Our Sunday Mass from St. Columba Cathedral

HISTORY

The Diocese of Youngstown was a pioneer in using broadcast media to reach those on the margins of society. It began with a radio version of the Mass to reach Catholics who were homebound, incarcerated, or in nursing homes. This outreach expanded into cable television with the creation of The Catholic Television Network of Youngstown (CTNY), later called the Ecumenical Television Channel (ETC). CTNY/ETC filmed and distributed the “Mass for Shut-ins” from their studio at St. Paul Monastery in Canfield, Ohio.

In 2022, CTNY formally closed its doors and merged operations into the newly formed Department of Communications in the Diocese of Youngstown. The studio moved into a newly renovated space in the diocesan central offices in Youngstown. New high definition cameras and lighting were installed in the Cathedral of St. Columba. The “Mass for Shut-ins” was renamed “Our Sunday Mass from St. Columba Cathedral.”

Catholic content continues to be broadcast in all six counties of the Diocese of Youngstown thanks to a partnership with the national network CatholicTV. Using social media, distributing recordings to nursing homes and prisons and local radio stations, and mailing seasonal Missalettes, the Diocese continues to reach ill and institutionized Catholic every week who join our Eucharistic celebration in spiritual communion.