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Cardinal Thomas Collins celebrates the Daily TV Mass, which brings the Mass to the television screens of those who cannot attend Mass in person on a daily basis.
Photo by Mickey Conlon
November 5, 2024
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Photo courtesy Martyrs’ Shrine
From Toronto to Vancouver, the United Arab Emirates to the Philippines, whether you examine the Daily TV Mass in a nationwide or worldwide context, this institution's 26-year legacy is remarkable and important.
More than 50,000 individuals choose to memorialize their loved ones in the Daily TV Mass Book of Remembrance. A growing number of viewers are inspired to enter into agreements with the National Catholic Broadcasting Council (NCBC) to sponsor individual worship services.
Certain devoted viewers have even named the Daily TV Mass — broadcast daily on VisionTV, Joytv, FaithTV, YES TV and Salt + Light TV and also airing on YouTube — as a beneficiary in their wills and estates.
Last year after an anonymous viewer read The Catholic Register’s 2023 estate planning feature about the Daily TV Mass, he was inspired to connect with Deacon Mike Walsh, president and executive director of the NCBC, to establish a legacy gift of two sponsored liturgical services annually via his family foundation. Instructions have been left for his surviving loved ones to continue offering this benefaction after he and his wife depart Earth.
"My wife and I have been part of the Daily TV Mass community for many years, especially when attending our local parish wasn’t possible,” said the viewer. “To ensure this ministry continues for future generations, we worked with the National Catholic Broadcasting Council to establish a legacy gift through our family foundation.”
Walsh concurs with the devoted viewer that the Daily TV Mass really is a community.
“We are a community of prayer,” said Walsh. “No matter how old you are or (if you) are isolated, always understand that you can be connected to others through prayer. People can always feel a value in that area of their lives because their prayers are always needed.”
Walsh and the NCBC have reinforced these sentiments about valuing communal prayer with action by establishing a new program called Let Us Pray Together.
“Friday on Vision TV, and Saturday on Yes TV, you can stay and pray the Rosary with us,” said Walsh. “We have the other reflections on the website. So, we're doing more and more of those kinds of things where we think people who want to engage with their faith in a prayerful way can do that with us.”
On the “Let us Pray” section of the Daily TV Mass website, there are prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, God’s creation and Our Lady of Seven Sorrows.
Each of the Masses from Oct. 6-12 featured prayers centred around revering life. That week was devoted in part to raising awareness about The Catholic Register’s newly released magazine Lives Lived for Life, which features 12 articles about 14 inspirational Canadian pro-life heroes.
In addition to the Daily TV Mass cultivating strong audience loyalty via many communal prayer opportunities, another reason why this broadcasting institution has stood the test of time is because of its production value and viewers responding favourably to the priests preaching the Gospel.
“They appreciate the variety (of homilists),” said Walsh. “Every day is a little bit different and people will have their favourites. Some are academic and some (provide) more spiritual direction. The (viewers) are comfortable with them and they like the messages.”
To learn more about giving to the Daily TV Mass, contact the NCBC via e-mail at [email protected] or at 1-888-383-6277.
(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)
A version of this story appeared in the November 03, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Daily TV Mass a community of prayer".
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