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March 2, 2018The Catholic Church is a big church with over one billion members. And, every one of them has a story, according to Seth DeMoor, the founder of “One Billion Stories (OBS), a media apostolate that videos personal stories of encounters and friendship with Jesus Christ.
DeMoor has traveled the world and has teams in Spain and the Philippines to capture the heart of the Catholic faith in five-minute videos. The OBS teams are answering the call Pope Benedict XVI had issued to young people with “an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility of the evangelization of this digital continent.”
This past February, DeMoor and his chief editor, Joe O’Hayre, came to North Dakota to capture stories that reveal the true treasure of the prairie—a deep and abiding Catholic faith. When DeMoor launched his nonprofit initiative in 2009 with a bike ride from Orlando, Florida to his home in Denver, Colorado, he first took notice of North Dakota through Fr. Jason Signalness, pastor of Church of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary in Stanley and St. Ann in Berthold.
Visit to Bismarck
“I was a seminarian in St. Louis at the time,” Fr. Signalness explained. “I saw that Seth was coming to St. Louis on a bike tour while looking for stories so I connected with him.” He shared DeMoor’s interest in cross-country biking and the new media. As a matter of fact, his graduate thesis was about spreading the Gospel as prophets on the digital continent.
“We met for dinner,” Fr. Signalness said. “I remember Seth explaining his vision and I thought, okay, good luck with that. It was such an ambitious goal, but many years later he is actually doing it.”
It was through Fr. Signalness that DeMoor and O’Hayre ended up in Bismarck last month to shoot videos of artist Nellie Edwards; Leland Vetter, spokesperson for the Discalced Carmelite cloistered nuns in Hague; James Odermann, a rancher who also writes a column in the Dakota Catholic Action about integrating faith with ranching, and four students at the University of Mary.
The below zero temperatures were a shock to them, especially for DeMoor's daily jog and trying to maneuver a tripod in frigid outdoor temperatures. Why North Dakota during such a cold month? Since Seth’s wife would soon be giving birth to their fourth baby, squeezing some travel in ahead of time seemed like a good idea. “Part of our mission is connecting with Catholics everywhere, including North Dakota,” DeMoor said.
They had also planned stop in Fargo but kept going to Minneapolis when they learned that Dr. Don Briel is only expected to live another two months and has agreed to share his story.
Briel was instrumental in creating the first Catholic studies program for universities in the early 1990s. He holds the Blessed John Henry Newman Chair of Liberal Arts at the University of Mary and is the founder of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. “Dr. Briel has impacted tens of thousands of lives though the Catholic studies program that has been implemented at UMary and over 50 universities,” DeMoor said.
Called to share stories
Seth graduated in 2009 from the University of Colorado with a history degree. “I thought I was going to be a teacher and tell different kind of stories,” he said. DeMoor asked God if he should apply to the seminary or teach. But instead, a vision for One Billion Stories began to take hold.
“Other Catholic students who were not afraid to share their stories with me, changed my life,” he said. “Before that, I was just going through the motions.”
Just before graduation, DeMoor was praying for discernment for his future. He became fascinated with YouTube as a way to reach people to share a love of Christ and the sacraments began took root. He saw the potential to invite families beck into the Church—especially young adults who are leaving it in droves.
“We use the media as inspiration for anyone to become Catholic or return to the Church or for Catholics still practicing to go deeper into their faith,” he said. The name is their branding, according to DeMoor. “Many people don’t know there are 1.3 billion Catholics in the world,” he said. “It shows that the Church is universal and that our faith can go to the heart of the culture no matter where you live.”
O’Hayre quit his full-time job as a data center technician at the end of March 2017 to become the chief editor for OBS. It is basically a two-man operation in this country, although videos have been accepted from others especially during the early years.
O’Hayre had been in the seminary for three years and then discerned out and received a communications degree from Regis University in Denver. He was married in 2016 and has a 9-month-old daughter. “It’s a blessing to be able to take care of her and work from home,” he said.
O’Hayre admitted, that sometimes it’s a challenge to have to fundraise his own salary, but whenever he considers leaving, instead, he ends up feeling confirmed that he is called to do this. “I love the media and I love stories,” O’Hayre said. “I’ve struggled with depression and hearing other people’s stories have meant a lot to me. It strengthens my own faith.”
DeMoor and O’Hayre stay connected with the teams in Spain and the Philippines through weekly teleconference meetings, a global holy hour every month where they get before the Blessed Sacrament at the same time, and daily at three o’clock, they all pray a Memorare for past and future story tellers, all their benefactors and for protection of the global team.
Reflecting on their time in North Dakota, DeMoor said they will be back. “There are tremendous stories here in the Dakotas that need to be told.”
He encourages people to share their stories. “People are often hesitant thinking it’s not grandiose enough,” he said. “But if you are living your faith and pursuing holiness, stop and reflect on how God has blessed you, that is your story.”
Here are ways to connect with One Billion Stories: OneBillionStories.com or look them up on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.