From Rerum Novarum to Right Now: Why 2026 Is a Turning Point for Catholic Entrepreneurs
All Things New: Why We Chose This Theme for SENT Summit 2026
There is a phrase I keep coming back to when I think about what the Holy Spirit actually does in our lives: accelerated re-creation.
Not renovation. Not optimization. Re-creation. The kind that requires something to die first.
A marriage that dies to two separate identities to make room for one shared life. A business that dies to its early hunger for revenue to make room for a hunger for impact. A friendship that lets go of the good old days to make room for the pursuit of something truer.
This is how the Spirit moves. He doesn't patch what's broken. He makes it new.
The Promise Behind the Theme
"Behold, I make all things new." — Revelation 21:5
That's not a metaphor. That's a promise from the one seated on the throne.
If you believe, as I do, that the long arc of salvation bends toward the good, the true, and the beautiful, that the Lord's word is like rain, always producing what it intends (Isaiah 55:11), then even in the middle of our failures and half-measures, we are being drawn forward. Into something better. Into Him.
The extent to which we cooperate with His Spirit is the speed at which we can be re-created.
"Create in me a clean heart, O God." That's the posture. That's the ask. Not "fix my strategy." Not "improve my margins." A clean heart. A heart of flesh, not stone.
And I believe that invitation includes your business. Your team. The products you build. The families your work touches. Every corner of it.
This Moment Isn't New. But Our Response Must Be.
In 1891, the world was being turned upside down.
The Industrial Revolution had reshaped how people worked, where they lived, and who held power. Families were strained. Communities were fracturing. The gap between those who owned and those who labored had become a chasm.
Into that moment, Pope Leo XIII wrote Rerum Novarum, "Of New Things”. It was a direct response to a world in rapid, disorienting change. He didn't tell Catholics to retreat from the marketplace. He called them into it, with clarity about human dignity, the rights of workers, and the responsibilities of those who lead.
It was one of the most consequential documents in the history of the Church. Not because it was theoretical. Because it was timely.
The entrepreneurs of that era were the ones who determined whether the principles of Rerum Novarum became real in people's lives. The Church gave the vision. Entrepreneurs decided whether to live it.
Sound familiar?
What Is Changing Now
We are living through a disruption at least as significant as the Industrial Revolution. Probably more.
Artificial intelligence is rewriting what human work means. The gig economy has decoupled labor from community. Remote work has dissolved the boundaries between family life and professional life, sometimes beautifully, often destructively. Entire industries, healthcare, media, finance, real estate, are being rebuilt from the ground up.
The family is under pressure. The meaning of work is up for grabs. And the people who will shape what comes next are, again, entrepreneurs.
That's you.
Now, in the first full year of Pope Leo XIV's pontificate, a name chosen with full awareness of that legacy, we find ourselves at another threshold. Another moment that demands a response. Another Rerum Novarum moment.
Why We Built Summit 2026 Around This
We didn't choose All Things New because it sounds inspiring.
We chose it because we believe it's the actual invitation in front of every Catholic entrepreneur right now.
The Lord is not asking you to wait until the culture stabilizes before you lead well. He is not asking you to figure out the technology before you think about the theology. He is running toward you, arms outstretched, like the father of the prodigal son, desperate to meet you in the middle of the work you are already doing.
SENT Summit 2026 is built to give you three things. First, a higher level, longer-term perspective on the disruptions that are shaping our economy and culture. Grounded in data, rooted in our Catholic worldview, with honest discussion of what it means for your industry. Second, frameworks and practical tools for how to lead and thrive in the these changing times. Not just in business, but in our families and personal lives. And third, deep connections with the top founders, investors, and operators who are trying to answer the same question: what impact is the Holy Spirit calling me to have in this next chapter?
The Invitation
Every great renewal in history has required people willing to cooperate with it. To say yes. To let the old thing die so the new thing can live.
We are called to be Saints. As entrepreneurs, that means our businesses are our place of mission. The people we lead, the cultures we create and the generosity we pour forth are all means by which we are called to bring souls to Christ.
That's not sentimentality. That's the promise of Rerum Novarum. It's the promise of Revelation 21. It's the promise of a God who makes all things new, including the work of your hands.
We'll see you at Summit 2026.
Learn more and register for SENT Summit 2026 here.
- Nick Madden
CEO, SENT
SENT is a community where high-performing entrepreneurs and owners go to sharpen their leadership, deepen their formation, and build for the Kingdom.
