Zoom giving rise to ‘new Eucharist’ experience

Zoom giving rise to ‘new Eucharist’ experience A viewer watches a livestream Mass from the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore, USA. Photo: CNS

Fr Eamon Aylward SSCC believes online video conference platforms for streaming Mass, such as Zoom, are redefining the Eucharist. “I felt in my heart that it touched a spot and, out of this ‘evil’ (coronavirus) touching our world, is coming something good,” he told The Irish Catholic.

“It is forcing us as a Church, and as believers, into a new way of being Churched and that’s the exciting thing about it.

“I felt those who were participating had a new sense of what the Eucharist is and could be.”

The priest said around 150 persons from around the world tuned in for Sunday Mass in Ranelagh, Co. Dublin and continued on conversing long after it had ended.

“It went on for two hours afterwards,” said Fr Aylward.

“The internationality of the experience was particularly special for the participants, who felt deeply that they had participated at the Eucharist.”