The Daily TV Mass is trading one holy space for another, with production for the National Catholic Broadcasting Council's central offering relocating from the Loretto Abbey Chapel to Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre in Pickering for at least the next two years.  

The move, on April 12, Divine Mercy Sunday, comes as Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School continues to undergo extensive redevelopment and renovations. While the historic chapel where the Daily TV Mass was recorded is not itself directly affected, the scale of construction has required the team to relocate. Tapings are now being filmed at the scenic and spiritually rich Manresa retreat centre, operated by the Jesuits since 1949, a move that has already brought unexpected blessings.

“ I have to believe the Holy Spirit is at work here, as this has been ideal for us in many ways. To fit in around the other retreat activities they offer, we tape for a full day, and as a team, we get to eat lunch together every day and spend time together among the many retired Jesuits living at Manresa. It’s been quite nice, and a sort of unintended benefit of a move that has brought lots of them,” said Deacon Mike Walsh, the president and executive director of the NCBC.

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It’s been a serendipitous shift for the team thus far, as the major redevelopment project at Loretto Abbey continues on a greater scale. Infrastructure projects such as a boiler replacement, which caused the first temporary move to Manresa, and the demolition of the old infirmary, have already been completed. The current major phase includes construction of a new front entrance, gymnasium, cafeteria and extensive remodelling of internal rooms for better educational accessibility.  

Working with Fr. Henk van Meijel, the director of Manresa, the NCBC has been able to build upon its new self-sufficient technical control room from earlier temporary stays, allowing a smooth transition. 

New upgrades to the Ignatius Chapel include a new wood background and platform and lighting enhancements to create the same warm, TV-friendly aesthetic and maintain a similar feel to the Loretto Abbey chapel.  

Van Meijel shared his welcome wishes with his new, extended guests at the spiritual site. 

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“We are honoured to welcome the Daily TV Mass to Manresa. Over these past months, the ministry has already become part of the life of our community here. Together, we hope this chapel will continue to be a place of prayer, hope and spiritual connection for people across Canada and around the world,” he said. 

With the added benefit of the site's spiritual richness, the Daily TV Mass continues to reach 100,000 to 125,000 people each day through television, YouTube, digital platforms and The Mass + Hope Catholic Network on Tugo TV. 

Beyond the Mass, Walsh said  Manresa has also become the ideal place for the NCBC team to film additional programs as well. 

“We have been able to shoot our 40 Days of Lent series here as well as a series of Advent hymns, in which we recorded the choir here,” he said. 

The NCBC has also recently published Deacon Robert Kinghorn’s new book, The Church on the Street: The Ministry of Presence, a follow-up to the earlier volume published by The Catholic Register in 2019. The team intends to release a five-part video series on pastoral ministry with Kinghorn, intended as a resource for parishes and volunteer organizations.

“We hope it will be of interest to Catholic organizations, parishes and the diaconate who want to train people on how to go and be compassionate visitors and learn how to do pastoral ministry with people. We hope to have that ready in a month or so,” Walsh said. 

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The recent move also comes as the NCBC branches out even further, with plans to launch Go in Peace on Substack in the near future. As the name suggests, Walsh said the publication is set to act as an invitation to carry the grace of the Mass into our daily lives, as drawn from the Mass dismissal. Go In Peace will feature free, longer-form written articles to help people live out their faith between Masses.  

The Daily TV Mass began in 1998 at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto before relocating to St. Basil’s Church at the University of St. Michael’s College in 2005. A decade later, the program moved to Loretto Abbey Chapel, where it has been celebrated with the support of the Sisters of Loretto, Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.