“As clear as day, everything went white, like in slow motion,” he recalls. Then he heard a voice: “My dear child, what are you doing with your life?”
“I got up. I had blood all over my face. But something changed in me that day.”
At that moment, all the awards, the film festivals, the globe-trotting receded into unimportance. From that point forward, he began living his life for others. He returned to his faith, realized his life had a spiritual purpose, and began fulfilling that purpose through his art.
“For me, the RCC is truly one of the bodies where, as different faiths, we have responsibilities for each other’s craft.”
Liam McGrath was far from alone. Many others at the April 16–18 Religion Communicators Council (RCC) convention—videographers, editors, web developers, writers, graphic designers, professors and broadcasters—had also seen their lives reshaped by an encounter with the divine, moments that redirected their talents into the faith space.
“We are at a time when faith communities are being pitted against each other in North America and around the world,” Brad Pomerance, member of the RCC Board of Governors, told Freedom. “Now more than ever, we need to come together.”
That call to unity defined the gathering.
Since 1929, the RCC has brought together storytellers, strategists and media professionals working across a wide spectrum of faith-based organizations. Its mission is straightforward: to help messages of faith resonate in a crowded, often divided public square.
Religion communicators gathered in Cincinnati to learn, collaborate and recognize excellence through the RCC’s annual Wilbur Awards.
McGrath’s documentary, The Last Irish Missionaries, was among 25 works honored this year across categories including journalism, books, podcasts, radio, television and film.
Pomerance said, “The caliber of this year’s Wilbur submissions was deeply encouraging—not only for their excellence, but for the way they illuminate faith and values in a complex world. Many of the entries embody our convention theme, ‘Coming Together: Charting Our Course,’ showing how communication can help us navigate challenges, find common ground and create a shared path forward. It’s inspiring to see storytellers use their craft to bring people together through understanding and respect.”
At its core, the RCC operates as a working exchange—professionals refining their craft, sharing experience and pushing one another toward clearer, more effective communication. The goal is to sharpen messaging while deepening understanding across religious and cultural lines.
“For me, the RCC is truly one of the bodies where, as different faiths, we have responsibilities for each other’s craft,” RCC Board of Governors President Ryan Koch told Freedom. “We can come together in mutual respect and admiration and learn from each other. We are truly interfaith. From Sikhs to Scientologists to Muslims, Christians and Jews, everyone is welcome.”
In addition to presenting the Wilbur Awards, along with 46 Awards of Excellence and 41 Awards of Merit, this year’s convention featured a diverse array of sessions, including an address by The Office star and author Rainn Wilson, and workshops on artificial intelligence and crisis communication.
Presiding over the awards presentation was RCC Treasurer Reverend Brian Fesler of the Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre Nashville—who urged attendees “to continue to write and read and display and demonstrate and discuss and talk and show and communicate.... This work that you’re doing is never in vain.”
He then drove the point home: “How many articles will it take to bring peace to a troubled world? How many blog posts or video productions? How many podcast episodes does one need to produce to calm a savage planet and turn its eyes and hearts toward the divine? We don’t know yet. I believe that if we, religion communicators, keep on religion-communicating, one day we will find out.”
