In an upper room above the Pauline Books & Media store in Culver City, some 40 communicators of the printed and spoken word gathered June 7 for the dedication of the new Pauline Center for Media Studies.

Our Lady of the Angels Region Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark opened the service with a prayer blessing the center's mission of "promoting and teaching media mindfulness within the context of culture, education and faith formation." Backed by a movie screen on the wall behind him, he spoke about the importance of training people in media literacy.

"People need to be educated to get to the heart of the truth [in different forms of media] so that they can simply draw it into themselves, absorb it and come to understand the truth by what they experience. So often we need teachers to teach us that…especially in the sound and visual media [so we can] discover what in fact is truth and distinguish it clearly from what is propaganda," said Bishop Clark.

Father Bob Bonnot, a senior vice president at the Hallmark Channel and an advisory board member of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, told the gathering of creative arts professionals and educators that media literacy is essential for people of faith.

"Both word and spirit are media," declared Father Bonnot. "So, if we are going to enter into the mystery of God's life, we have to know how to read the media [and] how to let the media speak to us… This center will help people to do it."

Following Father Bonnot's comments, participants took turns reciting "Canticle of Praise for the Media in Today's World" which ended with the exhortation: "Together let us rejoice in the God-given talents and the creative gifts of those who promote the dignity of the human person, and who build communion among peoples the world over through their dedication and love."

Daughter of St. Paul Sister Rose Pacatte, director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, told The Tidings after the ceremony that the goal of the center is to get people certified in media literacy and "to teach teachers so they can help parents navigate popular culture and the media world."

This fall, the center will begin offering in-depth courses such as the 36-hour "Media Mindfulness I" for catechists and teachers and the 12-hour "Cinema Divina" for anyone interested in developing new ways of seeing, understanding, growing in faith and teaching with popular film.

"Nobody teaches about media like the Catholic Church does," said Sister Pacatte. She noted Pope Benedict's World Communications Day message in January compared media to "a great big table" around which people can gather to talk about things that are important.

"Media literacy is about being good citizens and living intentionally. It's about entering into this critical awareness. The editors of tomorrow are in our classrooms and our pews now, so how we form them regarding media and representation in media and dignity in media is how they will be the media makers of tomorrow," declared Sister Pacatte.

For more information on the Pauline Center for Media Studies or the center's National Film Retreat on June 30-July 2, visit www.paulinecenterformediastudies.com or call (310) 636-8385.