Catholic Diocese of Lincoln announces end to weekly TV mass

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Catholic Diocese of Lincoln on Friday announced its ending the diocesan-wide broadcast of the “TV Mass for the Homebound.”

The final TV Mass will be broadcast Sunday, Oct. 26.

The TV Masses currently air Sunday mornings on three broadcast television stations across Nebraska: KLKN-TV in Lincoln, KSNB-TV in Hastings and KNOP-TV in North Platte.

“It was a very difficult decision as we know there are people who are homebound or who are sick and cannot attend Mass in person who watch those TV Masses from the diocese,” Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the diocese, said in a press release. “It was a combination of factors that led us to conclude we needed to promote alternative methods to share the Mass with those people.”

La Rue said those factors include the time and resources needed to produce and edit the Masses.

He also said the cost to air the Masses on the television stations and the time demands on the priests needed to celebrate the Masses are also factors.

According to the diocese, many different efforts were explored to continue the production of the Masses.

In the end, the decision was made to focus on alternative methods to make the Masses available.

There are at least 11 parishes in the diocese that currently livestream Sunday Masses, and sometimes daily Masses as well.

The details of those livestreams are available on the diocesan website at lincolndiocese.org/streaming.

The TV Mass for the Homebound has aired for decades.

In recent years, five or six Masses were often recorded one or two days a month between October and May, and then broadcast each Sunday throughout the year.

Sandy Danek often led the singing for the Mass and scheduled the cantors and organists for each week as well.

“I was proud of the quality of the broadcast we offered… and I mean in terms of the presentation,” Danek said. “I always felt personally it was such a privilege to participate that I could come into that setting and shut out the outside world and be like in my mini-retreat for the day. It was amazing the spiritual blessings I received.”

Those who are homebound should contact their local parish to have someone bring Communion to them.