Catholic Speaker Brian Barcaro

Brian Barcaro is available to give talks about a variety of topics for different age groups such as Parents, Young Adults or Teens.  Brian is not a theologian or apologist but he attemtps to help people look at issues such as Internet technologies, social networking & online dating from practical and Catholic view. Please see his list of talks below.

What people had to say about Brian's talks:

"Brian's presentation to both the adults and the high school age children was energetic, engaging and very interactive.  He was able to make you feel he was talking just to you and was very comfortable on stage.  He was easy to listen to and thought fast on his feet when he realized that many of the adults did not know the difference between a pixel and a picture – myself included.  He re-directed his talk to address the level of the audience.  Most impressive."

              -- Barbara Kelly, Founder, Midwest Catholic Family Conference

Brian offered practical ideas and a common sense approach to the high school program participants in regards to social networking on the internet.  He mentioned parental permission and monitoring to the young people quite often.   As a parent, I appreciated his wisdom, honesty and advice in dealing with aspects of the internet that I wasn’t aware.  He bridged the gap between me and my daughter concerning MySpace and Facebook information safety.    Brian reiterated how communication with your child is imperative whether it’s about the internet, cell phones, media, or friends.

            -- Phyllis Misak, High School Program Chair, Midwest Catholic Family Conference

"Kersti and I just wanted to say thanks again for taking the time to come to Atlanta to speak at our TOT! Everyone really enjoyed the talk, there was some aspect of the talk that appealed to everyone in the audience, especially singles who continue to struggle to find a solid spiritual person in this midst of our increasingly secular world."

            -- Ann Blasick, Former Young Adult Ministry Program Coordinator Archdiocese of Atlanta

Brian Barcaro is the co-founder of Acolyte, LLC an Internet software development and Management Company. Through is work with Acolyte Brian was also involved with the co-founding of 4marks.com a social networking platform for Catholics as well as CatholicMatch.com the largest online singles community for Catholics.

Brian was raised in a typical Catholic home, only to stray away from the Faith in his late teens and early twenties. During college he was shaken back into the Faith as a result several traumatic events. While again exploring his faith, he was confronted by evangelical and fundamental Protestants. As a result he began to aggressively read and study in order to increase his knowledge of the Catholic Faith.

Brian became heavily involved in the Newman Catholic Association and served as the President of the Pennsylvania State Conference. Following graduation he worked for a short time as National Marketing Director for a medium-sized automobile electronics company. He then joined the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown as the Director of Development and Alumni Relations for Catholics on the campus of Penn State University.

Brian eventually left that position to further his education in law school, and in 1999 he co-founded both Acolyte and CatholicMatch.com with his roommate, Jason LaFosse. In August of 2000 Brian, along with his two partners, Jason LaFosse and Mike Lloyd began working with Acolyte full-time.

Brian has been on several radio and television shows including EWTN’s Life on the Rock, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, BBC World News, Steve Woods Family Life Center program, Relevant Radio’s Morning Air. He has written and been quoted in many articles dealing with a variety of Faith topics, especially concerning the Internet and online singles services. The publications he has appeared in include: The New York Times, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Salon.com, Wired.com, The Observer, National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor, Faith & Family Magazine, among many others.

In January of 2003 he gave a presentation to Bishops and Catholic professionals at the New Evangelization Association (NEA) International Conference in Dallas, TX. His talk focused on using modern Internet-related communication technologies for the purpose of evangelization.

Brian is a graduate of California University of PA with a BA degree in Communications, and is a member of Phi Kappa Delta Honor Fraternity. He also has his Juris Doctor (Law Degree) from Duquesne University of the Holy Ghost. A native of Altoona, PA, Brian currently resides in the Pittsburgh area.

 
Brian's talks to adults, young adults or teens include:

Adults/Families or Young Adults

Understanding a MySpace Culture

With so much media attention on web services such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube & others parents, teachers, priests & religious can often feel lost and even afraid. Brian’s talk focuses on educating people about what these services are, why people (especially teens & young adults use them) and what the current and possible future trends. The talk is not about telling parents what to do with their children in regards to these services but to better understand them so they can make prudent decisions based on facts and not simply sensational headlines.

The Internet & the Church

Based on his years of experience working in the Catholic Marketplace; Brian hopes to help educate individuals looking to use Internet technologies and marketing for their Diocese, parish, organization or business. In his talk Brian points out many attitudes and practices which have prevented Catholics from better utilizing Internet based tools for the purpose of apostolate work and business. In addition, he lays out a simple plan how things can improve greatly with the right focus and commitment.

 
Real Teachers in a Virtual World

Neither a theologian nor an educator Brian wants to use his real world experience working the Internet technologies to help educators understand how things are changing and what is possible. While many focus on computers in the classroom and expensive new “whiteboard” technologies, Brian discusses how simple and less expensive tools can be used right away.  From virtual classrooms, to social networking & Wikipedia there are lots of tools for educators & parents to use.

Does love exist online?

Although not a relationship expert, Brian has helped serve the needs hundreds of thousands of single Catholics through CatholicMatch.com the largest service in the world of its kind. Brian talks about the cultural trends that have helped spur the explosion of using online singles services. In addition, he offers a variety of common sense tips when using such services and provides some humor from real life stories. 

Teens

Why did God join MySpace?

This talk focuses on the practical issues surrounding teen’s use of social networking services such as MySpace, Facebook and others. Brian helps teens look at using these services from a more real world perspective which helps contextual their behavior including how God & the Church still plays a part. He also provides practical tips on ways to use social networking with prudence. Brian also points out to teens how they can better communicate with parents on this issue and their parents can be a helpful guide.

To schedule Brian for one of these talks, please submit your request here