although everyone works remotely, some around the country -- is marking 20 years with its first worldwide online conference. The Engage Virtual Summit is being held Oct. 21-22, 2025, with a theme of "Made for Mission."

Simmons said it's been in the works since 2020 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He expects to have thousands register for it, but the biggest surprise, he said, was the abundance of guest speakers. "We got everyone we asked for."

That includes Gen Z digital evangelist Monét Souza.

"I am beyond excited for what they are doing," Souza told OSV News, adding, "To make this accessible to all leaders, volunteers, and staff members within the church is beautiful."

Other scheduled participants include Alex Jones, CEO and founder of Hallow; Curtis and Brock Martin with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS; and Msgr. James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and author of "From Christendom to Apostolic Mission," who will deliver the keynote address.

Among the other speakers are also Msgr. Roger Landry, national director of The Pontifical Mission Societies U.S.A.; Sister Nancy Usselmann, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies; Deacon Steve Greco, director of evangelization and faith formation for the Diocese of Orange, California, and founder of Spirit Filled Hearts Ministry; Marcel Lejeune, president and founder of Catholic Missionary Disciples; Cande de Leon, chief mission engagement officer for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Arizona; and Sarah Yaklic, chief digital officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

It amounts to what Simmons called "a first-class, super-professional, high-end event."

The conference, he said, will address all the ways digital tools can be used for evangelization. Simons said he's found "the church wants to, but they don't know how."

Simmons said he hopes to put on more conferences in the future.

"One step at a time," he said. "We'll see where God leads us."

Empowering the church's missionary outreach on the digital sphere was identified by the Catholic Church's 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality as a major priority. The synod's final document, which Pope Francis promulgated in 2024 as part of the papal magisterium for implementation throughout the Catholic Church, warned the church was "not well prepared" to engage fully with digital culture, and needed "to dedicate resources to ensure that the digital environment becomes a prophetic space for mission and proclamation."

"Local Churches should encourage, sustain and accompany those who are engaged in mission in the digital environment," the synod declared. It emphasized later in the document that "Digital culture constitutes a crucial dimension of the Church’s witness in contemporary culture and an emerging missionary field."