This week, your intrepid hosts explore the world of professional codes of conduct for journalists, and how many of them echo the guidelines that the Church has proposed for authentic communications. Fuller notes to come! Article: “Ethics and media meet at Catholic university programs” – Brian Fraga, Our Sunday Visitor, February 21, 2020.

EncounterPoints

S3E8 – Learn to Code

Ken and Bill talk about St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalism and Catholic communications, as a source of Church wisdom on productive, uplifting communication. They draw upon his book, Introduction to the Devout Life, noting that he wrote during a time of great social polarization not unlike our contemporary situation. The saint’s insights into the … Continue reading S3E7 – Get the Devout Word Out

S3E7 – Get the Devout Word Out

Ken and Bill recorded this episode from their respective homes because of the COVID-19 lockdown, and they shared a number of reflections about the crucial nature of the pandemic’s effect on the Church and the People of God. It’s both a great challenge and an opportunity. Testing new forms of community life, new uses of … Continue reading S3E6 – Pandemic Communications

S3E6 – Pandemic Communications

Not all forms of communication are verbal or purely journalistic or sent via social media. A wonderful world of communication is found in art and beauty. We need to spend time on this form of communication as part of any tour through Church wisdom on communication. Saint Pope John Paul II issued his Letter to … Continue reading S3E5 – How Great Thou! Art

S3E5 – How Great Thou! Art

Co-hosts Ken and Bill interrupt this current EncounterPoints series {“Love Always Communicates”) for a bonus episode reporting on Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day 2020.  The Vatican released this message on January 24, the feast day of St. Francis de  Sales, the patron saint of journalism and Catholic media. This is the 54th annual … Continue reading S3E4.1 – BONUS! 2020 World Communications Day Message

S3E4.1 – BONUS! 2020 World Communications Day Message

This episode examines Pope Francis’s messages about communication as conveyed in Christus Vivit (“Christ is Alive”), his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation following the Vatican’s 2019 Synod on Youth. The document, addressed to young people and all the People of God,  reflects on many of the challenges faced by today’s young people and how the Church can … Continue reading S3E4 – An Exhortation on Digital Communication

S3E4 – An Exhortation on Digital Communication

This episode of Series 3 (“Love Always Communicates”) moves on from the Second Vatican Council to look at a long-running series of annual messages spawned by the Council and its document on social communications, Inter Mirifica. That document set the stage for the Vatican to observe a World Communications Day every year, proclaiming the connection of Catholic values … Continue reading S3E3 – Pastoral, Powerful Messages from “World Communications Days”

S3E3 – Pastoral, Powerful Messages from “World Communications Days”

Your co-hosts Ken Hallenius and Bill Schmitt have started the journey through the Catholic Church’s teaching documents relevant to environments of communication. The Second Vatican Council (held from 1962 to 1965) was the first such council at which a document specifically about communication media was promulgated. The primary document we want to consider, Inter Mirifica, … Continue reading S3E2 – The Church’s Counsel on Media

S3E2 – The Church’s Counsel on Media

A TOUR OF RESOURCES TO BOOST CATHOLIC COMMUNICATORS We welcome you to Series Three of our podcast! Through the first two season of “EncounterPoints,” your co-hosts Ken Hallenius and Bill Schmitt have looked at the crucial Church mission of evangelization through a couple of lenses which have “caught our eye” as Catholics. Series One examined … Continue reading Introduction to Series 3

Introduction to Series 3

The final episode of Series 2 is a recap of Incarnational Piety. More extensive notes coming soon!

S2E14 – What Have We Learned?

Last week, we talked about the idea of pilgrimage. Our acts of pilgrimage, to shrines and other holy places, are geographical journeys we take together. This week, we talk about indulgences, julbilees and holy years—reflections of incarnational piety that can be described as journeys transcending time. They unite us with each other in a less … Continue reading S2E13 – Please Indulge Us!

S2E13 – Please Indulge Us!

We are journeying toward God in our lives—ever forward, or higher, “Excelsior!” We are in the world but not of the world, so we are pilgrims advancing toward our eternal home. We are nurtured on our “Christ-ian” (pronounced by Ken with three syllables) journey by the sacraments. Starting with our Baptism, the sacraments strengthen us as we … Continue reading S2E12 – Pilgrimage Progress

S2E12 – Pilgrimage Progress

What’s the Good Word? A culture that has become less focused on words and more focused on images needs to remember and savor the power of good words. St. Benedict, in the Rule for his order of monks, encouraged meditation upon the words of Scripture every day. The words of your own mouth need to be … Continue reading S2E11 – Lectio Divina, Lectures Divina

S2E11 – Lectio Divina, Lectures Divina

Incarnational piety can take the form of putting faith into words and pictures through holy cards. Cards honoring saints and containing prayers, sometimes cards specifically intended for events such as wakes/funerals or ordinations, are a distinctly Catholic tradition. They call us back to a mindfulness of our call to holiness, as well as someone else’s … Continue reading S2E10 – Trading Cards of Tradition

S2E10 – Trading Cards of Tradition

Show Notes There is something social and sociable about the “smells and bells” traditions of our Catholic faith. Incense is one of the examples of incarnational piety that yield positive visceral experiences of blessing and bonding in our liturgies—engagement on the personal and community levels. Here’s an additional commentary on the use of incense, posted by … Continue reading S2E9 – Gifts That Keep on Giving

S2E9 – Gifts That Keep on Giving

EncounterPoints is a serial discussion hosted by Bill Schmitt and Ken Hallenius, two Catholic men from different generations who are both passionately committed to living and sharing their faith – with one another, and with the entire world.

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