Grady Connolly
The Blessed Mother is the reason I'm here today. My parents went through a big conversion to the Catholic faith, guided by Our Lady towards God's love. In this journey, my sister and I were born, and Catholicism became a big part of our lives – family rosaries, Sunday Mass, and Mother Angelica talking on our living room TV.
I had big aspirations for life, especially during high school when the reality of college began to creep up. My parents, never going to college, were big believers in education and we prayed our whole childhood that God would bless us with scholarships and the opportunity to go.
During my freshman year, a trip to the Basilica near the Catholic University of America campus in DC for the March for Life was a game-changer. I came back saying, "That's where I want to go." Although financially seemed impossible, it gave me something to dream about.
Going to Catholic University became an obsession of mine, both in prayer and pursuit. I worked like crazy in my teens both in the classroom and in my job at a local restaurant trying to stack the odds in my favor to wisp off to DC.
During my final year of high school, I revisited Washington, DC for the March for Life. Following mass at the Basilica on the eve of the March, as the church emptied and the lights dimmed, I found myself alone in the upper church, gazing at the striking mosaic of Christ in Majesty. I said to God, "I want to come to Catholic University more than anything, but I know the only way I’ll be able to is if you intervene. I only want what you want. If You allow me to come here, I promise to visit You here in the Basilica every day.”
About a month later, I got a letter from Catholic University of America inviting me to interview for a full tuition scholarship. I couldn't believe it. Long story short, I got the scholarship and started at Catholic U in fall 2017. True to my promise, I visited the Basilica every morning during my freshman year – sometimes praying, sometimes resting my eyes in the pew, but always grateful for the Lord’s blessings. This intimacy with the Lord changed my life.
When I graduated in 2021, I began working in the influencer and entertainment industry, focusing on partnership building with music artists and brands aiming to gain visibility on TikTok. However, after about a year, I felt that God had other plans for me. I wanted to pursue work that drew people closer to Christ, as opposed to the often distancing nature of the entertainment industry.
Since early 2022, I've been running Social Thomist, a Catholic social media agency. We work with priests, faith speakers, and apostolates that are impacting the Church and culture.
Our social media clients include Fr. Leo Patalinghug, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, Fr. Dan Reehil, the Napa Institute, Kim Zember, and more. Social media work has taken me around the globe – India, Israel, Portugal, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Austria, Rome, and beyond.
The rewarding impact I've witnessed from religious content has been remarkable. While social media can be toxic, it can also serve as a tool for the Holy Spirit to resonate with someone's intellect or spiritual appetite. For many people, lacking spiritual formation at home or within their community, their spiritual identity is at the hands of whatever is fed to them by the TikTok algorithm. Our objective is to infuse algorithms with goodness and truth, striving to be a positive force in a world that often goes astray.
Our Lady remains a guiding force as I navigate life's waves. Her consistent support for ‘the Connolly family’ gives me confidence that she won't lead us astray, especially since her guidance points us to her son, Jesus.