The New Ministry Normal: Online
Many of us find ourselves in a new ministry environment unable to attend Mass, go to meetings, engage in activities in person. However, we have not stopped ministering. Necessity has given many ministers who were not inclined to use technology for engagement the courage to jump in with both feet. The creativity and effort it has taken to do that testifies to our desire to be with our people in this time of need.
A growing number of parishes and dioceses are live streaming Sunday and daily Masses. Others are posting recordings of these “private” Masses. I have found the liturgies prayerful and the homilies inspirational and scripture based. The viewers are very grateful for their efforts.
Parish priests and lay ministers are online to encourage, instruct and engage the people they serve in other ways as well. Here are two effective examples that I found:
Father Thomas Sweany, pastor of St. Anselm Church in Chesterland, Ohio, has been recording short messages to his parishioners, uploading them to their new YouTube channel, and then posting on their website and Facebook Page. Here is the one he prepared for the students that attend St. Anselm Catholic School and School of Religion. I thought this was a great idea!
St. Albert the Great Parish in North Royalton, Ohio, has been live streaming daily Masses at 9:00AM and then at 6:00PM live streaming what they call a Daily Devotion led by the pastor, Father Edward Estok and/or the parochial vicar, Father Joshua Trefney, i.e. rosary, stations, or an instruction on prayer. Here is a session on the Perfect Act of Contrition. Their opening conversation with each other reveals that while this methodology is still new for them, they are teaming up to make it happen.
If you have other examples of effective online ministry, please share them in the comments below. Be sure to include the link.
Two resources you may find helpful with all of this are:
Tips on Live Steaming Mass by the USCCB
Let us pray for one another and all the people impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and all the people on the “front lines” risking their own health to serve those infected. They are our heroes today.
Comments (2)
Ruth Viens
March 31, 2020 at 7:11 am
Thanks very much for this very timely information. I’m the “facilitator” of my parish’s FB page and am one of about three or four others in my parish connected to our parish website and FB page. The other day we heard from a parishioner who seems to have the expertise to do live streaming which none of us have. Myself least of all!! I forwarded the two links you provided to the rest of these people and printed each of them out for myself. Thanks so much for all your technical knowledge you share with us especially those who like myself are far less knowledgeable about these!
Sr. Susan Wolf, SND
March 31, 2020 at 7:20 am
That’s great, Ruth. We are all in various stages of the learning curve. We need to support and encourage one another. I am glad that you found these resources helpful. God bless you!
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