It is a sad fact that melancholy is a palatable state of mind for many as Dec. 25 approaches — especially in this year of the pandemic.

When the alarming spread of COVID-19 forced the closure of churches and a suspension of Masses in the middle of March, Catholics turned to the National Catholic Broadcasting Council (NCBC)’s Daily TV Mass as a source of comfort and a pathway to connect with God during fraught times.

Viewership has skyrocketed, appreciative comments are flowing in from around the world and the phone is ringing constantly in the Markham, Ont., offices of the National Catholic Broadcasting Council. It certainly isn’t business as usual.

Church doors may be closed and the opportunity for a communal celebration of the Eucharist have ceased for the time being, but the Mass will go on, said Cardinal Thomas Collins.

A health crisis is not how Deacon Mike Walsh envisioned attracting more eyeballs to the Daily TV Mass, but that’s what is happening to a ministry that serves people who are unable to attend Mass at a church.

When Msgr. Brad Massman launched a Sunday Mass TV broadcast for shut-ins in 1987, its future was, at best, uncertain.