SacredSpark: a launch story that kept bearing fruit.
Before SacredSpark’s October 2025 launch, White Tree introduced this new Catholic dating app to the faithful — not as another technology product, but as a hopeful response to a genuine pastoral need.
In just a six-week pitching window, the story reached an estimated 2.65 million people across nine placements in eight Catholic outlets — and kept appearing for months after outreach had ended.
Faithful Catholics deserved a better way to meet.
For many single Catholics, the search for a spouse had become a source of discouragement. Most dating apps reward endless swiping, while faithful men and women longed for something deeper — someone who shared their faith, their desire for marriage, and their sense of vocation. SacredSpark, founded by Emily Wilson-Hussem and Daniel Hussem, was built to meet that need.
BY THE NUMBERS
2.65M people reached across the campaign
6 weeks of active pitching (Aug to Sep 2025)
$24K in earned media value (AVE)
Every placement did more than earn coverage. Each story reminded Catholics that faithful dating is still possible — and that they need not choose between modern technology and the Church’s vision of marriage.
Stories that reached real people
Nine placements across eight Catholic outlets — national and diocesan — carried SacredSpark’s story to the faithful.
ChurchPOP
A video interview and feature reached young Catholics navigating dating and discernment, pairing the story with a link to SacredSpark's free Dating 101 formation course.
EWTN News / CNA
A live virtual walkthrough let the reporter see how SacredSpark encourages discernment over endless scrolling. The story was syndicated the same day across the EWTN network.
National Catholic Register
Beyond the EWTN wire story, the Register ran its own independently reported feature — two stories in one of the country's most widely read Catholic publications.
Catholic World Report
A February 2026 original Q&A — confirmed back in October but held for the outlet's own calendar — showed the story still resonated months after launch.
Angelus News
The news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles sat down with both founders for an in-depth conversation about SacredSpark's mission.
Orange County Catholic
The Diocese of Orange newspaper introduced SacredSpark to the very community that helped inspire its mission.
Lessons from the launch.
Lead with the mission
Catholic media weren't looking for another dating app. They responded to a story about people seeking marriage as a vocation — and to Emily's own experience helping faithful Catholics meet one another.
Trust begins locally
National coverage introduced SacredSpark across the country, but diocesan media gave the first launch communities a familiar introduction through voices they already knew and trusted.
Preparation is reverence
Strong coverage begins long before the first pitch. Briefing documents, ready assets, and founders willing to demo the app live gave journalists what they needed for thoughtful, in-depth stories.
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