Photo above – Pope Francis holds a palm branch at St Peter’s Basilica
More than 12 million devices from 43 different countries last Sunday linked into services broadcast by a Co Tyrone company via webcam from churches, John Breslin reports in the Belfast Telegraph.
The number compares to around one million normally tuned into the services provided through MCN Media, its chief executive Seamus McNicholl revealed.
And the company is expecting the numbers for Palm Sunday yesterday – which have not yet been tallied – and Easter weekend to surge even higher.
The company has already added servers since the lockdown started to counter crashes, and is adding another 10 this week.
Webcams were already installed in hundreds of churches in Northern Ireland, the Republic and Great Britain, but Mr McNicholl said the company has taken orders for another 120 recently after coronavirus closed churches to gatherings.
“It has been an experience, never seen anything like this…our fantastic staff are all working from home, but they have hardly had time to even get any lunch,” said Mr McNicholl, whose company manages broadcasts of services by all denominations.
He said 12.3m from 43 countries tuned in to services last Sunday.
A special Palm Sunday Mass for the Disappeared was held virtually for the first time due to coronavirus social distancing rules, streamed from St Mary’s Church in Londonderry.
Fr Joe Gormley celebrated mass and lit candles in remembrance of those murdered and abducted by republican groups during the Troubles.
The Church of Ireland, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, along with other denominations and Christian organisations, held a Palm Sunday National Day of Prayer in response to the emergency.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Ireland’s four main churches said: “Though we cannot meet as the gathered Church, we will end the hour united in prayer, asking for the Lord’s healing touch on our land and all its people.”
They asked people to pray for sick, the fearful, the bereaved, those isolated and alone, as well as “healthcare professionals, delivery drivers, essential workers and all on the frontline”.
But while many churches can broadcast via webcam, for some it is not possible.
Rev Gareth Simpson, of Ballywalter Presbyterian Church near Newtownards, said a webcam is installed in the church but there isn’t the bandwidth to broadcast live.
Rev Simpson is pre-recording his services, uploading them to YouTube then posting a link on the church’s Facebook page.
“It is not a great situation. I think that is definitely the downfall, not being able to connect with everyone,” the minister said, although members are in contact via phone with the elderly and most vulnerable.
Fr Martin Magill, parish priest of St John the Evangelist on Belfast’s Falls Road, said the architecture of the church does not lend itself to the installation of a webcam.
Fr Magill is using Facebook live and Zoom to broadcast services, which allows some interaction, including being able to conference in parishioners yesterday to help to read from the Gospel of Matthew.
“There is interaction and you could not get that with a webcam,” the parish priest said.
Pope Francis yesterday started the first of several Holy Week ceremonies that will be held behind closed doors this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Francis led the ceremony inside an empty St Peter’s Basilica.
The Church of Ireland is providing information on the different ways that people can tune in to services, said spokesman Peter Cheney.
“Many of our churches, before the crisis, would have already recorded services and provided them on CD to parishioners who are unable to attend,” Mr Cheney said.
“Many parishes have also been using social media for a long time. The Church is providing guidance for parishes on how to prepare and run online services, which is also available in parish resources.”
Belfast Telegraph.
April 06 2020 06:06 AM
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