Local priest has instructional video on livestreaming Mass

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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS – When the pandemic caused local churches to close to public worship in mid-March, Bishop Oscar A. Solis sent an email to diocesan priests, asking them to consider livestreaming their Masses. Some of the priests immediately did so, including Father John Evans, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish.

“I wasn’t afraid to give it a go, but I didn’t know anything about audiovisual work,” said Fr. Evans, who, prior to his priestly ministry, had been an IT manager. “When it comes to filming and all the technology around it, I’ve never used it. I was on a learning curve and I still am.”

At first Fr. Evans streamed his Masses with his personal cell phone and the church PA system. As he learned more, mostly through internet research, he gradually built a more sophisticated system at his church. These days at St. Thomas More Parish, most Masses are livestreamed, as are other liturgical celebrations such as baptisms, funerals and confirmations. The investment in some basic software has allowed them to be posted on Facebook and the parish website, and preserved in a video archive.

Fr. Evans does it all himself, controlling the process from an iPad. It is something anyone can do, he said.

Recently Fr. Evans’ efforts caught the attention of the people at Oregon Catholic Press, who asked him to record an instructional video that would encourage other priests and parish staff/ministers to consider livestreaming.

In addition to the video, Fr. Evans sent an article back to the publishers. In the video, which can be found at https://www.ocp.org/en-us/blog/entry/reaching-souls-with-trepidation-how-i-began-livestreaming-the-mass, Fr. Evans shares the journey that led to him create a quality set up, along with tips and pitfalls to avoid.

This work was an extension of his ministry, Fr. Evans said, because “It has to do with bringing the good news of God to his people and connecting them together with the Body of Christ so that we can worship together and we can effect God’s grace in good ways together. So, this video stuff is just a necessity of a new way to do things [because of the pandemic]. … In the Catholic Church, we haven’t been really strong in embracing this technology and reaching out beyond who comes through your doors. Maybe this pandemic, as a side benefit, has taught us that we can do this.”

While some priests may be uncomfortable with technology or have concerns about the cost, most would be surprised to discover how easy and inexpensive the process is, Fr. Evans said.

“A lot of priests are scared of the technology so they immediately discount themselves because they think, ‘I’m not good at that;’ but it’s like learning a foreign language or another skillset,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt to spend a little time learning to do this for the sake of evangelization and worship.”

He suggested that priests who feel out of their depth enlist the help of tech-savvy parishioners to set up livestreaming and recording. Much of the set-up work can be done by a willing volunteer, even someone who might be otherwise engaged at work or school during the daily Masses, he said.

At St. Thomas More Parish, the numbers for daily Mass have increased – those who watch the livestream are about double the previous in-person attendance, but many parishioners and others watch the recordings at different times of the day, Fr. Evans said.

Many of his parishioners have written notes, called or come up after Mass to thank him for the livestreaming of the daily Masses, he said.

“This is precious to them and they really appreciate it,” he said.

Shortly after his initial message, Bishop Solis asked his brother priests to consider continuing to livestream the Masses after the pandemic is over to better reach those who are homebound. The practice would also provide services to many of the rural churches, including the missions, which, due to the shortage of priests, only see a priest once a month or less.

“What we’re doing with the video work is about helping people connect and worship God. It’s no different than what we were doing before the pandemic – we were just doing it in person,” Fr. Evans said. “Now we’re trying to do the same thing. You can limit yourself or you can be dynamic and try to keep taking a step forward every day. That’s what every priest should be doing – pandemic or not.”