Five Ways toBridge Faith and
Life in a Social Media World
Sr Rose Pacatte, FSP Pauline Center for Media Studie© Daughters of St. Paul
What comes to mind when you hearSocial Media?
Katy Perry’s ROAR on Social Media
Social Media Revolution
Social Media Explained• Twitter- I m eatg #donut
• Facebook- I like donuts
• Instagram- Here’s a vintage photo of my donut
• Youtube- Here I am eating my donut
• Linkin- My skills include donut eating
• Pinterest- Here’s my donut recipe
• Google+ - I am a Google employee who
eats donuts
WORLD IS COMPLETED WIRED
Social media are“web-based tools for interactionfor conversation and to create and share content”= Meredith
Gould
Questions for Catholic school teachers, catechists, parents, and students today:
Network or communion?
Creators or consumers?
Freedom or responsibility?
Pope Francis
The goal of the Church for its communications efforts is “to understand how to enter into dialogue with the men and women of today in order to appreciate their desires, their doubts and their hopes.” September 21, 2013
How did Jesus communicate the Good News?
• Storytelling
• Conversations
• Question and answers
• Debate
• Dialogue
Think theologically about social media
“You will need to know what you believe about God as well as God’s ongoing, eternal communication with us”
- Meredith Gould “The Social Media Gospel”
The Apostles Creed
Church is communicationGod=Trinity
Father, Son and Spirit in constant communication-Agape
Church’s view of internet
GIFTS OF GOD!
Social Media
“promote the harmony of the human family” Pope Benedict XVI
“The challenge is to rediscover through social communications, as well as by personal contact, the beauty that is at the heart of our existence and our journey, the beauty of faith and of our encounter with Christ” September 21, 2013
Bridge the divide of internet
Over time Communication changedStorytelling
Written lettersTelephoneInternet
Cell PhoneText Messaging
Social Media
Did social media exist in the Bible?
Road to Emmaus
Two guys walking along, meeting Jesus… telling the story!
Storytelling…sharing Jesus story!!
Think of it this way…..This was an early form of SOCIAL MEDIA
Storytelling in Jesus’ time was social media
Google Passover
Character
Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character
What you do when no one is lookingEmpathy “How would you feel if someone did that
to you?”Character education = human formationThe spiritual is built upon the human
ValuesValues are overarching
ideals that guide our lives
What are the three most important values that guide your life?
Share with the person next to you
What are Jesus’ family values?
• To feed the hungry
• To give drink to the thirsty
• To clothe the naked
• To give shelter to the homeless
• To visit the sick
• To ransom the captive
• To bury the dead.
More of Jesus’ family values
• The spiritual works of mercy
• To instruct the ignorant
• To counsel the doubtful
• To admonish sinners
• To bear wrongs patiently
• To forgive offences willingly
• To comfort the afflicted
• To pray for the living and the dead
Remember why we are even talking about all this: Kids need human formation to base the
spiritual
Kids’ brains, the frontal cortex
where consequences are considered
and decisions are made
is not developed until they are in their
20s – boys almost 30.
Parenting – the Church’s most important apostolateOur children need
Communication
Consistency
Guidance
Good example
Communication
Honor
Respect
Communication
Control lasts for a moment
Communication lasts a lifetime
Goals of Catholic formation & educationCritical autonomy
Independent thinkers
Empathetic people
Who participate in society
Responsible and free
Collaborators who care about people, society, environment
How to navigate? THINK
Thinking, character, values, choices: as content creators and consumers
THINK
Media Mindfulness:
What’s going on?
What am I seeing? Hearing? Playing?
Reading?
How aware am I?
This is an awareness test
Media Mindfulness:
What’s REALLY going on?
Who pains?
Who gains?
Coke Commercial South Africa: Go Crazy
Media Mindfulness:
Does it make any difference?
What Christian values does this media experience
support or ignore?
Media Mindfulness:
How can I make a difference?
What response seems appropriate in light of my
Christian values and beliefs?
Before you watch, play, create, post ….
T= Is it True?North American House Hippo
Miley Cyrus at the VMA’s
I = Is it Inspiring?Katy Perry sings “Firework” with Jodi, a girl with autism
= Is it Necessary N
Questions?
Let us remember that the world is permeated by grace even when it does not seem so (cf. Karl Rahner)
Christ Has No Online Presence but Yours
• Christ has no online presence but yours,
• No blog, no Facebook page but yours,
• Yours are the tweets through which love touches this world,
• 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,
• No blog, no Facebook page but yours.
- Meredith Gould based on the pryer of Teresa of
Avila
“The Social Media Gospel”