#TheLensCTV: A New Way of Doing Catholic Television

Last updated on: May 4, 2015 at 9:42 am by Lisa M. Hendey

#TheLensCTV: A New Way of Doing Catholic Television 2015-05-04T07:44:23-07:00 Lisa M. Hendey

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Set your alarms!

Tonight at 9 pm ET, CatholicTV treats us to “The Lens”. If you weren’t lucky enough to catch Episode 1 which aired a few weeks ago, this new show may have slipped past you. Here’s an overview:

In this interactive, social engaging series, Matt Weber looks at what’s trending through a faith-based Lens. Join him, CTV digital strategist Helen Lee, and the CatholicTV crew for a fun, authentic conversation about the issues you care about through the Lens of faith.

Longtime readers will know that I’m a major Matt Weber fan. I’ve loved his short segments on CatholicTV for the past several years. And Matt’s book Fearing the Stigmata: Humorously Holy Stories of a Young Catholic’s Search for a Culturally Relevant Faith is housed on a special bookshelf in my office among my favorites. So I was thrilled to learn that Matt will now share the stage front and center with the equally awesome Helen Lee for a show that promises to be fun, fast-paced, and filled with a contemporary perspective on today’s Church.

While I’m probably not the target demographic for Matt’s work, I’m connected enough with that age group to know that they have both a love for their Church and high standards. They are NOT going to tune in to something that is holy-card sentimentality, no matter how lovely it may be. This crowd also don’t want to just “tune in” to their entertainment–they choose to engage with it.

And this is the formula that Weber and Lee are building with The Lens. It’s not a show you simply watch. It’s a show that will have you laughing, but also discerning, discussing, and hopefully sharing. And this–in today’s world–is one potent formula for the New Evangelization.

That’s why we need to get #TheLensCTV trending tonight.

The Lens will definitely build on Matt’s energy and Helen’s insight. But it will thrive and hit its stride when the rest of us stop simply watching and become a part of the conversation. Expect this show to be current, fast-paced and challenging. But don’t expect it to be simply “fun”. Because what Matt and Helen represent, and what CatholicTV is committing itself to here, is a new way of doing television. In fact, it’s likely that what will happen in the Lens’ community in places like Twitter, Instagram and via viral video sharing may be as important as what airs originally on the show.

I congratulate Helen Lee, Matt Weber and the entire crew of The Lens for creating something truly special. And I thank Father Robert Reed for having the vision to believe in a show that is unlike anything else currently airing on television. They deserve our support, excitement and prayers.

So plan to watch tonight. I’ll be livetweeting using #TheLensCTV at 9 pm ET while I watch the show live at CatholicTV.com.

Be there. And watch Catholic entertainment history in the making.

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