Why I Built a Digital Catechist

I am a Data Analytics Engineer and Organizational Leader by trade, but a Catholic by grace. In my day job, I write SQL, build trustworthy datasets, and surface them to solve complex problems. Outside of my 9-to-5, I apply these same data skills to personal projects that seek truth in public data. But when I turned that analytical lens toward my own faith, I hit a profound friction point.

The Catholic Church possesses a breathtaking, 2,000-year-old treasury of truth—the Depositum Fidei (Deposit of Faith). Yet, accessing the full depths of this tradition usually requires 100+ hours of academic study. The profound insights of the Catechism or the Haydock Bible Commentary are often locked behind dense, archaic language and expensive volumes. Extracting orthodox analysis from these historical sources feels practically impossible for the average layperson.

I wanted a way to bridge this gap. I wanted a tool that could translate dense theology into something digestible—to make the Summa as accessible as a TikTok, without losing an ounce of reverence.

That is why I built The Depositum.

The Depositum is an experimental AI-generated podcast functioning as a "Digital Catechist." Our mission is simple: democratize access to the Deposit of Faith.

The Elephant in the Room: Can a Machine Proclaim the Gospel?

You might be saying to yourself: "AI has no soul. It cannot pray. Therefore, it cannot teach theology."

You are absolutely right. AI cannot pray. It is not a priest. It cannot administer the Sacraments.

But it can be a Lector.

Think about it: A printed Bible has no soul, yet it conveys the Word of God. A recorded audiobook is just digital code or magnetic tape, yet it edifies the listener. The Depositum is a "Digital Lector," not a "Digital Priest."

As a data engineer, I view my relationship with AI less like a solo violinist and more like an orchestrator. To ensure this Digital Lector remains perfectly orthodox, we utilize strict Safety Protocols. We don't let the AI search Google, which is fraught with modernism and theological error. Instead, we lock it in a room with three approved sources. Its entire operating brain is restricted to public domain source texts: the Douay-Rheims Bible, the Catechism of the Council of Trent, and the Haydock Bible Commentary.

Technology is inherently neutral. We can leave it entirely to the secular world, or we can baptize it—re-orienting it to point back to the timeless, unchangeable Truths defined by the Church.

Please treat The Depositum as a study aid, not a substitute for your intellect, your pastor, or your parish priest. It is a tool designed to clear away the intellectual brush so that you can encounter the Word of God more clearly.

Come and listen.

Link to Episode 01: Jesus is God: The Evidence in John 1