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Sacred
Heart Mass on air for first time
by Lauran Ann Phillips
(Catholic News - 15 Feb 2004)
St Philip,
Barbados. The Sunday Mass of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus parish community was broadcast for the first time,
Sunday, January 25, from Beulah
Methodist Church, Six Roads, on
Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) Radio 900 AM.
CBC broadcaster
and producer, Peter Wilkinson, said the station has since “got a very
positive response” from the broadcast.
Wilkinson first
met Sacred Heart parishioners at Brighton Farmers Market, St George, the
Saturday before the broadcast. Parishioners sell breakfast items monthly at
Brighton as part of a fund-raising
effort to build a Catholic church. In the meantime, the Methodist community
allows the Catholic communion to celebrate Holy Mass in their church at
Beulah, Six Roads.
Living Water Community leader, Rhonda Maingot walks listeners through the
mass, with CBC operator, Mr Sobers.
Wilkinson had just
patronised the Sacred Heart booth, and was given a flyeron which was printed
details of all the community’s activities. He was intrigued by the concept
of two Christian communities sharing a building for worship and, generally,
by all that had been happening at that parish, which is just a little over a
year old.
“They told me they
didn’t have a permanent place of worship,” Wilkinson told the Catholic
News, “that their community is now developing in the area and they were
taking the Word out to the people.
“Seeing them do
this work and seeing the ladies dressed in grey (Sacred Heart T-shirts),
working so hard at the market, and not for themselves, for the Lord!
“I wanted the
people of Barbados to know of this, and I wanted to be associated with the
work that is going on,” he added.
He got in touch
with parish priest, Fr Harcourt Blackett, who agreed to a CBC broadcast. The
choir even arranged a special rehearsal in preparation, said choir-mistress,
Theresa Maloney. After the 7 a.m. Mass at Beulah, Maloney also attended mass
at St Patrick’s Cathedral later that day with a visiting relative.
“Fr Harcourt
mentioned that the service at Sacred Heart was recorded for broadcast,” she
recalled. “It felt good! A lot of people said they would listen, and a lot
of people did!”
The programme was
aired that same Sunday on CBC’s Radio 900 AM at 8:30 p.m.
Parishioner Jeff Gellineau “felt very privileged” that the broadcast
actually came to pass.
“I felt it was a
good opportunity for Catholics to reach out. You hear a lot of Pentecostals
on radio, and I just felt this was one way of the Catholic Church reaching
out and the public getting a chance to hear what a Catholic Mass sounds
like.”
An opportunity
that was further enhanced, Fr Harcourt said, by the live commentary of
Living Water Community leader, Rhonda Maingot, as she explained the parts of
the Mass as they happened.
“Rhonda’s
commentary really and truly enhanced the Mass and gave the people who were
listening a deeper appreciation for what we are doing,” he said, “because
many people who don’t know the Catholic Church and Church worship would just
see it as another service. But, listening to her comments especially on the
Eucharist and Holy Communion, well, that was just a touch of class!”
In the past, the
Holy Mass has been broadcast on CBC from various parishes, ordinarily when
various bodies or groups celebrate events or occasions within the Mass.
Sacred
Heart choir ministers through music during Holy Mass. Guest pannist, Gina
Govia, of Living Water Community, Trinidad, is at left. Photos: Laura Ann
Phillips.
Wilkinson’s interest in this fledgling parish, however, fed hopes that
Sunday Mass broadcasts from various parishes could become regular fare for
radio listeners, particularly for the sick and shut-ins, and others who are
physically unable to attend Mass. Regular broadcasts from various Catholic
Church communities “would be very welcome”, said Fr Harcourt, and might be
popular with listeners.
“Because of the
way we conduct our services even non-Catholics would appreciate them,” he
said. “A lot of the religious services are so stereotyped that people would
welcome something done differently.”
The positive
reactions to the broadcast has also renewed hopes among those Catholics who
would like to see the Catholic cable channel Eternal Word Television Network
(EWTN) added to CBC’s MultiChoice cable lineup. EWTN offers its signal free
of charge to television and radio stations throughout the world, and gives
the territory in which it is broadcast the option of inserting its own local
programming.
While he could not
comment on the likelihood of the channel’s addition, Wilkinson said that
“there has always been a very strong connection with the Catholic Church in
this country” and it was, therefore, “necessary for us to be more connected
with Catholicism.”
As for the
possibility of regular broadcasts of Sunday Masses, though, “We’re going to
be in touch with them,” said Wilkinson.
“I was very
impressed with what I heard, and we got a very good response. We at CBC are
going to continue to be here for them,” he added.
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