Fax: (413) 739 - 1608
FAQs About our Online Mass
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Thank you for joining our parishioners for our parish’s celebration of the Mass online! We are a large parish with more than 2,500 households, a school, and a large cemetery.
We are happy that our online Mass has been a blessing to so many people around the globe, and it has been wonderful to hear from so many people. Our staff receives many questions, comments, and even requests for changes to our Mass to fit individual preferences.
With tens of thousands of viewers, it is impossible to act upon or respond to these many and varied requests.
We hope the questions and answers below will be helpful to you.
Q. How long will you be posting Mass online?
A. We intend to post our Sunday online Mass permanently. We are committed to posting our Daily Mass through the end of March 2022. It is highly possible that our Daily online Mass will become a permanent ministry as well.
Q. How can I have the online Mass offered for a particular intention?
A. Mass intentions are reserved months ahead of time. The first opening is about several months away. To reserve a Mass intention, please contact Joyce at (413) 739-4779 (Monday through Friday 9am-5pm - New York Time) or send her an email at stthomassecretary@comcast.net to see what is available. Please do not mail an offering with a date request until after you have confirmed it with Joyce via telephone or email.
Q. How can I watch the Mass on my iPhone or Android phone?
A. Simply go to your app store, download the YouTube app onto your device. To receive notifications when our Mass is posted, like our YouTube channel and choose the option to be notified.
Q. What is the name of the opening/closing hymn? What are the lyrics?
A. “Come, Thou Almighty King” (attributed to Charles Wesley)
Come, thou Almighty King,
Help us thy name to sing,
Help us to praise!
Father all glorious,
O'er all victorious!
Come and reign over us,
Ancient of days!
Q. What is the name of the Communion hymn? What are the lyrics?
A. “Panis Angelicus”Latin:
Panis angelicus
fit panis hominum;
Dat panis cœlicus
figuris terminum:
O res mirabilis!
Manducat Dominum
pauper, servus et humilis.
Te trina Deitas
unaque poscimus:
Sic nos tu visita,
sicut te colimus;
Per tuas semitas
duc nos quo tendimus,
Ad lucem quam inhabitas.
Amen.
English:
Thus Angels' Bread is made
the Bread of man today:
the Living Bread from heaven
with figures dost away:
O wondrous gift indeed!
the poor and lowly may
upon their Lord and Master feed.
Thee, therefore, we implore,
O Godhead, One in Three,
so may Thou visit us
as we now worship Thee;
and lead us on Thy way,
That we at last may see
the light wherein Thou dwellest aye.
Amen.Q. Why do you almost always use the same hymns?
A. We have run into copyright issues almost every time we have tried to expand the choices of music we use on our online Mass. Whenever this happens, whether or not the copyright claim is valid (and it often is not), it causes ads to be shown during Mass and takes hours to remedy.
Q. What is the image that is usually displayed on the screen during the Communion hymn? Is there a way for me to get a copy of it?
A. We found the image online when we were beginning to add music and graphics to our online Mass. We have no idea where it is from, exactly what medium it is, or who the artist is. However, you may download a jpeg file by clicking here.
Q. Why do you use the Apostles' Creed instead of the Nicene Creed at Sunday Mass?
A. The Roman Missal indicates that the Apostles' Creed may be used in place of the Nicene Creed, especially during Lent and Easter. We prefer the Apostles' Creed.
Q. In our parish, we (insert liturgical practice here). Will you do this?
A. While the Mass is the same everywhere, the Roman Missal provides options for different prayers and hymns that are used differently in particular parishes (i.e. choices different prayers for the Penitential Rite, a choice between the Nicene Creed or the Apostles' Creed, the Eucharistic Prayer and a few others). Within this context, every parish has its traditional preferences. We are happy to share ours with you as we worship together.
Q. Why is it that sometimes the color on the screen seems to change when the priest is at the pulpit?
A. This is caused by the sunlight coming through the stained glass windows, especially on a day when the sun keeps coming in and out of the clouds.
Q. Why is it that closed captioning for the hearing impaired is sometimes not available?
A. There are two answers to this question. Sometimes, the option has been changed on an individual viewer’s computer, device, or app. Other times, for whatever reason, YouTube has not made them available. We always ensure that the option to produce closed captioning is available when we upload the Mass to YouTube. However, there have been a few times that the captioning has not been available. This is not under our control.
Q. Technical questions/requests/suggestions…
A. Our online Masses are recorded using an iPhone at the altar, and an iPad at the pulpit and we are recording the Mass in a church, not a studio. So, honoring requests for different camera angles, lighting, and sound is not possible.