With the reopening of churches to public worship and the return to Sundays as a holy day of obligation, parishes have been urged to shut down or limit their Mass video feeds.
Is that a good move? It seemed like something worth collecting opinions about.
In part, the idea to look into eliminating livestream Masses came from my mother, and not because she was upset at the thought of her own parish cutting its video feed. She doesn’t own a computer, tablet PC, or smartphone, nor does she have internet service. However, like many Catholics, she watches the daily Mass from Toronto, in her case on the JoyTV channel.
When my mother read that parish video feeds were likely to end, she phoned me, quite upset and thinking that the Archbishop’s suggestion applied to the Masses programmed on the TV channel. I reassured her that wasn’t the case, but it got me thinking that perhaps there were those who had become more connected to their local parish through livestream Sunday services on YouTube and other platforms, all fostered by pandemic restrictions.
The first Mass-goer I got feedback from said he had from Day 1 watched his parish video feed, even though he’d been out of the country at the time. He felt very much connected to his parish throughout the pandemic shutdown of normal weekly parish Masses. He said he thinks the archdiocese should maintain at least a weekly Mass video feed from Holy Rosary Cathedral.
He noted that some people still feel unsafe attending an open Mass with no restrictions, and for that reason believes a centralized Mass should continue online. He suggests each parish have the link to such a Mass on its website and publicize said link.
He also thinks there should be some means of vetting vaccination status at the door for Mass attendance, with those not fully vaccinated being required to wear a mask. (Archbishop Miller has said there should be no vaccination, mask, or registration requirements at churches, although he has urged following public health officials’ guidance that “masks are recommended in public indoor settings for all people 12 and older who are not yet fully vaccinated.”)
Said Mass-goer 2: “I think the parish video feed has been a nice idea; so many parishioners are housebound. It requires a cameraman for the filming. This is a lot of work for someone. Salt and Light provide Mass daily from Toronto for our convenience. This in itself should be enough. I was grateful for livestreaming during the COVID-19 lockdown and am extremely grateful to our parish cameraman for his dedication and commitment to this service every Sunday. We are glad we could be in God’s presence in this way and then afterwards we would go to the church for Communion following the YouTube Mass.”
Mass-goer 3: “I’m surprised the diocese is encouraging the phasing out of livestreaming. I would have kept it going, a single livestream Mass per parish, as a long overdue outreach to shut-ins, for whom we need to do more for so they can remain a part of their parish community. We’ve made great gains in the past 1½ years. Why tear it down? I’d also launch a massive initiative to bring people back to Mass as well.”
Mass-goers 4 say they try to watch a livestreamed Mass daily and go in person on one weekday, holy days of obligation, and every Saturday evening.
“I write this in the vein of distress at the precipitous too-early jumping the gun by two national leaders, Justin Trudeau and Boris Johnson.
“I strongly believe that the pandemic is not over and no one knows what this fall and winter will bring.
“The parish livestreaming must continue until we know that we have wrestled the mighty COVID monster into full submission. There are other elderly folk like us that feel wary and unsafe in many parish situations.”
Mass-goers 5: “We used the video option for Mass extensively during the pandemic. It would be great if it is continued because video is the best option for Mass for those people who can’t attend Mass due to their health or if they don’t have a way to attend in person, for example they can't drive. In cases like this, having the option to view Mass from their parish is best as it will assist them in maintaining a connection with their personal parish community.”
These respondents added an interesting point. “To address the revenue issue, the parishes should consider soliciting sponsorships and/or donations at the end of the livestream broadcast if that’s allowed. We’ve seen credits at the end of Masses broadcast from other locations.”
Mass-goer 6: “I used the YouTube feeds from my parish regularly during the pandemic. I did, however, use other Tridentine Mass live feeds from Chicago, Ottawa, and Warrington in England just to see how other parishes did it.
“I do think there should be a continued feed for the bed-ridden and those in long-term care facilities. It’s another pastoral element of the 21st century that the pandemic has revealed.”
Mass-goer 7: “Frankly, I enjoyed watching Mass livestreamed for a number of reasons: no commute to my parish, no parking, no finding a seat. It was actually quite calming to participate from my home.
“I would like the livestreaming to continue as an option. I know there are numerous reasons for the Church to want the faithful back in the pews, but my experience of Mass during COVID was positive enough to convince me that if we want to reach people where they are at, livestreaming is a useful tool.”
There you have it. A variety of observations on the matter of streaming of Sunday Mass services.
Some parishes have already halted their feeds, others may be phasing them out over summer, and yet others may have elected to continue streaming on YouTube and Facebook for the foreseeable future.
Follow me on Facebook (facebook.com/PeterVogelCA), on Twitter (@PeterVogel), or on Instagram (@plvogel).
pvogel@outlook.com
