Communication from the pulpit: Sacred communication

Part 2 of 3

Catholic Distance Learning

Network – March 2008

Sacred communication

• Communication occurs during every aspect of the Mass

- above all, God communicates His love most perfectly through the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His only Son

Communication theory

• Liturgical symbols, physical worship environment, music, style of liturgy, attitude of those attending Mass, every thing communicates some meaning

• I have a theory - speech codes

- coordinated management of meaning - rhetorical communication

Commission of the priest to communicate God

• Those attending Mass expect the priest to effectively communicate God and His message in the homily.

• “The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ – Head of the Church – before the assembly of the faithful, but also of

acting in the name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice.” - (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1997)

The sacred relationship

• Specific ontological bond • Commission to represent Christ & the Church• Results in sacred and theological relationship

between priest and people• Many standard rules of public speaking do not

apply

priest homily Mass Catholic in the pew

The Church’s call to communicate

• “We live in an information era characterized by rapid communication. We frequently hear experts and specialists on the television and radio. In a certain sense the priest (who is also a social communicator) has to compete with these when he preaches to the faithful. hence his message must be presented

in and attractive manner. His apostolic spirit should move him to acquire competence in the use of the ‘new pulpits’ provided by modern communications and ensure that his preaching is always of a standard congruent with the preached Word.” - The priest and the third Millennium (1999)

Communicating to evangelize

• “This preaching, inserted in a unique way into the Eucharistic celebration, from, which it receives special force and vigor, certainly has a particular role in evangelization, to the extent that it expresses the profound faith of the sacred minister and is impregnated with love.”

- Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975)

Going deeper

• You can find out more about speech codes theory by visiting this link:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=wDxg-wq_cmMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA119&dq=speech+codes+theory+Philipsen&ots=ntyt3LFxHf&sig=chrgYF-BGl71pVWdnDrx6mumI3A

• coordinated management of meaning: http://www.colorado.edu

/communication/meta- discourses/Theory/cmm/sld001.htm