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The growing reality of increased disaffiliation of young adults from religious adherence calls the Catholic Church to consider a model of catechesis that connects to everyday life in a digital culture. Many Church documents dealing with catechesis or evangelization since Communio et Progressio recognize a need for media literacy education within the faith formation process. By critically engaging with popular media through a theological-reflective lens and a developed sacramental worldview, young adults grow in integrating faith with media and are transformed by encountering Christ in the digital culture.
Through communal engagement with popular media within the catechetical setting, young adults learn the Media Mindfulness methodology for critical reflection on media messages through a faith lens and pray the media through the process of cinema divina. Expanding this method into an evangelizing-catechetical model to incorporate all the tasks of catechesis, includes the Pauline Way-Truth-Life method for formation of the whole person (will-mind-heart) in Christ (Way-Truth-Life). These methods together provide a wholistic approach to formation in a digital culture that integrates the moral life (choices), doctrine (knowledge/understanding), and spirituality (prayer/liturgy). Media Mindfulness catechesis leads people to participate in a media culture that offers “seeds of grace” through which they engage intentionally with their faith values.
After participating in a four-part series of Media Mindfulness catechetical sessions, the young adults expressed through their survey responses that they experienced an awakening of how grace is present everywhere and visible through a sacramental lens. Almost all the participants expressed a maturation of faith when integrated into their daily media experience and after inviting Christ into their media usage. Although the participants were mostly affiliated with the Church, the series deepened their faith and so may likely strengthen their adherence to the Church.
This study is a first step in guiding young adults on the path of change from passive media users to active media evangelizers. As a catechetical model, Media Mindfulness leads young adults to encounter Christ in the media, brings them into the ecclesial community, illuminates human existence, guides them to the Church’s liturgy and sacramental life, and forms them to become missionary disciples in digital environments.