Lockdown: Priest keeps people spiritually close through social media

By Jessy Joseph

New Delhi, May 20, 2020: Father Mathew Kizhackechira keeps his parishioners and others close together even in the nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

“Social distancing is necessary for health reason, but I try to keep people close spiritually,” says Father Kizhackechira, who has produced several musical videos using his people and social media platforms.

The 32-year-old director of the Faridabad diocese’s Music Department on May 20 shared his unique mission with Matters India through an e-mail interview.

Matters India: When did you start making videos? And what inspired to make them?

Father Mathew Kizhackechira: I started making prayer videos and inspirational videos for youth and children after my course on Pastoral Communication in 2010 from NISCORT Media College, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

Video presentations have greater influence on people than lectures. Videos convey our messages effortlessly and effectively. Video production helped me spend the lockdown meaningfully and usefully.

Tell us your experience in making videos especially during the lockdown.

Video making is a professional job and it consumes time and strength. I am not an expert in this field. But with the little knowledge I have on media and communication I contribute to the great ministry of evangelization.

How many videos have you made so far? How many of them during the lockdown?

I had done a few videos before the lockdown. A Hindi prayer song on nature was my first project. I have not yet published it as it is given for the studio work. The “Clay Priests” is my first edited video. I have made a couple of videos since the lockdown began and a few are on the queue. Then I have written a song about the cry of Christ on the Cross, named as “Kalvari Malamukalil”(On the Mountain of Calvary). It was sung on Good Friday. I gave music to it and the same is published in my YouTube channel (Bethlehem Creations) which I have created for publishing my works.

During the lockdown, I started with a “Quarantine Way of the Cross” video involving families of my parish. I made a prayer video where nurses around globe are the singers. The social media has taken it up and it is gone viral. Even now people keep sharing it. Then, two more video songs about God’s protection against this pandemic situation were published.

How do you make videos with people all around the globe?

For the prayer song video involving nurses I sent message to all the nurses I have known in Delhi and abroad. I told them about the prayer song and sought their help. I needed only a few nurses who are singers. The response was great as many around the globe expressed willing to be part of the program. At last, to be just, I had to choose the first 24 who contacted me. That video has gone viral in all social media platforms.

Does anyone help you?

I am doing all the audio and video editing myself.

How long does it take to produce a video?

It depends. But I try to publish it as early as possible as the video I make is for lockdown. They would be more meaningful in the lockdown period. Since I do it hurriedly to publish it in lockdown itself, videos are not perfectly done.

How do you keep in touch with your parishioners during the lockdown? Do social media platforms help?

To connect with my parishioners spiritually, I offer daily Mass ‘live’ in my YouTube channel. They also send me their Mass intentions and other prayer requests online. I also conduct family unit prayers, catechism teachers meetings and youth meetings through zoom meetings and engage children with various activities. I also send frequent messages to my parishioners and ask them to contact me if they or their neighbors (irrespective of caste, creed and color) suffer from hunger or other needs. Many from even outside of our parish have contacted me and I help them through generosity of my parishioners. The members of the Pithruvedi (Fathers Forum) also provide food items to families and institutions as per the needs and requirements.

Are all your parishioners on social media? How do you reach out to those who have no access to Internet during the lockdown?

Majority of my parishioners are on social media. The parish has 16 family units. Each family unit has a WhatsApp group with all family members. We have WhatsApp groups for Puthruvedi, Mathruvedi (Mothers Forum), Youth and for each catechism class. We also have WhatsApp group for all unmarried nurses living within the parish territory. I am a member of all these groups. Any message I want to convey, I pass it to the common WhatsApp group of the presidents of these associations and family units. Within minutes, they pass my message to their group members. All our parishioners have access to internet. When they can’t use internet, they make calls to me and inform me about the happenings and needs.

How has the lockdown affected your parish?

The effect of the lockdown is the same everywhere in Delhi. Some families in my parish had financial problems even before the lockdown began. I have identified those families and am regularly in touch with them. I help them through generous hearts in my parish. Many among the parishioners are financially stable in the lockdown. They call me often to offer help the needy. The sense of sharing is growing in my parish. I am really proud of people. They are generous, kind and show the real Christian attitude in situations like this.

Are you one of those priests who have given up one month allowance? If so, what prompted to do that?

Yes, I am one of them. It was Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, after discussing with the curia, who put forward a suggestion to the priests to give up the monthly allowance we receive from the parishes, taking into consideration the parish’s financial situation in the lockdown. It is the parish that pays our monthly allowance.

Since the diocese is new, many parishes are not fully established financially. Many have loans taken for buying/building churches. The only source of income for our parishes is the offerings and donations from the laity. We are proud of them. The lockdown has brought suffering to our people, so it is not good that priest remain unaffected. We are one with the people and they too are with us and they take care of us so well even in this lockdown. They see to it that I am fed properly. What else do we need? This is the time to be sensitive to the situation. The priests of Faridabad dioceses are showing that sensitivity and responsibility to the people who are worst affected than us.

Briefly describe about you.

I hail from Cherthala, Alappuzha in Kerala. I have my parents and two elder sisters and a brother. I was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Faridabad in 2016 and I was appointed the secretary of Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara. For the past three years, I am the parish priest of Holy Family Syro-Malabar Church, Neb Sarai, New Delhi. I have done Masters in Psychology and Bachelor of Education.