Connections opens catechists’ eyes to Christ in daily lives and media

By Cathy Tilzey
Dynamic speakers kept diocesan religious education teachers’ and catechists’ attention during the Connections weekend Oct. 12 and 13, and helped them to encounter the Living Christ – the theme of the program – and to see how Christ can be found in their daily lives.
Several pastors and members of the general public were among the 150 participants. Jim Tucker, Catholic Formation Services director, said that all six deaneries and 30 parishes were represented at Connections.
In introductory remarks at Carroll College’s campus center, Bishop George Leo Thomas talked about going to anoint an elderly man in Seattle who was devoid of fear, and confident he would see heaven soon. He had a vision of freedom and Jesus.
The bishop also spoke of Father Robert Barron’s book, “And Now I See,” and referred to John Newton’s song “Amazing Grace;” one verse has the phrase “and now I see.”

Creating awareness
David M. Thomas, Ph.D., co-director of Bethany Family Institute, spoke on spiritual awareness – awareness of ourselves, what we see and do each day. “We can look at things but not really see them,” he commented. “Awareness is a tricky thing, especially in our personal life. If we aren’t aware, how can we become aware?”
One way is by examining interpersonal encounters and special areas, such as Jesus’ place in the Eucharist and other sacraments, the word of God, in quiet time and solitude, and potentially in every person and in nature.
The first level of awareness is a sense of awareness, the Whitefish resident explained. People use their eyes the most and note what others wear, their cars and homes. People are into appearances, he added, and want to make everything look good.
Secondly is the “eyes of the mind,” mainly intelligence. People interpret information provided by the senses, the former theology professor said. Each person sees things differently.
A third awareness is of the spirit, which sees something deep and special within people.
Thomas, known internationally as an educator and innovative thinker in the areas of family life and adult religious education, said spiritual awareness did not grow quickly in most of the world because other aspects of awareness were emphasized more. It developed faster in Asia.
Interpersonal encounters can include learning through reading. Martin Buber’s book “I and Thou” and other works influenced Pope John Paul II, Thomas said.
Some encounters also encompass how people objectify others by their appearance or by what they say. Thomas’ example involved several couples invited to dinner. Their host wouldn’t allow them to give their names, addresses or their work. They were compelled to think of other topics.
“The party got off to a slow start,” he said, noting that people relate to others if they can put them in a box.
“Whenever we touch anything, we touch God’s creation,” Thomas told the teachers and catechists. “We have to learn to recognize it when it happens.”

Finding Jesus, faith, values in mass media
Saturday morning, Tucker said the second keynoter had already helped the diocese. She pointed out that no one speaking Friday evening had mentioned meeting Jesus in the media or literature.
Sister Rose Pacatte, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul and founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, proceeded to show the audience where Jesus, faith and values are in movies, television and other areas of the mass media.
She started by testing the group’s media knowledge by starting famous phrases from films and challenging the Montanans to finish them. Some phrases were easy to finish, such as the quote from “Gone with the Wind,” and others were difficult.
Then she showed clips from movies that demonstrated faith and values, and encouraged the audience to think of comparable stories from the Bible. A scene from “Erin Brockovich” was compared to the story of David and Goliath, and to the parable of the shepherd who knew his sheep.
For “Wit,” a 2001 film about a teacher’s fight against cancer, the parable of the woman who searched diligently for a lost coin was suggested.
Media literacy is about access and analyzing a movie, book or artwork, she said. “Some people can’t get beyond the no (bad) language, sex, violence; they miss the context of the story.
“When it comes to storytelling, you get into areas that are not clear and factual, and all of a sudden, interpretation is out there for anybody. Do you know there is no right or wrong way to interpret a film or a story?” she asked. “That doesn’t mean there is no right or wrong in it. But everybody’s interpretation is valid.”
In a breakout session on helping kids mind the media, a catechist asked Sister Pacatte, “How do I teach them right?”
That sparked a discussion on what are values. Acceptance, love, honesty, love of neighbor and integrity were listed. Sister Pacatte said integrity is the most important, and she put it at the top of the list. The others are important, but integrity is the deciding factor.
She suggested a media mindfulness strategy: What’s going on? What’s really going on? Does it make any difference? Can I make a difference?
Dr. Thomas, Sister Pacatte, Doug Tooke of the diocese’s youth and young adult ministry office, and six presenters representing Catholic publishers conducted workshops Saturday morning and early afternoon.

Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 23, No. 10, October 19, 2007.