Impact
What People Are Saying - How has OneBillionStories.com impacted your life?
E-mail [email protected] to share a piece of your story.
• “One day in the spring of 2010, I came across a button I received from the Little Sisters of the Poor at the FOCUS National Conference. The button had listed the sisters’ website, where I discovered a link to OneBillionStories.com – a website that would soon change my life. It was through a video on OneBillionStories.com that I learned about Christ in the City, a new missionary apostolate based in Denver, Colorado. By the time the video had ended, I knew that God was calling me to serve onthis mission. In June, I traveled from my home in Rochester, New York to Denver, where I joined twenty other college students to attend daily Mass, receive intellectual formation on Catholic non-profit work, and servepeople in poverty. The two-week trip changed my entire outlook on what it means to bring Christ to others, and I plan to return for a month of service this summer. God clearly worked through OneBillionStories to call me to this life-changing mission, and I see true potential for the website to help transform the cyber generation for Christ.” Emily Salvas, college student at SUNY Rochester, 2011
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• “My name is Brandon Vogt, and I’m currently writing a book on the relationship between the Catholic Church and New Media. Being published by Our Sunday Visitor, the tentatively titled “Church and New Media” will be released in Fall 2011. We’re hoping to make it the definitive Catholic guide to the ‘digital continent’ in two ways: by revealing how Catholics are already using New Media well, and by showing how clergy and laypeople not engaged with New Media can easily begin using these tools. You were an obvious choice to highlight in the book because of OneBillionStories.com. I’ve watched many of your videos, and I love the project. I feel a close connection to it, as I live in Orlando-your starting place.”
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• “I am a transitional deacon studying at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, MO. I’m an avid bicycle tourist, a former computer programmer, and an advocate for the evangelization of this “digital continent.” We seem to have similar interests. Anyway, thank you for the work you do. As I watched your video “What is onebillionstories.com?” you referred to the Holy Father’s use of the term “digital continent.” I thought you might be interested in my graduate thesis, which has the crazy title of “Prophets on the Digital Continent: Magisterial Guidance for the Exercise of the Christian Duty to Evangelize Using Modern, Social Means of Communication.”
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• “Please let me know if you need any help in the LaCrosse or Tomah, WI areas. My son Noah, who just turned 7, has stated when he grows up he wants to “travel the world and teach people about how much Jesus loves them!” I hope he is like you! God Bless, Peter”
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• Seth, “it was a delight to meet the man behind the billion stories, while in Washington, DC. You are really on to a great idea. I plan to use the videos to inspire my 8th graders in religion classes. Thanks for the enthusiasm for the Faith…it is contagious! God Bless you! St. M. Kolbe, pray for us!”
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• “I volunteer for a Ministry called “You Shall Believe” and one night when I was trying to help promote our Ministry, I googled “Eucharistic Miracles”… “One Billion Stories” came up. It caught my eye, so thank God I clicked on it! Wow, first I was so amazed at Seth’s story, and then when I watched the video’s of conversions, different missions and ministries that are out there I was so moved. It’s so refreshing to see our youth doing something so dynamic and amazing in our beautiful church. Every time I watch those daily video’s, it lifts me up and makes me so proud to be a Catholic! Thank you Seth for listening to God’s call and not being afraid of the unknown or where God was taking you and still is taking you. The best part is we get to go on that journey with you through “One Billion Stories”. My prayer for you is that you will continue to grow adding many more people gathering those stories because they need to be shared! God bless, Colleen Hoffman…You Shall Believe Ministry” Colleen Hoffman, October 2011
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• “I met Seth as he passed through College Station, Texas on his bike, and I immediately knew something incredible was going to happen with his idea of documenting the beautiful stories of Catholics across the nation. I also saw that through this pilgrimage of his, he was networking a huge number of Catholics who might otherwise never have contacted one another, and honestly, if we are going to be one holy Catholic and apostolic Church, that is exactly what we need. What I didn’t realize, however, was what would happen when he posted a video of a song I wrote - it has had nearly 35,000 views on YouTube, plus its popularity has helped my online album sales grow tremendously and allowed me to book shows across state lines. I am so proud to be a part of OneBillionStories.com, and so grateful to Seth for his beautiful ministry - I owe him a lot!” David Casper, Spring 2011
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