Fr. Ed Clifford, pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Norway and St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton, and Jodi Roma, administrative assistant for the parishes, sit down for a Facebook live-streaming “Cliff’s Notes” at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday.
NORWAY — Fr. Ed Clifford, pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Norway (St. Catherine of Sienna Church, Norway; Our Lady of Ransom Church, Mechanic Falls; St. Mary Church, Oxford) and St. Joseph Parish in Bridgton (St. Joseph Church, Bridgton; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Fryeburg), and Jodi Roma, administrative assistant for the parishes, sit down for a Facebook live-streaming “Cliff’s Notes” at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday.
A play on Clifford’s name, the program invites all, including those feeling isolated during the pandemic, inside for a fireside chat, conversation and the chance to interact. Clifford uses an iPhone from a chair in his living room, with a fire behind him and his dog, Sienna, at his feet.
“We were looking for ways to connect with parishioners since the early days of the pandemic, when people were at home and couldn’t gather for Mass,” said Clifford, who has served as pastor of the parishes since July 2017. “We had been live-streaming Mass on Facebook, but then Jodi’s daughter, Adelaide, said she’d help us live-stream a talk to parishioners. Our first ‘episode’ was May 19 to answer questions in anticipation of the reopening of churches for Mass in June. It went well so we decided to make it a weekly Tuesday night event.”
The chats, which typically last around an hour, have grown to not only feature parish updates and pandemic protocols, but also discussions on current events, ways to deal with isolation and a “Movie of the Week” segment. “We select a video on formed.org for people to watch before our next gathering, and then discuss it,” said Clifford.
What began with a handful of viewers has grown into over 50 people watching live each Tuesday night, with over 300 viewers watching the archived live-stream during the week, including viewers from all over the state and country.
Due to the comments feature on Facebook Live, participants can write in with questions and comments during the live broadcast and after it has concluded. The show has also welcomed special guests like Maine priests.
See the live broadcast every Tuesday at facebook.com/parishesofwesternmaine. Each edition is also archived in the “Videos” section.
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