Sharing joy, comfort, and inspiration have been the goals of the audiovisual and music ministry teams at St. Patrick’s in Whitinsville. Still, the parish never anticipated the impact of their giving. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the parish website has shared several livestreaming concerts featuring praise and worship, choral, and classic rock. There has also been a concert for kids.
“The pandemic hit, and people were not able to come to Mass, especially in the early days when no one was allowed in the church at all,” said Chris Bilodeau, music director at the parish. “We became aware very quickly how much of a hole that can leave in people’s spiritual lives and their lives in general, and we wanted to address that using what we felt our strengths are. We decided to try and bring people some faith-based music into their homes to let them know that we are thinking about them and give them something that they can hold on to.”
Father Tomasz Borkowski has participated in some of the concerts, playing the guitar and singing. He remarked about the tremendous feedback the parish is receiving, as evidenced by numerous texts and emails.
“We were surprised with the response to, and the appreciation for, the concerts,” the pastor said. Parishioners have been gathering virtually with family members from around the state and the country to watch the livestreaming.
“We have been amazed at the number of people outside the parish who are related to the parishioners who tune in,” Father Borkowski said. “They watch the Mass at the same time; they watch the concert at the same time.”
St. Patrick’s had been laying the groundwork for an audiovisual ministry for some time.
“We have invested four or five years into this – the foundation was already there,” Father Borkowski said. “So when the pandemic hit, we were ready from day one; we had been streaming for the last three years, one Mass per weekend.”
The parish decided to stream all of their Masses during the pandemic.
“People who would come to the 4:30 Mass can tune in at 4:30. So the ritual is not broken,” said Father Borkowski.
Also streamed are funerals and weddings.
“We offered the options up front,” he said. “People have been very appreciative, especially in the middle of the pandemic, when you could not have 20 people in the church, to begin with.”
Deacon Christopher Finan related stories from viewers around the world.
“There was a woman who tuned in from Australia, and she wasn’t able to go to Mass before going into surgery,” he said. “She sent us an email; grateful she was be able to prepare for the surgery by watching our Mass.” A man from Illinois also contacted Deacon Finan. “I got an email from a candidate who was in the diaconate out in Chicago, and he gave me feedback. I corresponded with him a little bit and told him that I would be praying for him and his formation.”
Additional responses have come from Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. “We will hear from members of our parish who say, ‘My sister is listening from California.’ So it’s a nice way to reach out,” the deacon said.
Father Borkowski credited the parish’s commitment to building an audiovisual ministry as the reason for its success in its outreach. “It’s a huge investment – we probably spent $17,000. When we had extra money, we just put it away; we saved money to do it,” he said.
Deacon Finan noted how this ministry has worked in conjunction with faith formation classes, using tech-savvy young people’s talents in making videos.
“We have a team that is taking clips from different concerts that we’ve had here and putting them together into a streaming video for young people who are at home. So they still feel connected, and they are learning about the sacraments from that. It’s a blessing to see the music that we have been working on all this time being focused on the faith so the kids can really grow in their faith as well,” he said.
Mr. Bilodeau views the concerts as a way of addressing the pandemic’s toll on families.
“We’re trying to see where people are: they are at home, the kids can’t have playdates, they can’t go and do the things they normally do. It’s a lot of stress on individuals; it’s a lot of stress on families. Examining what Father Tomasz said about our capabilities, the foundation we have, we asked ourselves: what can we do to bring people as much joy as we can? We did the kids’ concert, a classic rock concert, and tried to mix it up. For the choir members, it was nice to see them do something that could be streamed into people’s homes,” the music director said.
The concerts are as much for the music ministers of the parish as they are for the public.
“As much as the people receiving it, it’s for the people in the ministries here — we don’t want any of the ministries to feel disconnected because they cannot serve,” Mr. Bilodeau said. “They need to serve. So we are trying our best to include them in, let them know they are needed.”
Father Borkowski added, “It was very surprising how much members of our music ministry were missing doing what they have been doing, and how much of a struggle it has been for them. Doing those concerts is ministering to the people who are singing. We are inviting them to do what they love.”