Lisa Whiting Dobson has produced and directed the Outreach Mass since it began, notably missing only three recordings in 40 years. “It began in 1984 with an auxiliary bishop who wanted to use TV to extend church walls for people who could not physically attend a church.” Lisa remembers. “St. Thomas also had a parishioner, Dr. Thomas Muth, who was a professor in the Telecommunication Department at Michigan State, so he worked with the bishop and a local TV station to pilot the idea.” 

But it was more than just a broadcast. The intention was to help the homebound encounter Jesus by viewing the Mass, while having the opportunity to pray with a parishioner and to receive the Eucharist. “The original idea was that parishioners would be with the homebound to sing and pray and give them Communion. I think certainly there was excitement in the parish and there were a lot of people who would go out. It was innovative.”

The complicated logistics of live recording a Mass and then preparing it to broadcast less than a day later are made possible by a six-person team each week, a team whose ultimate goal is to ensure that the viewers feel a part of the parish. The Mass is unique in that it is not filmed in a studio. Lisa recognizes the importance of the community, noting that many of the letters they receive mention a genuine connection to the parishioners whom viewers see at Mass each week. “I think one of my favorite stories was a woman who wrote years ago about her son who had an autoimmune disease. She wanted a copy of the taped Mass because she said that although her son couldn’t be around other kids at the time, when he saw the first Communion Mass with so many children his age, he told his mom that he had friends.” Such connections aren’t rare: letters from viewers note the joy that Father Gordon’s smile brings them, the good behavior of the parish children at Mass with their families, and the gift of being able to pray with others despite being homebound.

Susan Cancro, who operated a camera for the ministry for many years and now works as the homily transcriptionist, recognizes an even greater need now for many in the broader community to be connected. “The mental health problem in our society is huge and many of the people we are reaching out to are older and stuck at home immobile and struggling with isolation. What the church has done by having this moment when people can be involved in community is crucial to their mental and spiritual health.” That perspective has allowed the team to continue working Saturday evenings and nights despite missing weddings, family events, and football games for decades. “It’s a priority. I recently transcribed with my 90-year-old mother next to me while I was visiting my parents in Milwaukee. But for us it’s been a mission.”

As director of facilities at the parish and executive director of the Outreach Mass, Paul LaCroix agrees that the mission of reaching those unable to attend Mass in person is what ultimately fuels the operation. “Every week, between 5,000 and 7,000 people watch the broadcast, and it’s important to them. We have one viewer who is in prison who sends a note and a $25 contribution every couple of months. And our bishops over the years have all had a good understanding of this as an evangelization tool that gives them an opportunity to reach out to most of their diocese in one swoop.”

The pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish/St. John Church, Father Gordon Reigle, describes the ministry as “a very unique privilege,” that allows the Lord to work in ways the team cannot predict or measure. “It reaches more people than we know. My father’s family was not Catholic, but they listened to Fulton Sheen, and we know we have non-Catholics who watch this too. Personally, I’ve had my Protestant cousins say they saw me on TV celebrating Mass.” 

Grateful for the opportunity to serve in a unique capacity, Lisa says it is clear that the fruits of the ministry are God’s work. “This was an inspired idea, and God uses people to make things happen. This happens because of a team and because of the Holy Spirit. I know this is why God gave me the talents and skills that he did, so I try to use them for good and to the absolute best of my ability.” Looking forward to more years of the ministry, Father Gordon agrees that the key is following God’s promptings and allowing him to work through the team’s efforts. “The parable of the sower comes to mind, just throw the seed and whoever gets it, praise God. May the Lord do wonderful things with it!”