A MASS FOR SHUT-INS
History
In 1985, the late Fr. Brian McKee and Mr. George McEwan of Sudbury proposed the initiating of a televised Mass, for the sick, confined and isolated, in this part of our province. They set out to raise the needed funds for the venture and signed a contract with Mid-Canada Television - CTV Network, for the first series of programmes.
In the Fall of 1986 A Mass for Shut-Ins, produced by Cath-Com Productions, was first aired on a commercial station. At that time the program had a coverage area which included over half of our own Diocese and all or part of five others throughout Northeastern Ontario, Northwestern Quebec, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is now in its twenty-first season of televised Masses.
Its present coverage includes all the areas reached by CTV Northeastern Ontario via antenna and cable. Also, it is now available via satellite across Canada on both Bell Express Vu and Star Choice. The potential viewing audience is from 600,000 to a million plus people. A Mass for Shut-Ins is constantly being given endorsements, from the public at large, to remain on the air.
How it is produced
Originally, A Mass for Shut-Ins was video taped with one camera, in a small chapel at the then Sudbury Catholic Centre, by Mid-Canada Television. Cath-Com Productions took the tape, edited it into a format it had designed, and brought it to the station for airing. One Mass at a time per day was taped in order to make sure enough were packaged ahead to always have a new one ready for the next Sunday. This went on for the first few years of production.
Cath-Com Productions then independently raised enough money to purchase its own equipment to produce the program from start to finish. Now thirty-nine Masses are taped per season, including Christmas, at our own facilities in Sudbury. All follow the liturgical calendar for Sundays and Christmas.
We have five main celebrants who generously give of their time and talents for this extra ministry. They are assisted by a group of selected readers. It has been a real blessing over these many years to have these people as dedicated members of our electronic liturgical team.
The basic premise that was formulated from the beginning of this project was that it would be kept as simple as possible to produce and air. Over the past twenty seasons of programming this has been made possible because of our locations, equipment, and people. However, the production has limitations.
The Limitations
Since A Mass for Shut-Ins is produced by a small group of people, (for the most part volunteers), and the amount of production equipment used is far less than a major network or production facility would have at its disposal, and finally that expenses are always kept to a minimum, the program has some limitations pertaining to its technical quality.
In order to keep within the liturgical calendar, while at the same time providing homilies that are as current as possible, we tape at the most only four programmes in advance of editing and airing. Again, we are limited by personnel, time, and funds to do it any other manner at this time.
This is what a Mass for Shut-Ins is all about. All of us who work on this project feel we have accomplished a great dea for all those who are sick, confined or isolated and cannot attend their own parish or congregation. In turn their letters of gratitude are ample testimony that we are doing something necessary and beneficial by this production.