A Catholic church and an Emmy for ‘Picture of Faith’

Father Doug Busch, right, shares the good news of Our Lady of the Lake Church’s role in an Emmy win with Archbishop Gregory Aymond. (Photo courtesy of Our Lady of the Lake)       

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

During the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, Father Doug Busch – then the parochial vicar of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Mandeville – had a novel idea.

To make the church feel less “empty” during the virtual Masses livestreamed to parishioners during their months of physical separation, why not fill the pews with giant photos of those parishioners?

The story of Our Lady of the Lake’s cleverly packed pews, posted on the Clarion Herald’s website on March 27, 2020, also caught the attention of Bill Wood, a reporter with WGNO’s “News with a Twist” television program.

On March 28, Wood and WGNO photographer Justin Abshire went to Our Lady of the Lake Church to film a segment on the church’s virtual congregants entitled “Picture of Faith.” The piece, which aired April 1, went on to earn an Emmy Award for broadcast excellence in the “Religion – News” category.

The award-winning “News with a Twist” segment featured interviews with Father Busch and David Warren, the Our Lady of the Lake parishioner and volunteer who filmed the virtual Masses.

Earlier this month, at an orientation for new pastors, Father Busch, who became Our Lady of the Lake’s pastor on July 1, showed Archbishop Gregory Aymond the Commemorative Emmy he and Warren received.

WGNO’s Emmy-Award winning piece can be viewed at bit.ly/2VQ84tK.

The Clarion Herald story can be viewed at bit.ly/3BjMVZi.

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