Hamilton bishop hosts Mass videos

Hamilton Bishop Stephen Lowe is hosting a video series called “The Mass”, which explains the symbols, gestures and prayers to enable the faithful to deepen their experience of their encounter with Christ. 

“It is in this context that Jesus steps into our world. And he invites us, you and I, to do this in memory of him, to come and celebrate his Eucharist, to be nourished, to be fed and to be brought to the fullness of life,” Bishop Lowe said in a trailer that introduced the series.

Pastoral resource designer Hayden Graham said the series was conceived because of Bishop Lowe’s teaching ministry.

“This series in particular is a fruit of his ‘With Hearts Burning’ reflections (whb.cdh.nz) which unpack the Road to Emmaus account,” said Mr Graham.

“He has a particular love for the Eucharist and wants people to deepen their prayer of the Mass. He felt that a video series was the most effective way to reach and engage a large audience.”

It began with a three-part introduction on September 5 to 7 with the first episode airing on September 14.

Viewers can catch the show on the Facebook pages of Bishop Lowe and of the Hamilton Catholic Diocese, on the diocese’s website or on their Instagram account.

Mr Graham said “The Mass” series is produced by the diocese as a resource for parishes and schools.

“We’ve made them suitable to play in the classroom or before Mass starts. The ‘Pastoral Services Team’ has overseen the direction of it; primarily, Bishop Steve, Alex
Bailey (pastoral services manager) and myself,” he said.

Mr Hayden explained the series will be split into two seasons with 22 episodes in total.

“Season One will go through till November 16th and will cover ‘Entering the Church’ up to the ‘The Prayers of the Faithful’. Season Two will pick back up when school starts in 2019 and will cover ‘Preparation of the Gifts’ through to the ‘Concluding
Rites’,” he said.

Mr Graham said the series “is a call to full and active participation in Mass”.

“It unpacks the symbols, gestures and prayers of the Mass in the hope that people watching will deepen their prayer of the Mass and encounter Christ in the Eucharist.
We hope that people will stop and think about what they are doing in Mass,” he said.