By Trina Remedios –
As India plummets deeper into the COVID-19 fight, many Catholic Churches are struggling to cope with this situation. Coffers are emptying out, faith is in danger of being under-nourished, fellowship is at its lowest, and service is thriving to a certain extent. In the face of closed church buildings, digital communications technology is one of the best ways to counter these hurdles, but there is a sense of hesitancy, scepticism, and even helplessness among parishes to tap this new space wholeheartedly. Hence, in order to assist parishes gain confidence in the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of utilising digital communication for pastoral evangelization, the Andrean Media Cell of St
Andrew’s Church (Bandra West) organised a webinar on ‘Church Communication in Corona Times’ on Saturday, July 18. The resource speaker, Fr Joshan Rodrigues, who has studied Church Communications in Rome and the US, and is currently the Managing Editor of The Examiner, captivated the 80-plus participants with a thought-provoking session on the effective use of digital communication in our parish during these uncertain times.
A look at the current scenario
Fr Joshan began by giving us an insight into how Catholics In Mumbai are consuming religious content online. Since the lockdown began, there has been an abundance of online resources available to us in the form of Masses, reflections and the like. He revealed some interesting facts from a survey that he had conducted in the archdiocese at the end of May.
- 49 per cent of parishes in the archdiocese are streaming either weekday and/or Sunday Masses. While this may seem encouraging, only 14.5 per cent parishes were using digital technology effectively to conduct pastoral activities.
- 55 per cent of those whose parish did offer a Mass chose instead to watch a Mass from another source. This was more likely with senior adults, aged 55 and above.
- 5 per cent of respondents said that they would like to connect with their local priest on social media.
Rising to new ideas
Fr Joshan offered many tips and ideas to get the ball rolling in our parishes. He also focused on how to do things better so that the quality of our Church digital outreach improves. Every parish ought to go beyond just streaming Mass and cater to the three pastoral pillars of faith, fellowship, and service. In short, what a church does online should radiate a feeling of Community.
A few points mentioned were:
- Have an effective Media Cell in every parish
- Use equipment already at hand
- The Media Cell could assist other Cells and Associations with setting up of online meetings
- Conduct activities for all age groups. Look out for those who may not have access to smartphones and internet connectivity
- Tap your parishioners to create content for your social media channels
- Communicate hope and positivity.
However, these efforts are a stepping stone to future prospects for each parish. Fr Joshan summed it up, “Your digital communication ministry should not be just a stop-gap or temporary arrangement till your church doors open again. Consider not only how to survive but thrive.” It ushers in new ways for parishioners to remain connected to their parish, even after the lockdown is lifted. For instance, your parish Mass or meetings can continue online even in a post-COVID-19 world after the church doors reopen. The online parish Mass would benefit the housebound greatly, as they feel a sense of belongingness to the local parish.
Upskilling your assets
At this point in the webinar, we were bubbling with ideas, but it was also time for good execution. This is important as it creates a quality experience. Fr Joshan hit the nail on the head with best practices for social media, video recording, upgrading production values, and enhancing content. He delved into creating quality social media posts and mistakes to avoid. He explained the ethics of not using copyrighted material, making videos on your smartphone, and editing the footage. This was followed by amazing examples from our own archdiocese of digital communications done well. Fr Joshan highlighted some good examples from various parishes who were using digital communications very effectively and creatively. These tips and ideas lit a flame of innovation and inspiration in the 55-plus parishes participating in the webinar.
“The webinar was truly enriching, enlightening, and very informative,” said Jasmine Nair from Good Shepheard Church, Andheri West. “We received new insights and loads of inputs on how digital communications can effectively enhance our parish community life during the current scenario.”
Many parishes have a Communication Cell, but the work is limited or repetitive. This jolt of inspiration has opened new possibilities. Daniella D’Souza from Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar explained, “I am part of the Communication Cell in my parish for the last five years, and when I go to know about the webinar, I was keen to hear Fr Joshan speak on how we can go online and conduct various programmes in the parish during the pandemic. It has helped me gain a lot of information.”
Shane Carvalho from St Blaise Church, Andheri(W) summed up the anticipation and expectations from the webinar. He said, “Since I’ve been watching Fr Joshan Rodrigues on the Bombay Archdiocese YouTube channel every Tuesday, or should I say “Terrific Tuesday” as he calls it, I was eagerly waiting to attend his webinar. I must say that it was way better than I expected. The way Fr Joshan had all his statistics in place was amazing. He gave a step by step detailing of all the basics which most of us would normally leave out. Every aspect that he touched upon was indeed very valuable and showed his detailed research about the work done by different parish Media Cells. All in all, it was a very insightful and knowledgeable webinar and worth every second invested.”
Digital Communication Ministry is here to stay. It will be interesting to see how parishes innovate to nurture faith, fellowship and service in the coming weeks.
Trina Remedios is member of Andrean Media Cell, St Andrew’s Church, Bandra, Mumbai