OLA Live: Connecting Virtually With Our Family of Faith

A year ago, most of us would have scoffed at the idea that the celebration of public Masses could suddenly cease by March. How quickly the world changed. Within a matter of weeks, we went from life as usual, including Sunday Masses, to the entire world screeching to a halt, as we gave our best efforts to contain a virus that we knew so little about.

However, here at Our Lady of the Assumption, we immediately sought to discern the best way to support our parish community in this difficult time, living through circumstances none of us could’ve ever imagined. Thanks to our parish tech support, faithful volunteers, a generous donation from our Knights of Columbus, and the creativity and quick thinking of our pastor and parish staff, it wasn’t long before we dove into new territory — livestreaming our Masses.

And while we continue to offer livestream Masses for those who are still unable to attend Mass in person, this fall, we have expanded our outreach to parishioners, providing them with additional opportunities to gather — virtually — for prayer and community, through OLA Live. For Casey Oliver, this initiative was inspired by seeing the joy people had, coming together to pray, at our initial outdoor Masses.

“We had that real, beautiful sense of togetherness,” Casey says. “The beauty of community stood out in those outdoor Masses. People were just so happy to be worshiping together, so we thought, ‘What else can we do to build community because things aren’t just going back to normal?’”

The OLA Live initiative began in October, offering parish-wide Zoom Rosaries for the month of the Rosary, and it wasn’t long before our monthly Lectio Divina and Taizé prayer were added to the schedule. As time goes on, we hope to offer even more opportunities for parishioners to connect, through town halls, opportunities to learn about our new stewardship efforts, and more.

“In an effort to bring us safely back together for prayer and community, the parish will be hosting weekly virtual events — either livestreamed or on Zoom so you can watch and participate from the safety of your home,” Casey says. “Each week the web page is updated based on what is happening during the week.”

“I feel like our Zoom meetings are little family reunions,” she adds. “The OLA Live initiative is to supplement the livestream Masses we’re already offering weekly. We’re adding opportunities for prayer, opportunities for community, opportunities for discussion.”

Casey also points out that, as people offer their feedback, that will be incorporated into the initiative.

For many of our parishioners who were homebound before COVID-19, OLA Live has provided a valuable chance to pray alongside fellow parishioners, perhaps for the first time in years.

“I think that COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to expand the ways we communicate and the effectiveness of our communication,” Casey says. “I hope that going forward, this technology will be a permanent part of what we do and we’ll be able to reach out and include more parishioners in meetings and discussions and prayer.”

Casey hopes, in addition to helping people grow in their connection to God through prayer, that the Zoom Rosaries and other events will be an opportunity for people to connect — or reconnect — with other members of the parish family and build meaningful friendships, supporting one another in these challenging times.

“My hope is that people know they can still pray at OLA,” Casey says. “And if people don’t feel comfortable coming to the physical church building, we’re trying to offer more and more online events so people can still pray in community.

“For years, Fr. Eduino has been talking about how important small groups are for faith sharing and building community,” she adds. “I’m hoping that with this OLA Live initiative, we can provide support for bringing people together in small groups to help them pray and discuss their faith. We want to empower people to pray together in small and large groups.”

As we continue to develop this new initiative, the various ministries of the parish are invited to lead Zoom Rosaries at various times. Our staff has worked to compile a packet of resources, making it easy for anyone — even those who struggle with technology — to initiate an event hosted for OLA Live. Casey encourages parishioners to prioritize virtually attending OLA Live events, and invite a friend to come along, too.

“I think we need to take small steps towards living our faith,” Casey says. “Reach out to parishioners or friends in the school community. Check in with them. Offer to pray together. Maybe as a group, decide to attend these online parish events.

“I think everyone can benefit from prayer and trying something new,” she adds. “Prayer can sometimes be challenging. You have to be brave and open when you log on, but I think that’s good for us to be open to trying new things and learning new ways to pray.”

A special thanks to the Knights of Columbus, Bob Kay, Sam Oliver, Michael Chambers, Tim Spinelli, Deacon Michael Tateishi, Deacon Paul Friedrich, Ivan Florez, Jenny Teeters, and Lynn Sweeney for their help with our livestream Masses and OLA Live.

For more information on OLA Live, or to learn how you can participate in our live events, please visit https://olaparish.net/ola-live. If your ministry would like to host a parishwide Rosary via OLA Live, or if you would like to volunteer as part of our technical support team for livestreamed Masses, please contact Casey Oliver at worship@olaparish.net.

Volunteer Michael Chambers

Volunteer Sam Oliver

Volunteer Ivan Florez

Volunteer Jenny Teeters