The Man Behind the Camera

Before 21st March, 2020, Nathaniel Nunes was a normal Catholic youth whose parents kept nagging him about attending daily mass, owing to the proximity of his house to the church. The spiritual exercise had been a given up new year’s resolution in 2019 and in the beginning of 2020. The Nathaniel I interviewed nearly a year later, though, is a young man, transformed by God through the pandemic-induced lockdown of 2020.

Here is the story of the angel who brought Jesus to the house of the parishioners of Chicalim and a number of people around the world.

When news arrived on 20th March, 2020, that the Churches would need to be shut to avoid the spread of the virus, Fr Bolmax, being the spontaneous man that he is, sent a text to Nathaniel, that very day, saying, “We’ll need to livestream the masses from tomorrow. Are you up for it?” Nathaniel is a software engineer by profession, so he knew that although livestreaming was new to him, after a little research he would get it. That evening, he rushed to the church after work to find that he had a little web-camera and a lot to learn. He spent practically the whole night trying to read, learn and figure out how to fix a livestream.

“We’ll need to livestream the masses from tomorrow. Are you up for it?”

-Fr Bolmax Pereira

Nathaniel at work

“The first few days were quite a struggle,” Nathaniel recounts. “The main issues we faced were arranging a stable internet connection, managing the sound system and making the best use of that old web-camera.” To me, a person with very little tech experience, this sounds like a disaster. Yet, Nathaniel braved through these issues with google’s help and moved from facebook livestreaming to YouTube livestreaming, in order to bring the Eucharist to the whole world.

When lockdown 2.0 began in mid-April, 2020, it was clear that the livestreamed masses were to become a new normal for a large number of Catholics. “I can do more!” Nathaniel said. With encouragement from Fr Bolmax, he began experimenting with various new tools in an attempt to make the masses more interactive. He would add a video before the mass, the hymn lyrics from the Gaionacho Jhelo app, and the response to the Psalm on the screen. He says that he learnt a lot from observing the Vatican’s live-streams and other popular channels, the ways in which they encouraged the participation of their audiences, the congregation. The transmission team was overwhelmed by the encouragement and support they received from the socially distant congregations through messages and phone calls.

Man and machine

When I asked Nathaniel whether the slight errors that occur during the livestreams bother him, he said that though a lot of people miss the mistakes or ignore them, they do sometimes eat at the back of his head. Issues with the camera are both annoying and embarrassing, he says. These problems led him to a phase where he would fear the impending glitches long before mass began. Yet, he patiently learns new means to avoid common problems. Even today, a year later, he still sets time aside to read and research and keep himself updated with the latest technology. Over the course of the year, he has learnt the tricks of creating alternate links and combining internet connections!

Mics Go Live in 3, 2, 1 🔴

“Before the pandemic, I used to pray to God, ‘Let me get up and come for mass’,” Nathaniel recalls. “God works in mysterious ways.” Indeed! Nathaniel has probably participated in the most number of Holy Masses and Adorations than anyone else in the parish this year (of course, not counting Uncle Francis, his record is hard to break!). The spiritual effect this journey has had on him is inspiring. He says that he was not well versed with reading the Bible, but after guidance from Fr Peter, he learnt to love reading the Bible and to refer to the Ordo for the readings at mass. He began spending more time in reflection and he realised the great responsibility of putting into practice the things he ‘preached’ or reflected upon during the livestreamed Adorations. For the average Catholic, paying devout attention for two masses on a day is quite a challenge, but Nathaniel says he is usually more awake and attentive for the second mass on Sundays. Hearing two homilies helps drive the message deep.

“God works in mysterious ways”

-Nathaniel Nunes

After all the spiritual experiences that Nathaniel has experienced this year, the question is, is he drawn to the priestly life? When I asked him, with hesitation he replied, “A call, ‘apounne’…, I don’t think I’m there yet. I still have a lot to learn.” He believes that there is a lot more growing remaining and I’m sure you and I will pray for him.

As the famous YouTube star that he is, I asked him what is his message to his viewers, the congregation. He says:

“I want to thank you for participating and encouraging us, through your messages and phone calls. Thank you for always understanding whenever we had any technical difficulties. As this pandemic and lockdown eases and churches open, I urge you to come and take part physically in the mass. Churches can still accommodate more people so come! Don’t always rely on the “online” mass.”