If you haven’t heard of Tom Allen, chances are you have heard of his work. He’s the mastermind and editor-in-chief of the Catholic Exchange, a leading Catholic web portal, and something of a mini-mogul in the world of Catholic media. He’s also a New York native with a love of the Mets. A local paper has now posted compelling and informative profile of him:

He is at the forefront of a new kind of Catholic evangelism that preaches in high definition and aims to entertain as it explains.

His often stirring baseball film, “Champions of Faith,” is getting great buzz across the Catholic world and was recently seen by more than 70 bishops wearing civvies and chomping popcorn.

If it sells, a sequel featuring Yankees and Red Sox – possibly together at Mass! – could be on the way, along with a football version.

Allen also oversees one of the Web’s top Catholic sites, publishes books on hot-button cultural issues, and is steering two big-time movie projects with Christian themes.

And he played a major, behind-the-scenes role in the unexpected success of Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ.” He raised millions to distribute the film nationally after Hollywood wanted nothing to do with the controversial epic.

“I have attended Mass and prayed the Rosary with Mel, and he is a man of genuine faith,” Allen said. “I’ve gotten a lot of questions about Mel. My response is to judge the movie by what’s on the screen. It is a godly movie.”

Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the Archdiocese of New York, said Allen understands that the Catholic media must have the same production standards as the mainstream media if they are going to reach their potential audience.

“I especially love ‘Champions of Faith,’ which can appeal to anyone,” said Zwilling, a big Mets fan who consulted with Allen as he drew up plans for the entertaining Catholic Channel on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. “I don’t think the point is for people to watch it and say, ‘I’m going to change my life,’ although that would be great. But it shows that you can be Catholic and live out your faith, for instance, in the world of professional baseball. Tom really gets it.”

Allen lives with his wife, Sue, and their four children in Oceanside, Calif., but he stopped by St. Augustine’s Church in New City last week during a visit to New York. It was his boyhood parish and where he went to elementary school before attending Clarkstown South High School.

Allen said he believes it is his vocation to reach undereducated, misinformed or simply confused Catholics with state-of-the-art media.

“There is a lot of holy, pious Catholic media that gets produced for people who are already grounded in the faith,” he said. “My goal as a Catholic communicator is to create media that crosses over into the mainstream Catholic community, where millions of people raised Catholic don’t really know the faith they inherited.”

It’s a great story, and so is the story of his own faith journey. Check it out. (Um, Tom, where should I send my resume for a job…?)

Photo: Tom Allen by Kathy Gardner, The Journal News