Live-Streaming Parish Ministry

Many of us are more than a month into our stay-at-home, public-Masses-cancelled, way of life. We’re learning to adjust. One way is taking ministry online.

Some parishes are live-streaming or posting recordings of their daily and Sunday liturgies, other devotions and ministries.  Holy Week was very busy online for these parishes.

We do not know how long the need for these services will continue, but it is worthwhile to take a look at how far we have come in our online ministry in a very short period of time. It is nothing short of amazing!

The First Attempts

The first attempts at live-streaming were a little rocky for some first-time broadcasters using iPhones to live-stream on Facebook. I saw:

1. A sideways image by one parish (two Masses before they got it upright).
2. A reversed view (left is right, right is left) image of the sanctuary (corrected by changing an iPhone setting)
3. Various broadcast angles that were not ideal: from the pews looking up and the presider looking down at us (I got an imaginary stiff neck watching that one); from the side of the sanctuary (this was often to include the ambo and/or the Easter flowers in the frame, but was too far back or obstructed the view of the presider at the altar).
4. Fuzzy broadcasts due to inadequate Internet connections
5. A presider who left the frame to proclaim the readings and wash his hands.  We could hear, but not see the action.
6. Poor audio due to failure to use a microphone.

Broadcasts Improved

It didn’t take long for parishes to improve their broadcasts by adjusting camera placement and angles to focus on the presider and the action at the altar: moving the lectionary, hand-washing components, water and wine closer to the altar (so that the presider was always in the frame), using microphones and upgrading their Internet connection. For Sunday liturgies, some added a deacon, a musician and/or a cantor (all social distancing). 

Some parishes were do-it-yourselfers; some hired video-streaming companies; others installed cameras and did live-streaming through different systems.

Depending on their methods and equipment, parishes broadcast Masses, devotions and ministries on Facebook Pages, YouTube channels and/or their websites.

In a million years, I never could have imagined this happening so quickly!

Here is What Impressed Me

1. The effort made by priests (and their staffs) to bring the Mass, various devotions and ministries to their people, to connect with them even when they had never done it this way before. They asked for the help if they needed it and then they took a leap of faith for their congregations. They learned and improved as they went along.
2. The prayerfulness of all the liturgies that I watched and I watched quite a few. It was the next best thing to being there in person.
3. The really good homilies!  Let me repeat: the really good homilies! They were scripture based, in touch with our reality, enriching, consoling, and inspiring. The homilies that I heard were well-prepared and well delivered. I hope that was true for you as well.
4. How much it meant to the parishioners to be able to “log-in” and pray with their communities. They were so grateful and they said it over and over again in comments, likes, and emails. They were also proud to see their priest(s) and staffs using technology to connect with them. There was a learning curve for some of them, too, but if their priests could do it—so could they.

A Big Thank You!

Thank you to all the priests who said “let’s do this” and came forward to connect with and serve your parishioners through online services. For many of you, this was not your preferred option. It was awkward, maybe even frightening—but you did it for those you serve.

Thank you to all those who helped their priests and staff get online and minister to their people. Your behind-the-scenes assistance is deeply appreciated as well!