When I first heard about Tami Kiser’s idea for a free online conference for Catholic moms, I was enthusiastic.
Apparently, I’m not the only one. A week after opening registration, she already had 1000 moms registered (and that was almost two weeks ago!).
The conference, Catholic Conference 4 Moms, March 6-9, isn’t just free, but specifically designed for a busy mom’s life. Kiser shares how: “For any given day of the conference, moms can pull up any of the presentations available that day at any time. She can even listen to part of the talk now and finish it later. With all of the presentations about 20 minutes, this makes it very convenient and actually doable.”
When I asked her what inspired her to undertake planning a conference, knowing that she’s a pretty busy mom herself, Kiser replied, “I think it had to be an inspiration from the Holy Spirit. It was one of those ideas that kept coming up in my mind over and over again. The idea was planted when I saw an online conference for something different—and thought that it would work really well for Catholic moms.”
Why should moms consider making time for this conference? Kiser gave me three reasons:
First of all, I hope that moms consider some new ideas and suggestions that will help them in their vocation to motherhood. Sometimes it’s nice to step back from our busy, usual routine to learn something new or look at something in a different way.
Secondly, I hope that moms will be inspired by the speakers themselves. It’s good to see that other people are having the same struggles, problems, hopes, and goals. Many presenters can speak from the perspective of “been there, done that” which is very helpful to newer moms. All of the presenters have a great desire to grow closer to God—and that can be contagious.
And thirdly, I’d like moms to consider the ways that the internet can both hinder and help them in their vocation. We all know that many moms struggle balancing the time they spend online. It’s a tough battle that must constantly be fought. Even though this conference requires moms to be online,
I hope that the overall message is one that encourages moms to use the internet wisely. Many inspiring Catholic blogs are affiliates of the conference. For many women, these blogs are a boast of inspiration for not only the readers, but also for the bloggers, themselves.
Along these same lines, many other sources of inspiration, like this conference, Catholic podcasts, Catholic prayers and devotions, etc. are available online. They are usually free, portable, and completely convenient. I’d like moms to explore these other options of evangelization—not at the expense of time spent with their families, but as ways to enhance their spiritual lives and those of their families.
That’s not all, though. Kiser is making the entire conference available for purchase after it’s over. Given the line-up of speakers and the variety of topics, it will be an investment well worth making. It will also, Kiser said, foster the companionship that this conference set-up doesn’t include.
“For one low price, moms can take the whole conference “with them” to their parish or moms’ group,” Kiser said. “I’ve even thrown in some extra incentives in hopes that many moms will take advantage of this, including discussion questions for each presentation. I’ve been involved in many moms’ support groups myself and I know how moms like a simple, but meaningful format.”
She continued, “Besides growing closer to the Lord and better serving him through their vocations, I’d like moms to take the conference with them and share it with other moms so they all can benefit from that companionship that develops when moms share in this way.”
