By Jacqueline Vega
One very important ministry at St. Elizabeth Seton (SES) is that of bringing the Mass and other special services (funerals, baptisms, etc.) to those who are unable to attend in person due to health or other reasons. This is done by parishioners who use their Audio/Video (AV) technological ability to provide livestreaming services to our parish. Currently, there are three people who perform this service from the AV room located behind the choir platform. They are Rob Filogomo, Karlene Proscia, and Jacqueline Vega.
Rob Filogomo has been in Arizona since 2019. He is originally from Denver, Colorado, and says that he moved here because of the more favorable breathing conditions. His wife Jodie, who is a social media influencer in fashion and lifestyle, sits beside him as he performs his livestreaming duty. Rob got involved with this ministry after hearing announcements from Steve Raml, the SES Music and Liturgical director, that the parish needed help. He felt a calling from God that he needed to answer, and after speaking with Steve, he was assigned to the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass. Livestream is useful to those who are not physically able to attend church services in person, giving them and others the ability to play-back Masses “on demand”. Rob feels it is “the wave of the future”, and wants to ensure that this service is adequately advertised so that parishioners know that it’s available and easily accessible. While talking about the advantages of livestream, he says that he loves to play with gadgets — “It’s like a great toy”, he adds while smiling. In his spare time, Rob likes photography and cooking.
Jacqueline Vega serves in this ministry during the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass. She had previously lived in Los Angeles but came back to Arizona in 2020. She’s always had an interest in livestreaming/videography. One day, when a former staff member mentioned that she livestreamed and was seeking volunteers, Jacqueline started inquiring about this ministry, and the next thing she knew, she was being trained on operating the equipment.
Karlene Proscia does the livestreaming for the Saturday evening 4:00 PM Mass, as well as for other special services. She has been going to SES since 2008. Prior to that, she attended St. Jerome, where she served as a sacristan, a role she also currently serves at SES. Born in Michigan, she moved to Arizona in 1988 from New Jersey. Despite having health challenges with polymyalgia, she still always finds the time and energy to help serve the church. She started live streaming after Father Killian left the parish and our new equipment was installed. When asked to recall her experience with this, she proudly reminds me that she was the first to livestream Father Williams’ very first Mass, and was delighted to be a part of that.
Collectively, the crew all agrees that livestream is a fantastic tool which allows others access to church services in the event that they are not able to attend in person. One great thing about the livestream crew is that they are always happy to help each other. Recently, when Karlene unfortunately broke both her arms this past Easter and was unable to assist with livestreaming, Jacqueline immediately stepped in and covered the important holy services.
Steve Raml, in addition to being our choir director, is also head of the livestream crew. He has been at SES for three years and began heading this livestream ministry after father Killian left one year ago.
Livestreaming began after the lockdown due to the covid pandemic, and it is estimated that approximately 217 Masses have been livestreamed to date. St. Elizabeth Seton’s live stream can be accessed through their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SESCCarizona/ click on the “like” and make sure your notifications are correctly set. You will then receive a notification to play the livestream when available.
SES always welcomes any additional help; if helping with livestream is something you’re interested in doing, please call the parish office and leave a message with Sylvia at 623-972-2129. If you’re reading this, you are now familiar with the crew, so if you see them, please give them a warm welcome and say “Hi!”
