New youth chat show and Mass launched

The Ignite Youth Team have set up a virtual studio in Norwich and launched an online chat show and youth Mass. Ciaran Losasso reports.

‘Chat show host’ and ‘video production’ were not, as far as I remember, part of the job description when I joined the Ignite Team but in the era of lockdowns and social distancing this has become an important part of my day-to-day work as we continue to try and share the Gospel with young people in new ways.

Friday November 6 saw the launch of our new monthly chat show First Fridays. The show is streamed live on YouTube on the first Friday of each month and aims to bring interviews and music from quality Christian guests to young people across East Anglia. Our first guest was the lovely Sr Theresa Weight from the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham. She shared some of her vocation story and helped us all to consider how God might be speaking in our own lives. She was a joy to interview.

The show also included a timely song performed by Catholic musician Matt Dean and concluded with prayer from our own Chaplain, Fr Luke Goymour. Although there were a few small technical glitches, the feedback from the first show has been encouraging and we are looking forward to making more in the months ahead.

View the first online chat show

Our YouTube channel also played host to the first Ignite Mass for Young People. The plan is for this Mass to be streamed from a different part of the Diocese on the second Saturday of each month, allowing young people in each local area to gather together for the Eucharist and also to assist with aspects of the liturgy such as reading and music.

The first Mass, however, fell during the November lockdown so Mass was celebrated from Fr. Luke’s presbytery in Brandon instead of our planned venue of St. Mary’s, Ipswich. We plan to return to Ipswich when restrictions ease to allow young people in that part of the Diocese to gather together for Mass in person. We were, nevertheless, pleased to be joined by people from across the Diocese via YouTube and are especially grateful to members of the Travasso family for providing wonderful music to accompany the Holy Sacrifice.

View the first online youth Mass

Any young people who would be interested in being a reader or assisting in another way at future Masses are welcome to get in touch (igniteteam@rcdea.org.uk).

I’m grateful to God that we are finding new ways to continue our work. An advantage of putting more content online is that we can reach people from across East Anglia (and beyond) all at once. So, why not join us for the next episode of First Fridays? Or pray with at our Mass for Young People? You’d be most welcome to join us from wherever you are.

Visit the Ignite YouTube channel.

Pictured above is Ciaran hosting the chat show and, below, Hamish at the studio mixing desk.

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