Projector Screens at Mass - Why not?

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  • Опубліковано 9 лис 2023
  • Sponsor: www.fishersnetwork.com
    I know that for many people, whether we should use projector screens or not at a Catholic mass is a trivial thing, it’s not the kind of thing that should cause divisions and debate, but if you take at least one moment to think about the implications of this dilemma, I hope you’ll see why it’s not just some trivial complaint, but actually a symptom of a much more serious concern in the #Church today - and therefore, worth spending some time talking about.
    The #Catholic mass claims to be a re-presentation of the sacrifice of #Jesus Christ for our sins where he becomes truly present - God walks onto the stage and invites us to worship him and be united to that sacrifice by consuming his body, blood, soul and divinity in the #eucharist.
    That’s a pretty serious thing, so whatever we do to accessorize or “enhance” that occasion in the #liturgy isn’t something we should take lightly. And the Church, in her teachings, does not take such considerations lightly - which is why we shouldn’t either.
    It has been explained to me that this will significantly improve participation at mass. So, the problem we see is that people aren’t participating at least in obvious ways - they aren’t singing along or reciting the responses and prayers like they’re supposed to.
    So are theatre-sized #screens at #mass the answer?
    Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: pauljernberg.com
    Podcast Version: brianholdsworth.libsyn.com/
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 236

  • @samburton2978
    @samburton2978 7 місяців тому +66

    Loved this. I'm a evangelical pastor. I hate power point. I was an executive in Corporate America, and we were slaves to power point, and it was used so poorly. I can't use it in a sermon. I want the congregation to pay attention to the message, not the screen. I don't mind it with song lyrics., But I've noticed I don't learn the lyrics and parts like I used to.

    • @harleydavidson4247
      @harleydavidson4247 7 місяців тому +14

      You should come home, brother. If you’re watching Brian, there’s a calling in your heart to partake in the treasures of the Catholic Church. Give Keith Nestor a listen. He was a pastor and gave it all up for Jesus and His church. We welcome you with open arms!

    • @spykezspykez7001
      @spykezspykez7001 6 місяців тому +3

      Audiovisual aids are fine if they help one deliver a point.
      But not at Mass.

  • @rcocco6992
    @rcocco6992 7 місяців тому +42

    I visited my old neighborhood church after a 2yr absence (covid) to find the confessionals removed and a giant screen that drops down (in front of the crucifix!) above the alter. It was the last time I attended. It broke my heart. Now when I go home to visit I travel to attend a TLM.

    • @observingyt6159
      @observingyt6159 7 місяців тому +4

      I'm not Catholic yet, but I hope to become Catholic. How can they remove confessionals? Isn't that required?

    • @turnmeondeadman4221
      @turnmeondeadman4221 7 місяців тому

      @@observingyt6159don’t believe him . They moved from booths to actual rooms so it’s easier for handicap and elderly

    • @SandraVonRR
      @SandraVonRR 7 місяців тому +5

      And this is why the TLM is growing in numbers because when you go TLM you know that you know you have been to Mass! You would think that it’s the older generation coming back to the Mass as it was before V2, but actually it’s NOT that group. It’s the millennials who are having babies and bringing their families, and dads being the dads they were meant to be. Keep going to TLM-it changes your life!

    • @hemsty2
      @hemsty2 7 місяців тому

      @@observingyt6159 - the priest can hear confession anywhere so there is no requirement to have confessionals

    • @spykezspykez7001
      @spykezspykez7001 7 місяців тому +5

      Suggest : Don’t just leave, please consider letting the parish know why.
      They may change, who knows.

  • @phoenixcatholic5367
    @phoenixcatholic5367 7 місяців тому +18

    Brian, I totally agree with what you said here. But I did expect, given my own experience, a slightly different take. I was in St Patrick's Cathedral (NYC) several years ago. It seems that when JPII came to NYC they installed CC TV screens on the back of every pillar so that those who had 'bad seats' could see what was going on in the sanctuary. On the Sunday I was there, I had one of these 'bad seats'. My experience was that when I focused on the screen I was taken out of the liturgical experience. I felt more connected to the liturgy when I simply stared at the pillar in front of me rather than at the screen. I think that screens take us in to a 'virtual' space that is entirely non-conducive to actual liturgical participation.

  • @monicakryska9708
    @monicakryska9708 7 місяців тому +9

    I have made a decision to start memorizing many prayers of the mass. When I pray the Creed from memory, I must pay attention to every word, and focus intently on what I am confessing. The Creed recited with true conviction has deepened my faith. To reduce distractions, I use a missellette. I also shut my eyes to avoid distractions at deeply holy moments. I focus on the crucifix rather than the priest who is trying to make eye contact with the congregants. I must name a huge effort to attend and be oriented to worship. Thank you for your message.

  • @justin71069
    @justin71069 7 місяців тому +16

    I started noticing the projector screens last year. One of our priests opted to phone in his homily by dimming the lights and playing an Ascension Press video. A lot of those videos are great, in the right time and place... that time is not during mass. No one was paying attention to the video and I was extremely put off by the whole thing. Likely not a coincidence that I've noticed this priest giving me odd looks when I receive communion the tongue. 🤨

  • @juliab826
    @juliab826 7 місяців тому +14

    This has been one of my pet peeves for so long! I briefly attended a parish that used one of these screens, and found it intolerably distracting. There was no choir or singing, just UA-cam videos playing things like "On Eagle's Wings" with tacky visuals. An elderly parishioner sat up front near the altar awkwardly transitioning between the videos and the slideshow, which would have stock images of bread, wine, etc. The music was always played at an incredibly loud volume for such a small church, probably because much of the congregation was old and hard of hearing.
    During our time there, my husband and I attended a parish meeting where the liturgy was being discussed. We brought up that we found it distracting and unappealling and were essentially scoffed at, being told how common it was, how they had to use it because there were no hymn books in the church, how easy it made everything, etc. There are a good number of young Catholic families that live close to this parish and every one of them now drives to churches farther away because of how bad the liturgy is, and the unwillingness of the priest and parishioners to listen to constructive criticism.

  • @oggolbat7932
    @oggolbat7932 7 місяців тому +5

    My church uses TV screens to show the readings and the prayers. I find it very considerate towards potentially deaf people.

  • @frsamfrench
    @frsamfrench 7 місяців тому +24

    This is the best, most specific, liturgical criticism Ive seen in a long time. You had me rolling with those slides!

  • @kevinwoplin9322
    @kevinwoplin9322 7 місяців тому +8

    I can attest to that turn around in 4 years since the arrival of our new parish priest .. . He restored the sanctuary and the high altar restored the rails instituted a choir director and a choral scholars program opened the confessional every day after Mass and for 3 hours on Saturday, adoration every month on a friday and the transformation has been amazing people vist the parish to see how it was turned around from double digits at Mass to triple digits. And Eucharistic ministers are only used at big attendance time like Christmas Midnight Mass

    • @elizabethking5523
      @elizabethking5523 7 місяців тому

      That’s awesome!! Let’s pray the Lord will bless us to have this happen EVERYWHERE!!! ❤️🙏🏻

  • @johncox2284
    @johncox2284 7 місяців тому +16

    In the Evangelical world the big screen is used for songs, hymns and announcements. They are also used to show movies during the worship service. What they don't realise is the screen plus the worship band has tirned the worship into entertainment.

  • @VeronicasVeil333
    @VeronicasVeil333 7 місяців тому +1

    Yes. Our diocese recently set up a screen IN FRONT OF THE ALTAR BEFORE SUNDAY MASS to ask for money!! I was outraged.

  • @markscannell865
    @markscannell865 7 місяців тому +6

    We spend hours on end from Monday to Saturday looking at screens. Can we spend just one hour on Sundays not looking at screens?

  • @bekabell1
    @bekabell1 7 місяців тому +11

    Thank you for this! I never fully understood 'full and active participation' until I attended the traditional Mass. I can lose myself at my FSSP parish, but never at the local diocesan parish (which has screens) and is dying.

  • @martinciglenecki526
    @martinciglenecki526 7 місяців тому +2

    Brian, that PowerPoint is lit 🔥. Also, you are spot on

  • @LaserFace23
    @LaserFace23 7 місяців тому +15

    My parish has a (rather nice) set of projectors, and I'm starting to feel that it's more of a hindrance than a help as well. In my opinion, it almost seems to be in-line with the trend of so-called "active participation" which is really just busy work -- for example, having WAY too many extraordinarily ministers, or letting girls become "altar girls" because "well everybody has to participate in some way!", when traditionally altar serving is akin to a practice for the priesthood.
    In the case of the projectors, we have a person whose entire role is to just advance the powerpoint from one slide to the next. This is an almost patronizingly simple role that I don't think really enhances the experience in any major way; in fact, the one running the slides is being taken away from the ACTUAL way to participate in the Mass (genuine prayer), and if they DO get distracted from the slides then everyone who is apparently glued to the powerpoint (rather than the Mass, btw) will complain that they didn't know what words to sing or what prayer to pray. It just serves as another way to trivialize the re-union of heaven and earth. I dunno, I like my parish overall and genuinely feel like I'm called to do work there (it's actually a fairly large and resource-rich parish with a good amount of families), but there really are so many problems that are getting more difficult to ignore sometimes.

  • @marygr8064
    @marygr8064 7 місяців тому +5

    Totally agree. Feel the same way about some music at Mass.

  • @laura8324
    @laura8324 7 місяців тому +11

    I always found it difficult to pray during NO Masses because of distraction simply caused by the extremely loud music played through speakers. Projection screens would be so much worse! Save them for the parish hall to use during classes, lectures, etc.
    I can concentrate on prayer during the periods of silence during TLM. Even during Sung High Masses, the actual prayers of the Mass are chanted, not Christian pop songs!

    • @wolfthequarrelsome504
      @wolfthequarrelsome504 7 місяців тому +3

      I agree about the Christian Pop songs.

    • @laura8324
      @laura8324 6 місяців тому +1

      @@tafazzi-on-discord Respectfully, I ask you, how do you know it was a great problem? Our Pre VaticanII churches were always packed on Sundays, today not so much. I “participate” by silently following along in my missal the prayers the priest prays while HE (not the faithful) “in persona Christi” offers the sacrifice to God. May God Bless You.

  • @5150show
    @5150show 7 місяців тому +1

    Incredible. Our parish Priest made this point himself yesterday in his homily

  • @johncoffey9837
    @johncoffey9837 7 місяців тому +3

    I appreciate a nice, quiet Mass. I enjoy the reflective space. I love chant and more classical hymns. But there are a lot of "I"s there.
    My mom was born deaf. So was my grandma. They both have hearing aids now, but hearing is still a struggle.
    My home parish has progressively become less and less classical. Electric organ and piano has moved to guitars and drums. Screens have covered up stained glass (though that came along with a beautifully very classical looking renovation of the sanctuary).
    My mom has expressed deep happiness towards those screens from the second they went up. She can't hear too well. She can't hear the liturgy of the word too well. She can't hear the Eucharistic prayer too well. Now, finally, she feels like she can get a better grasp of what's going on, after being a lifelong Catholic.
    I find it really interesting. I've come to a similar conclusion about working towards peoples' affections and that even if it's a small subset of people that is deeply benefitted by something that leads them closer to God, we should do it for the sake of the Church. I've thought about this parish this way. I'm not from the wealthiest area. Very few people there are using powerpoints at work. It's blue collar: bus drivers, janitors, nurses aids, etc. My priest's sermons aren't the most intellectual. They often cite emotions or popular references. Yet, they remain orthodox. I was shocked when I went to college and for the first time really connected to the space of the Mass. The intellectual nature of that space certainly helped there. But the whole world ain't like that. The Mass is sacred, and should be treated as such. Absolutely. But different things reveal the sacred to different people: St. Thomas Aquinas found it often in reasoning, St. Francis found it often in nature, St. Hildegard found it often in song, etc.
    In my town where the average IQ ain't that high, where people aren't in that professional mindset (which, after living in both spaces now, I can tell you is a VERY different world), where people are so isolated from one another by suburbia and waining prosperity that anyone singing with heart about true love is going to be sacred. It's going to break the everyday flow of mindless tv, and social media. And you see those effects there. Children dance. People stay to the end to clap for the band. People stay after and commune with one another. Do you think Christ would be mad at that?
    I appreciated hearing your argument. Just a few thoughts from another perspective.
    God bless brother

  • @MikePasqqsaPekiM
    @MikePasqqsaPekiM 7 місяців тому +4

    ‘Remove art that lacks artistic worth, or is mediocre’?!
    Will the real “spirit of Vatican II”
    PLEASE stand up?! 😫

  • @lynnfiedler8873
    @lynnfiedler8873 7 місяців тому +1

    Thank you, Brian! I have shared this on social media and with our Bishop who REQUIRES screens in all new build Sanctuaries. A travesty!!!

  • @christinevivaldoOFS
    @christinevivaldoOFS 7 місяців тому +2

    Parishioners are not WORSHIPPING God from their heart, as we are supposed to, and this PowerPoint is a huge distraction to adore our Lord.

  • @A.R.C.S_P.R
    @A.R.C.S_P.R 7 місяців тому +1

    i single handily convinced my parish not to add screens

  • @rosiegirl2485
    @rosiegirl2485 7 місяців тому +2

    Participation at Mass only requires two things...
    Prayer and Worship!
    Projectors, clowns, rock bands are all welcomed...outside of Mass!
    May God forgive us, as we strive to get it right! ⚘️

  • @gwenewing6837
    @gwenewing6837 7 місяців тому +4

    I cannot imagine going to mass with a screen with lyrics or responses. No way 😢

  • @catherinemcdavid1533
    @catherinemcdavid1533 6 місяців тому +1

    I totally agree. When I walk in and see screens hanging in the church.. I'm thinking, "noooooooooooooo"..Jesus is enough. I am not here to be entertained.

  • @fredtrevino9201
    @fredtrevino9201 4 місяці тому

    Very well stated, Brian and Ive wrestled with this myself. One thing that helped me was to prepare a program before the mass that had the readings, the responsorial, the gloria so that I didn’t have to fiddle with a pew missal looking for them. I was ready to go. A simple printed program of the mass would be a big help for many.

  • @melbayarbo3606
    @melbayarbo3606 6 місяців тому

    Oh Brian you're scratching where I've been itching for years! I have an ongoing debate with my friend who is a music minister about this. You nailed it, brother! Thanks for speaking into this subject!!

  • @normkocol1324
    @normkocol1324 7 місяців тому

    Our parish is truly blessed, small enough that screens are not required

  • @irenecook6411
    @irenecook6411 6 місяців тому

    I agree…when there are subtitles, I end of reading them instead of watching what’s on screen!

  • @afterlate8866
    @afterlate8866 7 місяців тому +2

    The big screens at Mass are UGLY! The church should be a place of sanctity, sacredness, beauty and peace. Second, they interrupt some people’s focus. Brian is absolutely right here.

  • @popebenedict7615
    @popebenedict7615 7 місяців тому

    Soooo glad you did this!!! Thank you sooo much!

  • @popebenedict7615
    @popebenedict7615 7 місяців тому +2

    They do this because people have completely lost the sense of the Sacred

  • @zeap87
    @zeap87 7 місяців тому

    This is like when a recording tv set, the audience is shown a sign that says “applauses”… they will aplaude… but not sincerely. And the one who wanted to applaud sincerely… now will feel artificial.

  • @TheBadgerDad_TheByzantineLife
    @TheBadgerDad_TheByzantineLife 7 місяців тому

    Brilliant. I applaud you good sir. The Powerpoint slides had me lol irl.

  • @JohnNiehaus-iz1fd
    @JohnNiehaus-iz1fd 7 місяців тому

    "Compulsive participation." You hit the nail right on the head. I went to a Mass at a church that projected everything from songs, to responsorial responses etc. Extremely distracting as the words couldn't keep up with the music and choir.

  • @therussianbot1237
    @therussianbot1237 6 місяців тому

    I went to Annunciation parish in Edmonton and it was surreal. They had 15+ tv screens and during mass everyone was looking at their closest screen, including the priest. I haven’t been back.

    • @EpoRose1
      @EpoRose1 6 місяців тому

      Yikes, that sounds like a sports bar.

  • @liraco_mx
    @liraco_mx 7 місяців тому +1

    That transition killed me 😂

  • @MNkno
    @MNkno 7 місяців тому

    Thank you for being so articulate on a sore point. People don't stay with their church, or their religion, because it's entertaining or trendy - that's a reson for short term attendance + ghosting. Young people don't come to church to sit in the pews with their parents trying not to text on their phones, but hey, carrying live flames in the procession, Gospel reading, and recession can capture their attention. I sat next to a person who had a good singing voice but was silent in the service, and I asked why - "I'm going to leave the music to the professionals" was the reply, and sure enough, in a short time they were no longer coming to church. The service is for participation, not be a performance to be passively observed.
    We have a mother of 4 young children running our Sunday School at the moment, and she wants the entire Sunday School being the ushers, crucifers as well as acolytes, readers, intecessors, and singing 1 of the choir songs about once every 3 months. The objection that "Children don't have the knowledge or maturity for those roles" is met with a solid "So we teach them. It's Sunday SCHOOL, and taking real responsibilty is good for them." Even when it's not their turn, they pay attention and participate because it's their friends actively participating.
    "People won't know what to say/sing without the screens"... is why we provide print-on-paper order of service booklets, and because of technology, we can provide large-print booklets if there is a need.

  • @user-ee3yo9sb4z
    @user-ee3yo9sb4z 7 місяців тому

    We are TLMers, and we can't stand the screens when we have to go to a NO. We call them jumbotrons. Nothing shouts entertainment (football, concerts) like these ridiculous jumbotrons!! We are there to worship our God, not to be entertained. So sad.😢😢😢

  • @matthiasdinkelbach1661
    @matthiasdinkelbach1661 7 місяців тому

    Thanks for bringing this guidance from the Church to my attention! This is an interesting principle that goes beyond just screens and projectors. I wonder what the writers of SC would say about whether it is better to have mediocre art in a parish or none at all.

  • @TheGringoSalado
    @TheGringoSalado 7 місяців тому

    Fr. Announcing the Knights of Columbus bake sale, and inviting people to stand for a birthday blessing with cake after mass right after we receive the body of Christ!!!!
    For the Love of God!
    And yet they claim we need a Eucharist revival…..
    Negligence or Intentional?

  • @quoprimum9145
    @quoprimum9145 7 місяців тому

    Ever noticed how many restaurants have televisions plastered on every wall showing the latest sportsball and other nonsense? Every tried to get your toddler to focus on anything but the constant stimulus of those televisions? Ever sat through a meeting at work where the very same demographic of people who advocate for this garbage at Mass cannot, for whatever reason, figure out how to change slides, get the powerpoint displayed on the correct monitor, or even remember to put it in full screen mode instead opting to show their minion-ridden abomination of a slideshow in editing mode?
    I have very strong opinions on this particular topic. Thank you, Brian, for putting this video out.

  • @sam.mead__
    @sam.mead__ 7 місяців тому +1

    I certainly agree that screens can be distracting when not done well, but at my parish we have a screen to the side of the sanctuary, we only display the words for songs and the Creed, we use Arial with a black background (occasionally changing the background to match the feast) and we don't actually use PPT - we use a database-based program (called OpenLP) and you can easily skip over verses that you don't sing and you can adapt on the spot. I think that this works in my parish because our churches (unfortunately) are not particularly beautiful, so a simple screen fits in with the design. Our cathedral, for example, doesn't have a screen, which is great because a screen would be at odds with the more-beautifully-designed cathedral.

  • @AJKPenguin
    @AJKPenguin 6 місяців тому

    Your slideshow was amusing, your PowerPoint was on point!
    I first saw multimedia presentations done at Liturgy in 2013, at St. Joseph's in Queenstown, NZ. The Liturgy was reverent otherwise, yet it reminded me of the Church of Christ I went to for VBS and summer camp years ago.
    I wonder though, if these screens are leading people to break the Commandment of say the Lord's Name in vain. . .they say His name, but in empty fashion.
    At my church, there are screens. Thankfully they are reserved for the Creed, the Psalm, and the Archdiocesan prayer for vocations.
    Oh, they also are used for announcements prior and after Liturgy; but I wish they'd only play announcements when the Altar candles are blown out.

  • @willdansbury8479
    @willdansbury8479 7 місяців тому

    Enjoyed the message (and the humour) in this one, Brian!

  • @jmpersic
    @jmpersic 6 місяців тому +1

    Papyrus and Comic Sans in the same slide? You capture cheesy church slideshows so effectively, lol. Agree 1000%.

  • @monikamoldvay6102
    @monikamoldvay6102 7 місяців тому +1

    In churches of Hungary only the psalm responses and the song lyrics are projected, and prayers or responses for special occasions, nothing else. It's plain text, no design elements added.

  • @idecarlow
    @idecarlow 7 місяців тому

    Yes to all of this!

  • @stevensonrf
    @stevensonrf 7 місяців тому +1

    Excellent video!

  • @joolz5747
    @joolz5747 7 місяців тому +1

    Once in a blue moon during a homily we have a quick slide show.
    At the bishops Lent appeal sometimes they show the happenings in the diocese.
    THIS NEVER INTERFERES WITH THE MASS.
    IT IS RARE! Maybe 1x a year.

  • @shannonmaria22
    @shannonmaria22 7 місяців тому

    Excellent points!

  • @navchaps3449
    @navchaps3449 7 місяців тому

    Piety - what is appropriate in the worship of God - dominated the concerns of the Church Fathers. This attitude safeguards and cultivates the sense of the sacred in Mass.

  • @uteme
    @uteme 7 місяців тому

    Brian, you're a treasure. Thank you!
    +JMJ+

  • @16Mystery61
    @16Mystery61 7 місяців тому

    Wow, mad props for reading Tra Le . I’ve never heard anyone ever reference it besides one very cold priest I know

  • @dadaUnts
    @dadaUnts 6 місяців тому

    My family and I serve at a small parish here in Edmonton and to be able to truly be a part of the Holy Mass takes a personal love and passion and personally, in my case it all starts in the family and I am fortunate to have that foundation. As I serve in the music ministry, I feel that I also have the obligation to use the sound system not just for when the hymns are sung but by speaking on the microphone during times the congregation is supposed to respond; '...and with your spirit', 'Amen', the Confiteor and the Apostles and/or Nicene Creed, the blessing of the gifts acclamation - 'Blessed be God Forever', etc. to a point that it becomes a habitual pious nudge to say the least. I am glad that we don't have a projector and I agree that it actually creates an almost synthetic and mechanical atmosphere where it fails to be a tool to revive or remedy participation but rather appeases and appeals to the marginalized disposition of an already weakened number (and quality) of parishioners.

  • @laurieide4303
    @laurieide4303 6 місяців тому

    I had never considered this before, but it definitely resonates with me.

  • @jameydunne3920
    @jameydunne3920 7 місяців тому +1

    I so love your dry humor throughoit this video to explore and probe your point.
    I'd insert a slide (here) if i new how to in a text in celebration of your point, but alas (random emoji) I'm only a novice texter with medocre skills.

  • @alan-muscat
    @alan-muscat 7 місяців тому

    Whaaa! 😮 I never knew this was a thing! Heaven forfend that this should come to my church.

  • @rosenzollern
    @rosenzollern 6 місяців тому

    You made a hilariously funny PowerPoint presentation 😂😂😂

  • @TokugawaPatrick
    @TokugawaPatrick 7 місяців тому

    What do you think Flip-disc displays for the number of hymns in the song book (I have seen this quite often) or even to display the lyrics of the song sung (I have seen that once). Decently placed on the side but somewhere visible. Do you also think that this is improper? Why/how would that be different from a board where the organist draws or puts in the numbers of the song manually?

  • @darlenew3579
    @darlenew3579 7 місяців тому

    A good portion of the churches in Florida have the big screens. 😢

  • @jherna9960
    @jherna9960 6 місяців тому

    Wow. Brian. I thought I was alone in this. This is why I don’t like attending NO and go to TLM. I wish the NO at least get rid of these distractions. And at least sing the Lamb of God in Latin, etc I think there would be more participation because it’s literally out of this world NOT entertainment!

  • @bluesman091
    @bluesman091 6 місяців тому

    Hey Brian,
    I'm from Costa Rica so the context on which it is used might be different. Before COVID we had simple flyers that had The Lectures of that Mass, usually these were sponsored discretely (this pamphlet was provided with the help of "this company"). After COVID that was gone due to the nature of how it transmits. However, I have seen the projector used for that purpose (Lectures, Psalms, Responses, specific prayers like Spiritual Communion). I believe it helps those who cannot afford (or don't know you can buy) the Missal of that cycle, and it also helps those with visual memory see the Lectures of that day. So as long as it is done with that purpose I see it Ok and not as a "lets try modernizing the church" approach.

  • @lukeknott2779
    @lukeknott2779 7 місяців тому

    I dig. Definitely earned the like and subscribe. Cheers mate!

  • @spykezspykez7001
    @spykezspykez7001 7 місяців тому

    Lol, when I clicked on this, I thought you were going to talk about screens in Orthodox churches! 😂😂😂

  • @XTileriusX
    @XTileriusX 7 місяців тому

    Brilliant!

  • @Sathrandur
    @Sathrandur 7 місяців тому +1

    And, if one has a beautiful church, why would one wish to obscure, yea, mar a beautiful aesthetic with a big white plastic screen or two. If one can read from a screen, one can also read the same from a book.

  • @nathanieljaymedonahue1892
    @nathanieljaymedonahue1892 7 місяців тому

    What do you think about over-flow rooms (disconnected from the Church but onsite) with live footage of the Mass?

  • @pcplayer9613
    @pcplayer9613 7 місяців тому

    If this happened at my church I would rather just blindfold myself for the entire mass so that I could concentrate on proper worship of Christ in the Eucharist. Then afterward, if God gave me the courage (because I know I can be a coward), I would confront my pastor and tell him just what he is doing to his parish with those screens. Thanks be to God my pastor hasn't done this.

  • @fishman6660
    @fishman6660 5 місяців тому

    I was just watching another UA-cam video, that had subtitles... yep, watching them rather than listening to the presenter. Oops! so true!

  • @aptmadooms
    @aptmadooms 7 місяців тому

    More people should see this so I'm leaving a comment for the algorithm

  • @dragunisus
    @dragunisus 7 місяців тому

    The only thing I think is ok when it relates to big screen is a projection for the lyrics of the song. I have some good reasons, more personals, for it. 1) Not all the songs are in the prayer booklet you can grab at the entry. (I in Quebec, so it may different in the rest of Canada and in the States) 2) Since I don't know them all and want to sing along it helps. Without it, like when I first had a church experience, I was saying gibberish. 3) Members of my famillly don't have the same mother tongue. So that helps too. But there are no images or bright color.

  • @angrypotato_fz
    @angrypotato_fz 6 місяців тому

    In my country, Poland, fortunately the screens are only used to show the texts of songs and sometimes the Credo or special prayers after the mass, like the prayer to St. Michael. (of course there are some negative, 'progressive' exceptions, mainly in big cities, but I rarely encounter them)
    To be honest, I think the projectors are very helpful (also during TLM, which I often attend), and even seem more accessible for old people than books, according to these elders (small text, hard to turn pages with stiff fingers, especially when it's cold, old books are falling apart, some new ones can't stay open). The screens are very simple, no presentation, plain font, black and white - and this is how they should stay IMO, not to attract attention.
    20-30 years ago we had slide projectors, using typewriter font and making loud clicking noises and fan buzzing when they overheated - a modern screen is a great improvement, but indeed there is a temptation to use it for something else.
    In some parishes we have dot-matrix screens, and while these don't bring the temptation to use for something else, they remind us of train station and are more intrusive visually and less legible.

  • @vonMohl
    @vonMohl 5 місяців тому

    How much time are you devoting to your prayer life and how much to prepare your videos ? What absorbs you more ?

  • @nathanvangoor4979
    @nathanvangoor4979 6 місяців тому

    VA2 explicitly endorsed ceasing to build new "high altars". To be more precise it was stated to be preferred that altars were build for versus populum and that tabernacles shouldn't block the view.

    • @nathanvangoor4979
      @nathanvangoor4979 6 місяців тому

      The usage of Gregorian chant was meant to be reduced to a minimum; only being mandated for certain churches once in a while.

  • @stevensonrf
    @stevensonrf 7 місяців тому

    The problem is that our current hierarchy does not care what Vatican II says or what the traditional Catholic Church teaches. They’re going to do what they’re going to do.😔

  • @henrymccarty5059
    @henrymccarty5059 7 місяців тому

    Yes.

  • @nancyproctor320
    @nancyproctor320 7 місяців тому

    WTH? This happens? Saints preserve us!

  • @lesparks126
    @lesparks126 7 місяців тому

    There are probably some contextual places that a projection may be necessary. Images are a powerful tool in conveying certain ideals. Much like stained glass in a Church. They should be used to enhance and not distract. But, generally, not a fan of Powerpoint.

  • @samburton2978
    @samburton2978 7 місяців тому +1

    One more thing, I have watched your videos for at least 2.5 years, and you have made me appreciative of Roman Catholic doctrine. The things I learned in seminary were not kind. Thank you, good sir.

  • @liamskopal7516
    @liamskopal7516 7 місяців тому +3

    My high school used Power Point slides during out "gymatorium" Masses. They included the song lyrics and the responses. For other times, it originally had a stained glass window but we changed it to a blank screen.
    While I cannot imagine using these in a church, I think they had rheir place in the gym Mass.
    Then again, Mass in a gymnasium is by nature not especially reverent, so maybe that's a topic for its own conversation.

    • @spykezspykez7001
      @spykezspykez7001 6 місяців тому

      There’s also the other side of the coin.
      It’s better to have Mass at school in a gym, properly said, than no Mass at all.
      Reframe it that way, and you might feel better.
      I mean, if it’s said properly and reverently, it’s probably ok and better than none.

    • @liamskopal7516
      @liamskopal7516 6 місяців тому

      @@spykezspykez7001 very good point. You're absolutely right.

  • @johnmorkunas6707
    @johnmorkunas6707 7 місяців тому +1

    We don't allow prerecorded music at mass, so why should we allow this other stuff?

  • @user-uc9nl4sh7x
    @user-uc9nl4sh7x 6 місяців тому

    Thank our Lord for sensus fidelium

  • @carolynkimberly4021
    @carolynkimberly4021 7 місяців тому +1

    The use of screens is sacrilegious. Protestants use them so we have to too.

  • @butlerlado
    @butlerlado 7 місяців тому

    Thank you for this thoughtful presentation. I had not considered your take on PowerPoint as a worship aid. After listening to you, I agree that not only are PowerPoints cheap, but they cheapen the experience of Mass. Thankfully, our parish does not use big screens, but I have attended Mass at other churches that do.
    What continues to bother me at Mass at my parish is the effort made to produce an "experience" for the congregation. Mass has become a show, a kind of entertainment. Much is done to uplift our Mass experience. The main attraction shifts between liturgical dancing to a choir and musicians located adjacent to the altar. The overly interpreted and emotional cantoring and accompanying drums and trumpets upstage the priest. I often feel I am more at a concert than a Mass.
    I appreciate the great effort being made for us, but feel it is misplaced. I take issue with your words: "badly performed liturgy." The liturgy must be a co-celebration. It is why the frequently heard comment, "I don't get anything out of Mass," is essentially coming from the wrong angle. Mass is not entertainment but an opportunity to jointly pray and celebrate the miracle of the Eucharist. WE must put ourselves into the Mass and make an effort.
    Once we do, we will have a "well-celebrated liturgy." It may not be flashy and glamorous, but much deeper and more spiritual for us all in the congregation. I believe we can make this happen not with big screens and knock-em-dead performances, but with simple, gentle guidance and leadership where each of our spiritualities is valued and respected.

  • @theurzamachine
    @theurzamachine 7 місяців тому +1

    I attend Mass at two parishes that use a projector. For one of them, the musicians do an excellent job and the laity participate in singing as well as the responses. For the other one, the musicians aren't that great and typically cite hymnal music in books that just aren't available in front of us (there are hymn books in the pews but not the ones we need). As a result, without a projector, no one participates in singing. All participate in the responses though since those are essentially the same each time.

  • @admiralbob77
    @admiralbob77 7 місяців тому +1

    Here's the problem: in the current rubrics, people are supposed to sing. They're also supposed to be chanting the propers each week. The hymnals don't have these - so if it is to happen, how does this happen without a screen? One of the reasons chant got thrown out for hymns is because there's a book in the pews with hymns. There isn't one for the chants of the Roman Graduale.
    So which is it we do?

    • @carolynkimberly4021
      @carolynkimberly4021 7 місяців тому

      Our Traditional parish uses the St. Edmund Champion hymnal that has all the tones and propers. Men sing Gregorian Chant

  • @francisb2278
    @francisb2278 6 місяців тому

    What does anyone think about using phones, instead of projectors, sheets and books? People can scan QR codes to open PDFs.

  • @rosachu6161
    @rosachu6161 7 місяців тому

    Thank you Mr. Brian for bringing this topic up and educating people. I personally HATE the huge screen in the church. aside from all your good and reasonable points you brough up. It is a ugly distraction. It is a house of God and our eyes should be on God. NOT on a screen. I can not say enough bad things about it.

  • @GiantFlyingFoxes
    @GiantFlyingFoxes 7 місяців тому

    I love how you perfectly represented all PowerPoints by using Papyrus font and an image with a non-transparent background 😂

  • @annamarialesiuk9735
    @annamarialesiuk9735 6 місяців тому

    Traditional Latin Mass is a solution to all this... Hopefully God gives us more and more priests able to celebrate this Mass, so everyone who seeks it has a parish near to them where they could attend it.

  • @everetunknown5890
    @everetunknown5890 6 місяців тому

    Slideshow software can be really helpful especially when quoting a passage from scripture

  • @markgriffiths5289
    @markgriffiths5289 7 місяців тому

    Amen 🙏✝️

  • @carolynkimberly4021
    @carolynkimberly4021 7 місяців тому +1

    The people that like screens don't know how to pray and don't have a clue what the Mass is all about.

  • @conorwgeorge
    @conorwgeorge 6 місяців тому

    This video was more about bad powerpoints (which I agree are terrible) than about projector screens specifically.

  • @thomism1016
    @thomism1016 6 місяців тому

    My parish has has had one for for about 10 years now. I find it useful for participating in hymnal worship but I seriously doubt it’s improved participation in general 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

  • @danielfedele
    @danielfedele 6 місяців тому

    I am all for reverence in the Mass. Honest question. How about after Mass during the announcements? Would it be acceptable to use the projector screens then? For example: To share a video for a Catholic event that's going on in the diocese or to further encourage people to live the Faith to the fullest and to actively live out their relationship with Jesus. I asked this because I want to be respectful to our Lord and also I have a heart for evangelizing and encouraging people in the faith. Thank you in advance for your kind reply. And God bless you and your family ✝️ ⛪

  • @katherineneville5304
    @katherineneville5304 7 місяців тому +1

    I hate them. It is far too easy for attention to be drawn to the huge screen instead of to the altar. I try to sit where I can't see the screen, which is harder now that they've added another one (for the back rows and the loft). So I have to try to sit behind a tall guy who'll block the screen. Also hard because I'm pretty tall myself. 😢 unfortunately I've been told that they are 'provided' by the diocese....

  • @philiphumphrey1548
    @philiphumphrey1548 7 місяців тому +1

    As a church musician I would occasionally find screens useful for hymns that are not in the hymnbooks. Also almost all modern hymnbooks have been "woke-ified" with dreadful modern "inclusive" language disfiguring many old favourite hymns, it would be nice to project the old words. But overall I agree, screens are a big distraction during mass. If they are used they should be blank most of the time so that the focus is on the altar.