PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Masses streamed on NET TV —  the cable TV network for the Diocese of Brooklyn — have a new, modernized look for the first time in 10 years. 

Updated graphics and QR codes that direct people to Catholic resources and daily readings are on the screen during the daily livestreamed Masses at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. The changes are called the “reboot” by the production team at DeSales Media Group, the ministry that produces NET TV as well as The Tablet. 

The enhanced graphics and resources serve to both simplify a search for information and engage viewers, all to amplify their religious experience. The new visuals, launched Feb. 20, are meant to be cohesive and contemporary, while respecting the liturgical message of the Mass.

“The mission of DeSales Media is to walk alongside folks in their journey of faith. How do we accompany them, and how do we support them in their journey? That is our mission,” said Dominic Ambrosio, director of programming and production at DeSales Media Group.

Among the most notable changes made in the reboot is a QR code that appears on the television screen before and during Mass. The code directs viewers to the NET TV website when scanned by a smart device with a camera. Viewers select either Spanish and English as their language, and from there, they are taken to a website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops displaying the readings, psalms, and Gospel for the day.

“It’s just a good thing for them to participate in the Mass more. It will get them more in-depth [experiences] reading along during the Mass,” said Marilyn Arreaga, a producer at DeSales Media Group.

There also are snippets of information during feasts, memorials, and solemnity days. These small graphics, called “bugs” by the production team, remind viewers of the day’s importance. 

The graphic reboot process began in the fall of 2023, as Arreaga and the production team contemplated what exactly was needed to change about the livestreams. After conversations with clergy leadership within DeSales, they decided on simple graphics in colors that align with the liturgical season. 

This dialogue with Father Christopher Heanue, the rector of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, and Msgr. Sean Ogle, chairman of the board of DeSales Media Group, was crucial in ensuring the graphics were less about aesthetics and more about enhancement of the liturgy.

“The key for all evangelization is to move people to a greater understanding and a greater relationship with Jesus Christ. If homilies do that, great. If programs in the parish do that, great. If the graphics of a Sunday Mass do that, even better,” Father Heanue said.

There is no substitute for attending Mass in-person, Ambrosio reinforced, but that does not eliminate the need for an improved virtual experience. For those who are homebound or sick, the reason is clear — they physically cannot attend the celebration. 

However, there is another group that Ambrosio recognizes can benefit from a virtual Mass enhanced by graphics: Catholics who have stepped away from their faith and are beginning to reintroduce themselves to church services.

“Receiving the Holy Eucharist is the purpose of Mass. Are we reintroducing the Mass to them, those folks who have kind of fallen away from attending Mass by livestreaming? Maybe. I don’t know. But in our small way, we are trying to make some kind of impact in their lives,” he said.