Church communicators were urged to update the language they use to communicate the faith at the 2004 assembly of the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals held Oct. 21-23 at the Hyatt West Hollywood Hotel.

Addressing 100 Catholic communications professionals from around the U.S., keynote panel speaker Dr. Michael Carotta, religious educator and author, declared that yesterday's spiritual vocabulary does not fit today's spiritual needs. "People today want Catholic moral principles," said Carotta.

Instead of a "moral map," Carotta explained, Catholics crave a "moral compass" to help guide them through the maze of contemporary issues not addressed in the Bible, such as stem cell research and the Iraq war. According to Carotta, Catholics want help in developing the spiritual resources to deal with life.

This Catholic cultural development requires "necessary adaptations," Carotta pointed out. It means moving from the appearance that community life is the principle indicator of faith toward an emphasis on discipleship, which is best sustained within a community of disciples.

"All the visibility has been on what we are against [i.e., abortion, pre-marital sex, contraception, married priests, women priests, etc.]; we need to increase visibility of what we are for [courage, compassion, love, hope, faith, peace, prayer, wisdom, truth, integrity, developing a conscience etc.]," said Carotta. He emphasized that reforming ways of communicating the Catholic message is not "selling out" but improving upon outmoded practices.

"I thought the keynote talks were received very well," said Steve Gottwalt, director of communications for the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Highlights of the other panel presenters, according to Gottwalt, included inspiring words by actor David Brickman regarding a growing hunger in audiences for spiritual stories. Also, he cited encouraging research presented by the executive director of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Sister of Mercy Mary Bendyna, indicating a resurgence in the support of bishops since the emergence of the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

"We have a lot to do to communicate what is authentically Catholic in society," said Gottwalt. "We need to meet people where they're at."

He said the assembly contributed a real sense of importance to the participants, who have faced especially challenging times the past couple of years. "We have an important role to play in renewing the image of the Catholic Church," declared Gottwalt.

Loreene Koskey, director of communications for the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, said the assembly provided valuable suggestions for her job. "I enjoyed hearing from the Catholic actor how more and more programs are reflecting the spirituality of our times --- it inspired me to get out everyday stories of how people are living their faith," said Koskey.

The Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals is open to professionals working in communications, film, television, video, radio, website production, media relations, and education. The academy annually sponsors the Gabriel Awards, celebrating excellence in television, radio and film production. For more information, including a list of the newly-named Gabriel Award honorees, visit www.catholicacademy.org.