THE SANTISIMO Rosario Parish is bent on reducing the frequency of livestreamed Masses to draw more in-person attendees, following a memorandum released by Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula on March 16.
Advincula called on parishes under the Archdiocese of Manila to monitor the frequency of livestreamed Masses and emphasize the importance of in-person church attendance.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, UST Parish Priest Fr. Paul Talavera, O.P. said online Masses helped in some way but did not give the whole experience.
“In a sense, livestreaming – online Mass in a sense – does not hinder the intimacy, but it does not provide you with full development,” he said.
“We cater to Thomasians, those who miss listening to Dominican priests assigned to UST, those working abroad, especially in places where they could not attend the Mass. The livestream’s purpose now is to reach out to those who cannot go physically,” he added.
UST Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P. said livestreamed Masses only fulfilled a limited devotional purpose and were taken advantage of.
“[T]hese broadcasts alone risk distancing us from a personal and intimate encounter with the incarnate God,” Tiong said in an interview with the Varsitarian.
“The message hopefully should be clear to those […] who are not constrained by health reasons or other valid reasons to consciously, willingly and eagerly come to Mass because we are already moving on from the pandemic, which by now is practically over,” he added.
The Church switched to online platforms in offering Masses during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as the government ordered lockdowns and restricted physical movements.
But on Oct. 14, 2022, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines called on Catholics to resume attending in-person Sunday Masses, with Churches instructed to ensure that minimum health standards continued to be followed.
Still, churches continue to livestream some Masses. The Santisimo Rosario Parish’s Facebook broadcast of this year’s Ash Wednesday Mass, for instance, drew nearly 2,000 views.
Talavera said the problem with livestreamed Masses was that it discourages Catholics from finishing the entirety of Masses to switch to something else, as if they’re on a streaming platform.
“Sometimes, it’s not really increasing your faith because you don’t like the homily of the priest. I mean does it make you holier in a sense? It’s being discouraged. It’s like just a series [on] Netflix, ‘no? You did not attend the Mass unless you were there at the start from the entrance song until the end,” the parish priest said.
Since April 1, the UST Parish has been broadcasting its daily Masses on Facebook every 6:15 a.m., while Sunday Masses are livestreamed at 9:00 a.m. J.M.A. Gonzales with reports from Justin Benedict T. Lim and Karis M. Tsang
