Eucharistic Observation Essay
To prove this, I conducted several observations of customary rituals, celebrations, and genres in the Catholic community, interviewed a seminarian working towards becoming a priest in the Catholic Church, and analyzed the findings of a multitude of authors who have studied literacy within communities or have studied Catholic community itself. For my observation, I went to a usual Catholic Mass at a parish local to me. I analyzed the texts being used, the words being spoken, and the level of involvement of every member present. I focused on the responses of those in attendance during prayer and the homily, a scripturally-based reflection not consisting of doctrinal instruction, spoken by the priest. Additionally, I attended Eucharistic Adoration, a ritual where one sits in front of the consecrated bread, which is believed to be the true presence of Christ, contemplating the Mystery of Christ. I observed the people who entered and left and if the read Catholic literature or wrote. Furthermore, I analyzed a newer, very important genre in the Catholic community; Facebook pages. When I was in high school, I was a part of the
…show more content…
youth group at my Catholic parish. To keep in touch and strengthen our group, we had a Facebook group where we could all convene. I analyzed the purpose of the group, the involvement of each member, and the topics being shared and talked about and and the effect it has on literacy within the Catholic community. I conducted an interview with a close friend and seminarian in the Catholic Church, Blake Britton, to get a perspective of the role of writing and rhetoric in the community from someone who studies it. Blake has been a member of the Catholic community his entire life and is near completing his seventh year in the seminary, soon to be ordained a priest. I asked Blake his thoughts on the role of writing and rhetoric in the Catholic community, what he believes, with his extensive knowledge, is the definition of being “literate” in the Catholic Church, and what role writing and rhetoric play in his life now and what role he expects it will play in his life as a Catholic priest. Outside of the observations and interview I completed, I researched and analyzed academic essays regarding the role of literacy in communities, the importance of Biblical literacy in the lives of Christians, and a study analyzing the effects writing in preparation courses for First Communion, a sacrament that initiates a child in the Catholic community, has on the development of kindergarteners’ personal identity and how they identify themselves as literate beings. The essays include a chapter of Andrea Fishman’s book, The Right To Literacy, called “Becoming Literate: A Lesson From The Amish”, a piece by Donna Schaper, “Pastors as Teachers: Biblical Literacy as a Parishwide Asset.”, an excerpt from a book by J Stack-Nelson, Beyond Biblical Literacy: Developing Readerly Readers in Teaching Biblical Studies, and an essay by Karen Tusting, “I Am a Peacemaker”.
Findings On Sunday, November 1st, I attended a Catholic Mass at Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida. It was a standard Mass, lasting one hour. After everyone attending had taken their seats, there was an Opening Prayer, followed by The Liturgy of the Word. This consists of a reading from the Old Testament of the Bible, a reading from the New Testament, a short prayer, a reading from one of the Gospels from the Bible, and the homily said by the priest leading the Mass. A homily is a scripturally-based reflection not consisting of doctrinal instruction. Following this is the Eucharistic Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sign of Peace, and the distribution of communion. Lastly, the Final Blessing is said and everyone is dismissed. The Bible passages are read by volunteering members of the community, the homily is spoken by the priest, and the Eucharistic prayer is said by the priest. All prayers in between these, except the Final Blessing, are spoken by the priest officiating the Mass and repeated by the members of the Church. While I have been to hundreds of Catholic Mass celebrations in my life, I have never so closely examined the ritual. Through the entirety of the Mass, all members were expected to be aware of what was going on as to participate in the repeating of prayers and the comprehension of the readings and the homily. It became aware to me immediately that if one was not familiar with the language of the Bible or the Catholic prayers, it would be impossible to gain anything from the ritual. This gives credit to why it is so essential for members of the Catholic community to be literate in the language of the Church and the fundamental texts that make up the community. Additionally, this demonstrates the substantial role writing and rhetoric play in the life of a Catholic priest. The homily is meant to inspire the congregation and tie into the readings said during the Mass. If a priest cannot fully comprehend the readings and compose a sufficient homily to inspire the congregation before him, much of the meaning and importance of the Mass is diminished. Eucharistic Adoration is a Roman Catholic practice where one adores the true presence of Christ in the consecrated bread. It is a time of contemplation of the Mystery of Christ. At some Catholic churches, the consecrated bread is put in a room and members can go into this room at any time, day or night, and be with Christ. This is called Perpetual Adoration, and someone must be in the room at all times, Christ must never be left alone. Perpetual Adoration is offered at Blessed Trinity church, so I signed up for a time slot on Saturday, the seventh of November, and the following Sunday, to observe members of the community as they participate in a sacred ritual. I spent an hour in each Eucharistic Adoration session. While I was in there, several members came in and left. Eucharistic Adoration is not a place where some members would think literature and writing play a role, as many people just sit and contemplate.
In my observation, I found evidence that the use of literature and the role of writing is very common in Eucharistic Adoration. Almost every person who came in to adore used a Bible or a booklet of Catholic prayers to guide their contemplation. Many people had notebooks and were writing. The use of prayers, literature, and writing are incredibly helpful tools, when in Eucharistic Adoration, to guide the minds of members as they sit in front of their savior. This observation proves that literature and writing play a large role in the Catholic community and its rituals and practices. I found it impossible to find a facet of the Catholic community that was not guided by various texts and specific
genres To further understand a very important genre in the Catholic community, I took a look at the Facebook page I was a part of for my youth group in high school. This Facebook page is for the leaders and members of the Catholic Blessed Trinity youth group, Lifeteen. It exists so
youth group at my Catholic parish. To keep in touch and strengthen our group, we had a Facebook group where we could all convene. I analyzed the purpose of the group, the involvement of each member, and the topics being shared and talked about and and the effect it has on literacy within the Catholic community. I conducted an interview with a close friend and seminarian in the Catholic Church, Blake Britton, to get a perspective of the role of writing and rhetoric in the community from someone who studies it. Blake has been a member of the Catholic community his entire life and is near completing his seventh year in the seminary, soon to be ordained a priest. I asked Blake his thoughts on the role of writing and rhetoric in the Catholic community, what he believes, with his extensive knowledge, is the definition of being “literate” in the Catholic Church, and what role writing and rhetoric play in his life now and what role he expects it will play in his life as a Catholic priest. Outside of the observations and interview I completed, I researched and analyzed academic essays regarding the role of literacy in communities, the importance of Biblical literacy in the lives of Christians, and a study analyzing the effects writing in preparation courses for First Communion, a sacrament that initiates a child in the Catholic community, has on the development of kindergarteners’ personal identity and how they identify themselves as literate beings. The essays include a chapter of Andrea Fishman’s book, The Right To Literacy, called “Becoming Literate: A Lesson From The Amish”, a piece by Donna Schaper, “Pastors as Teachers: Biblical Literacy as a Parishwide Asset.”, an excerpt from a book by J Stack-Nelson, Beyond Biblical Literacy: Developing Readerly Readers in Teaching Biblical Studies, and an essay by Karen Tusting, “I Am a Peacemaker”.
Findings On Sunday, November 1st, I attended a Catholic Mass at Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida. It was a standard Mass, lasting one hour. After everyone attending had taken their seats, there was an Opening Prayer, followed by The Liturgy of the Word. This consists of a reading from the Old Testament of the Bible, a reading from the New Testament, a short prayer, a reading from one of the Gospels from the Bible, and the homily said by the priest leading the Mass. A homily is a scripturally-based reflection not consisting of doctrinal instruction. Following this is the Eucharistic Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sign of Peace, and the distribution of communion. Lastly, the Final Blessing is said and everyone is dismissed. The Bible passages are read by volunteering members of the community, the homily is spoken by the priest, and the Eucharistic prayer is said by the priest. All prayers in between these, except the Final Blessing, are spoken by the priest officiating the Mass and repeated by the members of the Church. While I have been to hundreds of Catholic Mass celebrations in my life, I have never so closely examined the ritual. Through the entirety of the Mass, all members were expected to be aware of what was going on as to participate in the repeating of prayers and the comprehension of the readings and the homily. It became aware to me immediately that if one was not familiar with the language of the Bible or the Catholic prayers, it would be impossible to gain anything from the ritual. This gives credit to why it is so essential for members of the Catholic community to be literate in the language of the Church and the fundamental texts that make up the community. Additionally, this demonstrates the substantial role writing and rhetoric play in the life of a Catholic priest. The homily is meant to inspire the congregation and tie into the readings said during the Mass. If a priest cannot fully comprehend the readings and compose a sufficient homily to inspire the congregation before him, much of the meaning and importance of the Mass is diminished. Eucharistic Adoration is a Roman Catholic practice where one adores the true presence of Christ in the consecrated bread. It is a time of contemplation of the Mystery of Christ. At some Catholic churches, the consecrated bread is put in a room and members can go into this room at any time, day or night, and be with Christ. This is called Perpetual Adoration, and someone must be in the room at all times, Christ must never be left alone. Perpetual Adoration is offered at Blessed Trinity church, so I signed up for a time slot on Saturday, the seventh of November, and the following Sunday, to observe members of the community as they participate in a sacred ritual. I spent an hour in each Eucharistic Adoration session. While I was in there, several members came in and left. Eucharistic Adoration is not a place where some members would think literature and writing play a role, as many people just sit and contemplate.
In my observation, I found evidence that the use of literature and the role of writing is very common in Eucharistic Adoration. Almost every person who came in to adore used a Bible or a booklet of Catholic prayers to guide their contemplation. Many people had notebooks and were writing. The use of prayers, literature, and writing are incredibly helpful tools, when in Eucharistic Adoration, to guide the minds of members as they sit in front of their savior. This observation proves that literature and writing play a large role in the Catholic community and its rituals and practices. I found it impossible to find a facet of the Catholic community that was not guided by various texts and specific
genres To further understand a very important genre in the Catholic community, I took a look at the Facebook page I was a part of for my youth group in high school. This Facebook page is for the leaders and members of the Catholic Blessed Trinity youth group, Lifeteen. It exists so