Why worship, arts, and communications?
I am a “daughter” of the Second Vatican Council. My home parish, St. Thomas the Apostle in Rochester NY, was one of the first parishes in the diocese to have a “Folk Mass” as part of the post-Vatican II liturgical reforms. At age 13, I got involved in the folk group for that mass, as a singer and guitarist. Since my folk-group days, I’ve been active in liturgical ministries in one way or another... and for more than 20 years I taught liturgy part-time and full-time!
The various strands of my life came together in a wonderful way in my teaching at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. For example, throughout my life, I have enjoyed learning about and participating in many visual and performing arts. Both areas matter in worship.
Visual arts...Ever since my earliest delight in playing with the fascinating color spectrum of a box of 94 Crayola® crayons, the visual arts have been important to me, especially photography. As a teen, I had the privilege of borrowing my Dad’s 35mm film camera on a trip to Ireland and discovered the real joy of making pictures. As a “Kodak Kid,” I had the chance to take photo-developing classes in the dark rooms of Kodak Park, where my Dad worked. As a college student, I took courses in photography and dark-room techniques and did writing and photography for my college’s communications office.
Verbal and video arts...In high school, I learned to write through the practice of doing news and feature stories for our school newspaper and for a local newsweekly. Later on, I put these skills to work as a writer and communications professional in public relations and employee communications. While working for a corporation, I learned the art of video production (a new area at that time) and became a corporate media scriptwriter, on-camera talent (as in the photo above), and producer. Eventually, I started my own communications business as a writer, producer, and consultant for corporations and non-profit organizations. Part of my work for one of my public relations clients included writing about and doing photography for a school for children who lived with severe learning disabilities.
Performing arts...In high school and college, I had opportunities to make music with friends and in church. I also studied theatre and performed in school and community theatre productions.
Worship arts...All the while, though, I was a volunteer in my parishes, especially in worship. Over the course of 30 years in music ministry, I steadily matured as a pastoral musician. As a choir member, cantor, and children’s choir director, I became deeply involved in learning about music for liturgy and about liturgy itself. I served on my parish’s worship committee. One book on liturgy led to another...and another...and another...until finally I ended up doing a master’s degree in liturgical studies. Even though I had been active in diverse liturgical ministries, until I began reading and doing graduate studies I had known little about the history of liturgy, where it all came from, and why we did what we did on Sundays and during other liturgies. It occurred to me that, with my background in communication, I should somehow be able to use these gifts and skills to help lay people like me learn about worship. Because of connections made during my liturgical studies, I ended up co-producing eight video documentaries for a Catholic liturgical publisher and two video series for a Lutheran publisher. (See below)
The various strands of my life came together in a wonderful way in my teaching at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. For example, throughout my life, I have enjoyed learning about and participating in many visual and performing arts. Both areas matter in worship.
Visual arts...Ever since my earliest delight in playing with the fascinating color spectrum of a box of 94 Crayola® crayons, the visual arts have been important to me, especially photography. As a teen, I had the privilege of borrowing my Dad’s 35mm film camera on a trip to Ireland and discovered the real joy of making pictures. As a “Kodak Kid,” I had the chance to take photo-developing classes in the dark rooms of Kodak Park, where my Dad worked. As a college student, I took courses in photography and dark-room techniques and did writing and photography for my college’s communications office.
Verbal and video arts...In high school, I learned to write through the practice of doing news and feature stories for our school newspaper and for a local newsweekly. Later on, I put these skills to work as a writer and communications professional in public relations and employee communications. While working for a corporation, I learned the art of video production (a new area at that time) and became a corporate media scriptwriter, on-camera talent (as in the photo above), and producer. Eventually, I started my own communications business as a writer, producer, and consultant for corporations and non-profit organizations. Part of my work for one of my public relations clients included writing about and doing photography for a school for children who lived with severe learning disabilities.
Performing arts...In high school and college, I had opportunities to make music with friends and in church. I also studied theatre and performed in school and community theatre productions.
Worship arts...All the while, though, I was a volunteer in my parishes, especially in worship. Over the course of 30 years in music ministry, I steadily matured as a pastoral musician. As a choir member, cantor, and children’s choir director, I became deeply involved in learning about music for liturgy and about liturgy itself. I served on my parish’s worship committee. One book on liturgy led to another...and another...and another...until finally I ended up doing a master’s degree in liturgical studies. Even though I had been active in diverse liturgical ministries, until I began reading and doing graduate studies I had known little about the history of liturgy, where it all came from, and why we did what we did on Sundays and during other liturgies. It occurred to me that, with my background in communication, I should somehow be able to use these gifts and skills to help lay people like me learn about worship. Because of connections made during my liturgical studies, I ended up co-producing eight video documentaries for a Catholic liturgical publisher and two video series for a Lutheran publisher. (See below)
Video documentaries on Christian Initiation:
This is the Night: A Parish Welcomes New Catholics (1992); New Life: A Parish Celebrates Infant Baptism (1996); Publisher: Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago IL |
Two video documentary series for Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on renewed worship (1998 and 2000); Publisher: Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis MN
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Five-part video documentary series on the renewed Roman Catholic Mass in four parishes, and behind-the-scenes interviews with clergy and lay leaders on the necessary ongoing parish liturgical formation for this "Hardest Job" (1994-1996); Publisher: Liturgy Training Publications
Interdisciplinary studies...Ultimately, I undertook a doctorate in the combined areas of worship, arts, and communication. My dissertation brought all of these strands of my life together as I explored the topic of the growing phenomenon of media art in worship in Catholic and Protestant churches.
Teaching and publishing...Since joining the liturgy faculty of Catholic Theological Union in 2004, I published two books and numerous articles on the arts in worship, in particular on what I call Communal Co-Creation of liturgical media art. From 2004 to 2020, I taught international ministry students -- who were members of religious orders, Catholic lay folk preparing for or who were already doing ministry, and seminarians from other Chicago area schools of divinity. I introduced them to the sacraments of initiation and reconciliation, communication skills for ministry, shaping places for worship, proclaiming scripture, lay leadership of prayer and preaching, art as a spiritual practice, and, of course, media art in worship.
Teaching and publishing...Since joining the liturgy faculty of Catholic Theological Union in 2004, I published two books and numerous articles on the arts in worship, in particular on what I call Communal Co-Creation of liturgical media art. From 2004 to 2020, I taught international ministry students -- who were members of religious orders, Catholic lay folk preparing for or who were already doing ministry, and seminarians from other Chicago area schools of divinity. I introduced them to the sacraments of initiation and reconciliation, communication skills for ministry, shaping places for worship, proclaiming scripture, lay leadership of prayer and preaching, art as a spiritual practice, and, of course, media art in worship.
Eileen D. Crowley, Ph.D., Liturgist, Liturgical Scholar, Liturgical Consultant, Theologian of Communications & Media Arts