Using technology to evangelize

ON TV  St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, Chester, has been displaying the text to prayers and Scripture readings and lyrics to hymns on two 90-inch flat-screen TVs on either side of the altar in its church during Mass, which has increased the participation of parishioners. Above, Jeanne McCormick, a volunteer for the parish’s Media Ministry, prepares the production software on a computer before Mass.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an ongoing series exploring how parishes across the Diocese are using technology to evangelize.]

LONG VALLEY  Parishioners have been filling St. Luke Church here with a lot more singing and praying in recent years, encouraged by digital devises such as the video projectors outfitted in this rural Morris County house of worship.

Today, the dynamic congregation of St. Luke’s has been participating more at Masses because now they can read the text of prayers and Scripture readings and lyrics of the hymns that are projected on either side of the altar. They also can hear the celebrating priests much more clearly — and loudly — through a recently upgraded sound system, said Father Michael Drury, St. Luke’s pastor.

“The people of St. Luke’s can be more fully involved in the Mass. Their singing and responses to the prayers are better. It’s more uplifting,” said Father Drury, who can celebrate Masses by praying the words of the liturgy that are projected above the church entrance. “It’s great to utilize all this wonderful technology.”

Throughout the Paterson Diocese, parishes and schools have been harnessing the limitless power and possibilities of incorporating more of digital audio-video technology into their worship spaces. They have employed projectors, video cameras, television monitors, live video streaming and graphics to enhance worship and parishioner participation and sense of community.

A generous financial gift from a parishioner enabled St. Luke’s to install projectors for the front and rear walls of the church; a TV monitor for the cry room, so families outside the worship space can participate; and an upgraded sound system — a project that started last year. Also, the parish has displayed quotes on the screen from Pope Francis, video and even an article from The Beacon during announcements. For the future, St. Luke’s hopes to stream announcements at the bottom of the projected text and even be able to show videos to couples in marriage preparation, Father Drury said.

“The technology is great because young people especially are more visual and are more attentive [when hearing and listening to it],” said Father Drury, who noted that the text for each Mass gets inputted and then uploaded into computers prior to that Mass. “The possibilities of all this technology are endless,” he said.

Nearby in Chester, St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish has been displaying the text to prayers and Scripture readings and lyrics to hymns on two 90-inch flat-screen TVs on either side of the altar. A powerful piece of software, Media Shout, sends the text wirelessly to the screens, which are visible to the congregation. Often, the parish incorporates background graphics that are appropriate to themes in the Mass, such as the Women at the Well, said Bill McCormick, a St. Lawrence parishioner and project manager.

St. Lawrence’s TV screens also have shown the video of Bishop Serratelli speaking about the Bishop’s Annual Appeal —from the new Diocesan website — and PowerPoint slide presentations about the year-end finances from the parish finance committee, McCormick said.

Similar to St. Luke’s, St. Lawrence also uploads the text before the Masses. Parishioners in the Spanish-language Mass and young persons’ Mass — which includes YouTube videos that display the lyrics to contemporary Christian songs — input the text for those liturgies. For the Masses, McCormick and his wife, Jeanne, operate a desktop computer with a powerful graphics program, located in the choir area of the church, he said.

“The singing has increased. It [the technology] has enhanced the liturgy without making it distracting and showy. It also helps those parishioners who are hard of hearing,” said McCormick, who said that the video system — run on a high-speed fiber-optic cable — was installed two years ago.

Also incorporating technology in the worship space have been Mary Help of Christians Academy, North Haledon, which installed TV screens on either side of the altar in its chapel, and Our Lady of Consolation Parish, Wayne.

At St. Matthew the Apostle Parish, Randolph, an upgraded high-definition video camera was installed in the worship space last year to give viewers a full shot of the altar during Mass. Sometimes, parishioners have to sit in the parish’s Heritage Hall when the church experiences an overflow crowd and view the Mass through doors that open to the worship space. Video technology there helps these faithful see the altar that they would not be able to see otherwise. The parish’s nursery also contains a TV monitor, so families can view the Mass, said Lesile Doherty, parish business manager.

Also, Suzanne Johnson, a St. Matthew’s parishioner, edits a video recording of one of the Masses each week on the service Stream Machine and posts it on the parish website for parishioners who were unable to attend Mass or want to review parts of it, including the homily. In addition, the parish can post videos of other liturgies and spiritual activities, such as Confirmation or the Living Stations of the Cross, Doherty said.

“The technology enhances St. Matthew’s Masses and sense of community because everyone wants to be a part of the liturgy, no matter where he or she is sitting or standing,” Doherty. “We need to embrace technology.”