'One-Man Media Mogul'

MCHS president evangelizes across spectrum of digital media

MENDHAM  Michael St. Pierre, president of Morris Catholic High School here, harnesses the “razzle dazzle” of various types of digital media — the power of technology to attract a diverse audience in new and exciting ways — in the service of a simple mission: to connect with people, especially leaders in education, business and the Catholic faith, and encourage, inspire and evangelize them.

This local one-man media mogul exploits the possibilities of a many types of digital media, including a blog, podcasts, a newsletter and social media, to offer advice on careers, technology, productivity, parenting, spirituality and personal fulfillment. St. Pierre, a parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul, Stirling, also recently published a book in electronic form — called an “e-book” — titled “The Six Fastest Ways to Supercharge Your Career.” Access to all his media can be found at his website, www.mikestpierre.com, which lists its target audience on its homepage: “rising leaders in the biz, ed and the Church.”

“I present information that is practical, down to Earth and evergreen. It’s meant to be uplifting,” said St. Pierre, a married father of four, who has been pursuing a doctorate at the College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station. “The material is 70 percent advice and 30 percent faith. I often speak about these various topics from a faith perspective. It’s a form of evangelizing, because it integrates faith and weaves those values into the discussion. I try to ‘speak as to edify,’ as Scripture says,” he said.

St. Pierre’s digital log, or “blog,” “The Daily Saint,” has been consistently ranked among the top productivity blogs on the Internet. He offers practical advice to emerging leaders in a number of areas, gathering from his own experience and the insights of other experts in a spectrum of fields. In one post, “Don’t Expect to be Understood as a Leader,” he writes about Father Thomas Judge, a priest of the 1920s, whom many bishops disliked so much that they “banished him to the sticks of Alabama.” That’s because the priest advocated radical ideas for the time, like going to church more often and having lay people visit the sick and sharing the faith with them, St. Pierre writes.

“While misunderstood, I’d say that Father Judge’s leadership paid off,” St. Pierre writes. “Don’t expect to be understood as a leader. Some will get you and others will leave. That’s OK— it means that you are standing for something,” he writes.

In a more recent blog post, St. Pierre writes about the way that he tried to heed the warnings of medical professionals about the health dangers of sitting all day at work by constructing a “standing desk,” where he can work standing up.

“I love it! It’s great being able to move, stretch and fidget while I work. It does take some getting used to but overall I’m really pleased,” writes St. Pierre, who blogs about other topics, including dressing for success, productivity, how to have a great day and parenting. His blog posts and news articles have appeared at LifeHack, an influential productivity blog; Catholic Exchange; and Catholic News Service.

St. Pierre also produces and hosts the following two podcasts: “Techspiration,” about how technology can help educators deliver curriculum, including to those in Catholic education, and “The Emergent Leader,” which delivers advice for up-and-coming leaders.

The media mogul’s guest host for “Techspiration” has been Nancy Carmonico, a consultant for Catholic schools and part of a team that has been organizing Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia this month. A few of the podcast’s guests have originated from as far at the Los Angeles Archdiocese and as close as the Paterson Diocese with Allan Wright, academic dean of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard, Madison. He uses many types of technology to spread the Gospel.

“I maximize my reach though tech,” said Wright, who encouraged parishes to build web sites with welcoming messages. “They [parish websites] should say, ‘You’ve been away for a while. No problem. We are glad that you’re coming back.’ Technology can help with welcoming, but evangelization must be embodied — with a handshake and a smile. It has to be personal — building relationships and being an authentic in our witness. Then, people will be curious about who we are,” he said.

That mission of witness deepened even more several months ago, when St. Pierre started a newsletter that he emails to subscribers every Sunday. He targets “rising leaders, who want to expand their influence” with inspirational insights. Interested people can sign up for the newsletter and his e-book at St. Pierre’s web site, he said.

On a recent past Sunday, St. Pierre wrote about how people can discover their inner calm in the midst of their hectic lives. He quoted St. Francis de Sales: “Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever.” He suggested “driving more slowly, reading more slowly, listening more attentively and praying more patiently” and also “savoring very minute of it [life] without hurrying.”

“This is important because when we hurry, we miss things. We aren’t present to those that matter the most. We are also a little bit more likely not to give our very best since we’re thinking ahead instead of thinking in the present,” St. Pierre wrote.

Throughout the week, St. Pierre reaches an even greater diversity of people through social media, posting his own insights and stories — or those of other experts — on sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. He named as inspirations for starting this multi-media ministry his colleagues at Morris Catholic, where he has helped open up the possibilities of technology in the classroom.

St. Pierre has gained praise from leaders in technology, education, business and the Church. Among them has been Jared Dees, a best-selling author, from the website, The Religion Teacher, which “provides practical resources and teaching strategies to help religious educators transform the lives of the young people they teach,” it states.

“Mike St. Pierre is a dynamic leader and an inspiration to other Catholic school leaders across the country. With vision and clarity, he is able to guide aspiring leaders to efficiently live their full potential with practical tools and resources for experienced veterans or novice administrators,” Dees said.