Victoria Smith, GIVEN ’21

Please share a little about yourself – feel free to include a fun fact!

Hi friends, I’m 31 years old and live in the DC area (kind of between Baltimore and DC to be honest). I worked at a parish for 5 years before changing jobs and working at Flocknote. I got married in 2023 and welcomed our first son in November of 2024. I’m a big lover of concerts and traveling.

Describe your professional work. How were you led to this? What are you passionate about?

I’m super passionate about helping the Church get up-to-date with the digital age. This was something I did working for a parish but now I can do on a broader scale at Flocknote. I truly believe that the crises facing the Church today would be far less if Churches knew how to engage all of their members and potential members.

What are the personal strengths that you’ve been given and how do you utilize them?

Extroversion – I have never met a stranger. I enjoy talking to people and hearing their stories.

What women inspire you, and why?

My Mom inspires me, she and I both share a kidney disease and her strength to keep fighting is a powerful example for me. She encourages me to go after my dreams and to not settle for anything less than what I want. I also am inspired by St. Catherine of Siena who was a fierce fighter for the Church and not afraid to speak up.

Are there friends and mentors that you depend upon? How do they support you?

Yes, I have many close friends who support me and encourage me. They are always praying for me and guiding me. My husband is also super supportive of any efforts that I take on and is so proud of me!

Prayer is essential for everyone, but especially for women who are active in the life and mission of the Church. Do you have any favorite devotions or prayers?

I love a good personal prayer, this is how I really grew in my relationship with the Lord. I just kind of let it all out in one prayer and it built over time. I also find comfort in praying the rosary and asking for the intercession of saints.

Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?

“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted.” – JPII

What were your key takeaways from the GIVEN Forum?

That I have a gift that the Church needs! That my gift is important no matter how small it may seem.

What was your GIVEN action plan? Describe its mission, audience, and impact.

My action plan was called Digital Apostles, it was a consultant based organization to help Churches get up to date digitally. This includes ensuring that a Church has an active and up to date website, digital communications with parishioners, and ease of access for new parishioners to join and plug into the parish.

Could you tell us a bit about what motivated or led you to develop this action plan? Was this something that you had on your heart prior to this past year or was it something you developed through the GIVEN program?

This was something that had developed in my heart from working for a Catholic Parish doing their communications. The Church is suffering because it does not know how to communicate with the outside world.

How did you grow throughout the year as you worked with a mentor on your action plan? Were there any moments where you had doubts or felt like you had taken on too much of a challenge? If so, how did you overcome them?

There were some challenges on whether or not to pursue my action plan full time. I had a few Churches in mind but I was not in the financial place to leave my current position. I also started to feel unsatisfied with my role at the parish that was turning more into an admin/secretary. That’s when I decided to leave and applied for Flocknote.

What were some of the fruits you saw from your action plan? What did you find most fulfilling in this process?

I helped a few Churches get up to date with their digital media and communications. I now work with over 10,000 Churches to help them connect with their members, go with them on their journey in the Church, and help them raise money.