In January of 1995, Canadian Redemptorist priest Fr. James Mason, CSsR, began to think about founding a weekly half-hour TV program in honour of Mary, Mother of God, Mother of Perpetual Help.

The Redemptorists, founded in Italy by St. Alphonsus Ligouri in 1732, and today a worldwide order with 5,200 priests and brothers in 78 countries, would throughout their history, carry a special devotion to Mary, Mother of God.

St. Alphonsus, a former lawyer who became one of the Church’s leading moral theologians, and whose writings continue to inspire the Church through the ages, with 20,000 editions of his works published in 70 languages. St Alphonsus was also a musician and artist with a special devotion to Mary. His community of men were founded to be preachers, mandated to carry the Word of God, its meaning for everyday life, to the four corners of the world.

In 1866, mandated by Pope Pius IX, the Redemptorists established a special devotion to Mary known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH) and symbolized by the Perpetual Help icon of Mary, now familiar to every Catholic household in the world. Today OMPH is known as the Global Madonna.

As early as 1840, the Redemptorists began their mission in Canada, eventually taking responsibility in 1881 for St. Patrick’s OMPH Shrine Parish on McCaul Street, Toronto. Since then, the parish has offered Wednesday OMPH Devotions Mass, attracting thousands every week. The Wednesday Devotions are a feature of parishes across Canada, many named for OMPH.

Fr. Jim envisioned that the OMPH TV program would be a parish of the air, especially designed for people too ill or too busy to get to Church. He saw the program being of special service to retirees and long-term care patients, but also stay-at-home parents, shift workers and students; anyone who would be available for a daytime program broadcast.

Fr. Jim etched out a plan and personally directed its evolution over the next seven years. DevotionsTV went to air as a weekly program on the newly founded VisionTV in 1995; DTV has aired on Vision TV continuously for 30 years, 15 years on Salt+LightTV, 15 years on the online channel www.redemptorist.tv.

In 1999, Fr. Jim was awarded the ARCCC (The Association of Roman Catholic Communicators of Canada) award for outstanding contribution to Canadian Catholic media. Succeeding Redemptorists directors over the next 23 years would make minor adjustments to the program but Fr. Jim’s founding vision has remained constant.

Fr. Jim saw the program as an expression of the entire Church. He brought together Redemptorist preachers, men and women lay leaders, youth, gifted musicians and, together, they have sung, prayed and praised Mary as disciple of Jesus, relevant and inspiring throughout salvation history.

Thank you, Fr. Jim!