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journal/Archive/Blog Drafts/Raul Botha.md
Thaddeus Hughes 608c43a71f init
2025-10-09 20:43:40 -05:00

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Screening Questions

So my recording guy Nathaniel and I want to do an interview with you. A lot of people start thinking about the theology of technology with media tech and evangelization but we've kinda deliberately not started there. But it's a very important thing we address!

  • Are you game for an interview?

  • Tell me a bit about yourself in general - married? kids? parish?

  • Could you briefly explain how you got to where you are now?

  • What kind of duties do you have in the Diocese?

  • What aspects of faith & technology do you find inspiring/interesting/important?

  • What are some of the challenges you face in your position?

  • What times / availability do you have?

  • We can come to you, or we've been doing our recording out of the Manchester Makerspace in the downtown.

The interview - notes

  • He's also a jack of all trades in the creative realm. Has a background in literature, theater, film, an MBA, theology, and math/CS even.
  • He wrote a paper titled "Catholicism and New Media" https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1076&context=mastersessays
    • The vatican had the first TV, Radio broadcast, etc.
    • We've had scribes, astronomers before that
    • The Church has historically always been at the edge, and now, to some degree, we're behind the curve.
  • His past (resume/linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raul-botha-b1363244/ )
    • Started doing IT for the Romanian Catholic Dioscese (Of Canton, OH... but this is a tiny byzantine dioscese that is actually the entirety of north america)
    • Moved into doing pretty much everything for the dioscese
  • Really likes to view things in the realm of story - narrative and history; how do we bring history into the now?
  • Sees great opportunity in phones in that all you need now is a phone, so these are exciting times; you can do what once took the work of 30 people with one or two people
  • Really loves underdog stories, and now, the church is the underdog.
  • The biggest challenge he's realizing though is that you can't do it all yourself.
  • He's started questioning: what's the legacy he's leaving behind?
    • You can't take the learning you gain with you
    • You have to give up what you're given and share it
    • You can make videos all day long... but if today's the last day, so what?
  • Long-term dream is to build a sort of 'academy' to teach and foster catholic content creators
  • Book recommendation: iGods (https://www.amazon.com/iGods-Technology-Shapes-Spiritual-Social/dp/1587433443)
  • He's a romanian, and was 5 when the communist regime collapsed.

My Questions

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