Abstract
In light of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2021 decision to approve the use of a smartphone missal app, this article considers the effects of this new medium on Catholic worship. Relative to its long-standing predecessor – the paper-based missal – the new medium deserves analysis. As a faithful Catholic and media scholar, Marshall McLuhan is a fitting guide. McLuhan’s transformation theory reveals the fullness of communication by attending to the medium of communication and its transformation of persons and culture. McLuhan’s ideas on perception and media affirm current brain research on the effect of the smartphone – distraction. In contrast, research shows that a print-based medium fosters the opposite cognitive state – attentiveness. In the final analysis, this article reveals the essence of a distractive versus attentive medium in the context of Catholic worship.
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