Elissa Martinez

Ms. Bradley
ENC 2135
27 January 2016

The idea of a community is a sense of belonging with other peers who share the
same beliefs and interests. Every person may belong to a community where they are
responsible for executing that communitys specific mission. A community extremely
committed to and involved in accomplishing their mission is the Peer Ministry Team at
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. The Peer Ministry Team at Lourdes commits to its
mission by communicating through different genres of communication. Ways that this
community communicates involves the use of Social Media, group messaging, the Bible,
Mass, flyers, and commercial broadcasts.
The Peer Ministry Team is a group composed of dedicated students who give
witness to their faith by planning, conducting and leading retreat experiences for other
students (Lourdes Academy). These devoted students attend Our Lady of Lourdes
Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Miami, where they put forth their religious
mission of sharing the values and teachings associated with the Roman Catholic faith.
Along with Peer Ministrys mission is to promote these Catholic values and teachings
directly to the students of Lourdes Academy. The members of the Peer Ministry
community are also committed to instilling the students at Lourdes different ways as to
how they can strengthen their relationship with Christ. The lives of the students at
Lourdes Academy may become hectic, as they have commitments outside of school such

as family, sports, college applications, and many other personal responsibilities. The girls
may become sidetracked and drift away from Christ. Thus, it is the Peer Ministry
communitys duty to guide the ladies of Lourdes Academy to stay on track with their
Catholic faith and values while balancing their school and personal life at the same time.
In order for the community, or any community in fact, of Peer Ministry to execute
its mission successfully, it must communicate effectively. The Peer Ministry community
at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy connects using several different genres of
communication. According to the Bedford Book of Genres, A genre is defined as a
compositions kind, category, or sort. Among the many genres and types of
communication that exist in society today, there are only several effective forms that the
community of Peer Ministry at Lourdes practices.
One of the effective forms of communication Peer Ministry uses is Social Media.
The Peer Ministry Team uses Facebook primarily to share posts of photos of the events
they have organized throughout the school year. The directors of the Peer Ministry
community, Sister Carmen and Father Ireneusz, typically post the pictures and statuses on
the Peer Ministry Facebook page. This form of communication is primarily visual and
digital as mostly photos are posted illustrating the events the members of this community
partake in, such as retreats and fundraisers. The Peer Ministry directors also upload
pictures of inspirational biblical verses every Sunday to start off the week. The use of
ethos as a rhetorical appeal is evident through this use of Social Media because it comes
from the leaders of the Peer Ministry community, which proves that it is a credible source
of communication. In general, the use of Social Media as a form of communication is
effective because mostly all of the members of Peer Ministry have and use Facebook, and

it is a practical way to share photos and memories that depict the mission this community
is actively executing to other users on Facebook.
Another form of communication that is used among the Peer Ministry community
is E-mail. Every week, Sister Noreen and Father Ireneusz notify the Peer Ministers of the
upcoming events that are to take place. For example, the E-Mails are digital and textbased reminders to Peer Minsters of future fundraisers, the times mass will take place the
upcoming week, when they would have to meet up with personally to discuss ideas for
the next school retreat, and topics for talks on retreats. With the use of E-Mail, the Peer
Ministry members are also able to notify the directors if they are not able to attend that
weeks meeting, ask any questions they might have, and share and offer new ideas for
events and retreats. This form of communication is certainly the most professional out of
all, since members are expected to contact the directors in a respectful tone. The E-Mails
contain the use of logos since they contain correct facts and information regarding the
community and the events that the Peer Ministry members are expected to become
involved in. This form of communication includes ethos as well, since the E-Mails that
are sent to the members from the community are from the authoritative leaders, making
them credible sources of communication. Overall, the use of email is a very practical and
professional form of communication that informs and updates the community of Peer
Ministry at Lourdes on any important information.
Another genre of communication that is widely used in the Peer Ministry
community is the use of group messaging. The use of group chats as a form of
communication is extremely favorable, since the majority of the community owns
iPhones themselves. It is also a quick and effective way to contact other members of the

Peer Ministry community. With group chats, the Peer Minsters could send quick
reminders to a group of members instantly. The group chats could also be more
established and have group names. With these more established group chats, the Peer
Minsters are able to discuss ideas on the talks that they are assigned to give on retreats,
offer detailed advise to each other on important topics, and get to know each member on
a more personal level. They are also certainly effective in gaining feedback from the
other members of this community. Group messages as a form of communication is much
more personal and casual as opposed to E-mail, because it is only among the members of
Peer Ministry and excludes any of the authoritative members of Peer Ministry. Through
the use of group chats, the community is able to become closer and learn more about each
other. With regards to this form of communication, the Peer Ministry community at
Lourdes can become more interlocked and become better members their community.
A text-based form of communication used throughout the community is the Bible.
The Bible is the basis of the Catholic faith, and the Peer Ministry community is
responsible for spreading the Bibles teachings to the students at Lourdes Academy. The
Bible is a way of informing Peer Ministers of the values of the Christian faith that God
taught his community so that they may do the same to the students of Lourdes Academy.
The Bible is an evident print form of communication because the Peer Minsters and the
authoritative directors use certain Bible verses to teach an important lesson or value on
the retreats they give to the students. The Bible is also a historical account that conveys
Gods work, so it informs the community of the historical context on the religion they are
giving witness to at Lourdes Academy and in their daily lives. The Bible includes the
rhetorical appeals of ethos and pathos. It contains ethos because it is considered to be a

credible source of the teachings of Jesus written by those who witnessed it. The Bible
also includes the appeal of pathos because it tells the teachings and miracles of Christ,
which may evoke emotion. Overall due to its centrality to the Catholic faith, the Bible is
an important form of communication the Peer Ministry practices.
A face- to-face form of communication that Peer Ministry executes is through the
practice of Roman Catholic mass. Mass is offered to the community of the school
including the Peer Ministry community. Mass is also a central part of the Catholic faith
this community pertains to. During Mass, the community communicates through prayer,
song, and bible verses. The community also comes together to celebrate the Liturgy and
to receive the Eucharist. This genre of communication is effective in informing the
community of Minsters on how they can spread their faith to those who have lost it and to
help not only themselves but others on how their relationship with Christ. The rhetorical
appeals evident in this form of communication are ethos and pathos. Pathos is evident
because as the community as a whole in mass becomes touched by the teachings that are
taught at mass. As a part of the Peer Ministry community, it is a Peer Ministers goal to
uphold the teachings taught during mass and promote them. Overall, through the use of
Mass, Peer Minsters are taught how to become better leaders in the community and how
to execute its mission in a way that upholds the values and morals of the Catholic faith.
There are even more other ways as to how the Peer Ministry community can
communicate effectively. This includes the use of flyers and school-wide television
commercial broadcasts as common types of communication. These two forms of
communication do the exact same as the other genres of communication, which is to
inform the community on upcoming events and news. Even though they have the same

purpose as the other types of communication such as E-Mail and Social Media, what
separates these forms from the others is the fact that they are unique and creative. Not
only are these forms of communication effective in informing the Peer Ministry
community of important information regarding themselves, but the flyers and TV
broadcasts are effective in persuading those who are not involved in Peer Ministry to join
this great community. The flyers and TV commercials that are broadcasted are visual and
are seen by the entire student body. These two forms of communication inform nonmembers how to join and what Peer Ministry and its mission is all about. The flyers and
TV broadcasts both contain logos since they usually have valid information and facts on
the community. They both also contain ethos because they are valid sources that explain
what the Peer Ministry community does and accomplishes. This form of communication
is effective because it is easily seen school wide by non-members and members of the
Peer Ministry community and persuades them to get involved and join this fantastic
community.
Ultimately, in order for a community to uphold and execute its mission, it must
use several types of effective genres of communication. The Peer Ministry community at
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy does just that. As a Catholic high school, it is necessary
for Lourdes to include the Catholic faith in the daily lives of the students, and the Peer
Ministry Team community does exactly that as part of their mission. With the various
forms of communication that exist in society today, the Peer Ministry team solely uses
Social Media, group messaging, the Bible, Mass, flyers, and TV commercial broadcasts.
Although all these forms of communication are different, they all accomplish one thing,
which is to help this community successfully uphold its mission of upholding the

Catholic faith to the students at Lourdes. The types of communication this community
executes are each different. For example, the forms of communication vary from their
mode, medium, and the rhetorical appeals it contain. Specifically, the Bible is a form of
communication that is text-based with rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos, while
Social Media as a method of communicating through the use of Facebook is virtual,
digital, and contains the rhetorical appeals of ethos and pathos. With regards to
technology for new developments of communication such as Social Media, group
messaging, and E-Mail, the Peer Ministry community can communicate effectively
within each other and become better members of their community. The Peer Ministry
community can also give regards to more traditional forms of community such as the
Bible and Mass, which are associated to its religious affiliation. Overall, without these
forms of communication, the members of the Peer Ministry community, like any other
community, would not be successful in accomplishing its mission to upholding the
Catholic faith and values to the whole entire student body at Our Lady of Lourdes
Academy.