Video ministry puts talents to work for Church

By Christina Galeone | CFP Correspondent

WHITINSVILLE  – Experiencing Sunday Mass is vital for all Catholics. Listening to God’s Word and being nourished by the Eucharist can transform our lives. Not only does it bring us closer to Jesus, it unites us in our faith.     
But not everyone is able to go to Mass. Illness, disabilities, inclement weather and lack of reliable transportation are just some of the things that can prevent us from going. Fortunately, some churches are using technology to overcome these obstacles.
St. Patrick Church is one of them. The parish’s video ministry has been thriving. Its goal is “to share the Word of God with our friends, neighbors and fellow parishioners around the world.” It’s been doing so by live-streaming the church’s Sunday Mass each week, posting a video of it on the parish’s website, www.mystpatricks.com, as well as on the ministry’s YouTube channel, and by having it broadcast on Northbridge Cable Television on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 10 a.m.  
Started in November 2016, the ministry was formed shortly after Father Tomasz Borkowski became the church’s pastor. Father Borkowski noticed that Ron Guillaume, a parishioner, was recording a Mass with his camera, so the Northbridge Cable Television volunteer could have it broadcast on the local cable channel as a service to homebound parishioners. Father Borkowski loved the idea and asked Mr. Guillaume to expand it into a ministry that could also live-stream the Mass.  
Mr. Guillaume, who has led the ministry from the beginning, said that it was important for the parish to serve its homebound parishioners. He said that many had attended the church “their whole lives” and wanted to know what was happening in their community. He recalled,  “We just said ‘Let’s reach out to … let them know that they’re still part of the church’s family and still loved by the church.’”  
After researching what type of equipment would be needed and visiting a Baltimore church with a successful video ministry, Mr. Guillaume recruited five volunteers. He then trained them to use all of the equipment. Since the ministry needs a four-person team – a director, an audio engineer and two camera operators – to stream and record the Mass, having all the ministry members trained in different areas helps to ensure that there’s a team available every week.
And they take great pride in their work. They even arrive about 30 minutes before the Mass to set up and discuss their strategy for that day. Mr. Guillaume said that the ministry members are dedicated to the ministry’s goal and the church, and he said they do the best job they can by being knowledgeable, respectful and efficient.
“This is not a sporting event,” said Mr. Guillaume. “It’s a Mass. We have to keep it holy and give it the sanctity it deserves.”  
That dedication has caused the ministry to grow. This year, besides the Sunday Mass and First Communion ceremonies, it has also filmed the Masses on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and it has filmed the Stations of the Cross, the church’s three-night Lenten mission series and a video on eucharistic adoration. Mr. Guillaume and the other members are also regularly thanked for their work. A dad who couldn’t see or photograph his daughter’s First Communion because of people blocking his view, a woman who was on the other side of the country on a Sunday and a woman whose hip replacement kept her out of church are just a few of the parishioners who warmly expressed their gratitude to Mr. Guillaume.     
He is also amazed by how far the ministry has reached. Its YouTube channel has more than 200 subscribers, and its videos have over 31,000 views (with 20 percent of them from outside of the United States).
Mr. Guillaume said that it makes him happy to know that the ministry is following Jesus’s request to spread the Good News.
“We’re streaming the Mass, and people are watching from all over the planet,” he said. “I guess … we are spreading the Good News.”
While it also makes him happy that his wife of 41 years, Donna, who’s also been dedicated to the church, has recently become a ministry volunteer, he hopes that the ministry will continue to expand. He would like to have two teams of volunteers available each Sunday, so two Masses could be streamed, and he’d like to add more equipment.
In the meantime, he said that he and the other volunteers are enjoying their work.
“We’re doing God’s work, and it just makes us want to do it more,” said Mr. Guillaume. “God gave us a talent, and we’re putting it to good use.”