This is a presentation for those involved in evangelization and catechesis and offers a media literacy/media mindfulness approach to popular culture in faith formation. It defines culture, popular culture, and considers approaching these through the route of values and virtue. It invites catechists to embrace a life of prayer and cultural mysticism in their own lives to be witnesses to those with whom they share faith.

1. Sr. Rose Pacatte, FSP, D.Min.
BeMediaMindful.org
SisterRoseReviews.org
Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau
Office of Evangelization & Catechesis

2. Digital Nativity Story

3. Bruce Almighty 7th Floor

4. The Big Question
“How often do you ask
yourself: where is humanity
heading, how is it moving,
toward what goal is it aiming
as it continually renews itself
on the face of the earth?
Humanity is like a great river,
flowing to eternity. Will it be
saved?

5. HOW?

6. Witness
Catholic Social Teaching
Work to change the
structures that oppress
people, make them
suffer, keep them poor.
Do good to the person
in front of you

8. Evangelization & Catechesis

9. Education & Formation
“The entire
educational
process is not
built on fear …
but on love.”
St. Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross. OCD
(St. Edith Stein)

11. The spiritual is built on the
human

12. Thinking theologically
“… you will need to know what you believe
about God, as well as what you believe
about God’s ongoing, eternal
communication with us.”
Who is God for you?

13. Smite me o mighty smiter
 Bruce Almighty

14. Culture
”…is a specific dimension of the existence
and being of humanity. It creates among the
persons within each community a complex
of connections, determining the
interpersonal and social character of human
existence.

15.  Man is both subject and creator of culture
in which he expresses himself and finds
his equilibrium.

16.  Culture in itself is
communication:
communication
between all peoples
 Of shared values,
beliefs, traditions,
behaviors.

17. Indeed, culture
is a relational
and social
dimension of
human
existence.

18.  Enlightened by faith, culture
expresses also humanity’s
full communication with God
in Christ and, upon contact
with the truths revealed by
God, more easily finds the
foundation of the human
truths which foster the
common good. (WCD,
1984)

19. Values
 Those overarching ideals and ideas that
guide our lives
 Human values (character)
 Gospel values

20. Articulate
the three main values that guide your life
 1
 2
 3

22. Virtues
When we live and
practice our VALUES
they become VIRTUES
Virtues are habits of
being
Patterns of thought and
behavior based on the
moral standards of the
Gospel

23. Popular Culture
 The result of beliefs
and behaviors
 The shaper of beliefs
and behaviors
 Normalizes beliefs
and behaviors
 Nihilism – nothing
really matters more
than anything else

25. "How can we respond to the call of faith
and live committed to something other than
our individual selves without an impossibly
violent rejection of our culture?”
Asks Jesuit John M. Staudenmeier in "To
Fall in Love with the World: Individualism
and Self-Transcendence in American Life"

26. Name three aspects of American life
that make up
1
2.
3.

27. In his cultural analysis he addresses:
- the ambiguity of being in the world
and not of it
- and the need for an inner discipline
that "honors our urgent hunger for
self-understanding and respects the
anxieties that burden us while
instilling the confidence and courage
it takes to love the world."

28. Jesus came into the culture, not
to condemn it, but to redeem it
“… you will need to know what you believe
about God, as well as what you believe
about God’s ongoing, eternal
communication with us.”

29. Karl Rahner, SJ
 He meant that people will
either have a dynamic,
immediate and experiential
relationship with God, or
they will be bereft of faith.
 Mysticism: to live in the
presence of God, for the
fullness of the Gospels –
Jesus- to be near, present,
visceral, emotional,
constant
 “The Christian of the
future will be a mystic
or will not exist at all.”

30. So what then, are we to do?
Luke 3:10

31. We are to ….

32. Apple Christmas commercial

36. Five ways
to use media in faith formation
Become media literate
Make media the subject of catechesis
Use media in teaching
Make media in parish/school/religious
ed/youth groups
Become advocates for pro-social
media

37. Become media literate
 To be able to access, analyze, evaluate
and create media
 This means….

38. Become media literate
To question the media
 In whose interest was this program or
movie made? This message sent?
 What’s really going on?
 What authentic human or Christian values
are present?
 Does it make any difference?
 How can I make a difference?

39. The Devil Wears Prada
 From a pile of “stuff”

40. Make media the subject of
catechesis
 South Park?
 The Simpsons?
 Hurricane relief efforts
 Praying the news
 Monk on a skateboard?
 Link the lesson with what’s going on in our
world, their world, in fidelity and relevance

41.  Salve Regina

42. Use Media in Teaching

43. Use media in teaching

45. Pepsi dog commercial

46. Make media (legacy or new)
 Protect the privacy of
minors
 Always obtain permission in
writing
 Check diocesan guidelines
 Archdiocese of Los
Angeles: legal, etc.
 http://handbook.la-
archdiocese.org/chapter-10

47. Home-made Easter Story

48. RESOURCE: Archdiocese of LA

49. Advocate for pro-social media
 Trailer for the movie “Fireproof” (effects of
pornography on a marriage)

50. Advocate?
 Thank
 Support
 Write letters
 Social media to spread the good
 Social media: be nice

51. Trailer Play It Forward

52. Trailer “Queen of the Sun”

53. Don’t do this
 Dad shoots daughter’s computer with a gin
bc he doesn’t like the disrespect she
showed him and wife on Facebook

62. Using Media and Popular Media
to Facilitate Encounters with
Christ
for self and those with whom we
share faith
We’ve looked at
- The larger context of witness, Catholic
Social Teaching, education, formation,
culture, values, virtue, evangelization,
catechesis

63. - The need to think theologically – our
image of God
- Popular culture and five ways to bring faith
and life together using media
 We’ve examined some clips from legacy
media (traditional) and new media and
emerging technologies

64. We’ve learned to …

65. And finally….
 He meant that people will
either have a dynamic,
immediate and experiential
relationship with God, or
they will be bereft of faith.
 Mysticism: to live in the
presence of God, for the
fullness of the Gospels to
be near, present, visceral,
emotional, constant
 “The Christian of the
future will be a mystic
or will not exist at all.”

66. Prayer
 An integral part of our lives
 Prayer integrates the person
 Prayer opens us to live fully in Jesus Christ
 In Word and Sacrament

67. The Prayer of St Teresa of Avila
Christ has no online
presence but yours
No blog, no Facebook
page, but yours,
Yours are the Tweets
through which love
touches the world,

68. Yours are the posts
through which the Gospel
is shared,
Yours are the updates
through which hope is
revealed.
Christ has no online
presence but yours.

69. Vademecum
 What three things will you take with you from
this presentation?
 1
 2
 3

70. Resources, contacts
 Slideshare.net/rosepacatte for this
presentation
 The Social Media Gospel by Meredith Gould
 The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Resources