About SmartCatholics
When Catholics understand our Faith in the modern world, we experience greater personal joy, and confidence in sharing the good news.
We need smart Catholics…
Catholicism is smart and beautiful. But too few know about our smart, intellectual tradition, and the stunning impact Christ is having on the world – right now. Our hearts are united to Pope Francis’ call to bring the joy of the Gospel to every corner of the world, starting with ourselves.
Faithful
Smart Catholics believe in the mystical reality of the Catholic Church and the magisterium.
Heritage
Smart Catholics honor our Christian legacy and heritage and how it informs us today.
Modern
Smart Catholics revel in the latest research to stay relevant and be a source of renewal.
Meet the Team
Press a face to learn more!
Dominic de Souza
Founder & Event Coordinator
Maddy Longenecker
Event Coordinator
Dominic de Souza
Founder & Event Coordinator
A Cradle-Catholic passionate about how Faith, history, and science meet in today’s world. Born in New Zealand, studied in Fiji and France, raised in Australia, and now living in the USA. Website
My conversion moment in 2012 that launched a personal pilgrimage to rediscover my Faith. I wanted to love and understand Catholicism in the space age. But I also begin to realise how much of that must be done in a state of hope. Not resignation. Not revolution. But renewal.
Catholics must rediscover the inner life we are baptised into, and let that life out. Life is worth loving. And living!
Maddy Longenecker
Event Coordinator
Maddy Longenecker was brought up in England before her family moved to the USA where her Dad was ordained as one of the few married Catholic priests. She went to Catholic high school in South Carolina before earning a bachelor’s degree from College of Charleston in Communications and English.
She’s worked with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in India, traveled around the Middle East and worked in Guatemala, Alaska and an orphanage in Ecuador. She works as Digital Events Producer facilitating SmartCatholics’ online conference and marketing network.
SmartCatholics helps Catholics get answers, friendship, and formation.
Encourage learning and entertainment
Discover new voices and veteran speakers. Share questions, make friends, and discover a community of Catholics hungry for smart discourse on our beautiful heritage. We’re using new media to inspire, excite, and educate – with faith and reason!
Join a community of Smart Catholics
People often disconnect from the Faith from loneliness. We’re solving that problem by creating plenty of groups and events to make friends, fellowship, and teams focused on missions.
On-demand video
It’s an on-demand world. We need easier, faster, access to resources. So we handle the tech, so that Catholic speakers get back to helping people. And Catholics worldwide get to stream learning and answers on-demand!
Things we love to talk about:
Science
History
Follow the studies refining how we understand Sacred Scripture, and our past.
Theology
Find out how all the new data and ancient wisdom integrates into a smart theology.
It’s exciting to be Catholic!
We have a heritage of great thinkers, thriving universities, and cathedral building. The Catholic contribution to the modern world defies belief. And hardly anyone knows it!
When challenged, many Catholics feel forced to:
Become ‘spiritual’, and not religious, because the ‘structure’ seems outdated and makes you look unintelligent.
Turn to ‘tried-and-true’ ways of thinking, and run the risk of not living in sync with the present Church.
Try to be open-minded to all religious expression, and lose our own identity and mission along the way.
Keep their head down, just try to be a good person, and hope it turns out okay.
Christ left us with a call to share the good news.
Secular culture and modern education has us convinced we’re klutzes in a Monty Python flick. Or that a true Catholic is Spock or the High Sparrow. It’s time to change things.
A smart Catholic isn’t afraid of the latest science and research. We’re excited to learn more about God’s evolving creation.
A smart Catholic gets that history is messy and human. We’re always open to the ongoing story of God’s active participation in our lives.
A smart Catholic joins the Church in celebrating the truth. We work to integrate faith and reason, so that they work together.
Smart Catholics are:
Welcoming to every human being, confident about Truth, and able to respond clearly and simply. Most of all, we strive to be amazing human beings.
Because that’s just smart.
Is SmartCatholics only for geniuses? Or can anyone join?
It’s for everyone. Simple people. Complex people. Ordinary people. Extraordinary people.
‘Christ Within Me’ – The meaning behind the main SmartCatholics Graphic
This graphic speaks to the SmartCatholics focus. The living presence of Christ exists in the Blessed Sacrament, but that Sacrament yearns to dwell within us.
Why Smart Catholics?
The Catholic Faith has always been a smart, beautiful religion. It has fostered the greatest minds and mystics of the last 2000 years.
About the Logo
The triskelion is an ancient symbol for the Trinity, its looping lines flowing into each other. The three distinct points speak to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For SmartCatholics, the 3 points speak to how we solve problems. We fuse events with community and ondemand video. We love to talk about history, science, and faith. We are happy servants to the Church, the Scriptures, and the Magisterium.
In the spirit of evangelizing with new media, the logo centers on a play button. That’s how many Catholics today need to access the faith – ondemand, and as accessible as possible.
Learning to be a faithful, intelligent Catholic shouldn’t be a ‘rich man’s game’, but open and available to all who hunger for truth.