PHOTO CREDIT: Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013: AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano
Relevant Radio® Student Tour: Sharing the faith with the next generation On July 12th, Fr. Jonathan Kelly and a group of teens from All Saints Church in Lakeville, MN, visited the Relevant Radio headquarters in Green Bay, WI. Father Kelly and the teens recently completed a walking pilgrimage from the Ahnapee Trail in Sturgeon Bay, WI, to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. During the visit, the students were able to tour the Relevant Radio studios, pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel of the Nativity, and participate LIVE on The Drew Mariani ShowTM.
Embracing others with the Love of Christ In July, Relevant Radio proudly sponsored the Mother of Life Center in Providence, RI, by providing announcements for their Dinner by the Bay fundraiser. The Gondreau family spoke at the event and shared their story when Pope Francis embraced Dominic. A photo taken at the event shows the family standing in front of the Relevant Radio 550 AM banner.
Relevant Radio: New Programming!
2013 World Youth Day “GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS” (MT 28:19) World Youth Day (WYD) is a worldwide, youth-centered celebration of the Catholic faith that takes place every three years in a different country. This year, the celebration was held from July 23rd to the 28th in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Relevant Radio correspondent, Fr. Andrew Small, OMI, (National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States) was on location, providing listeners with coverage of WYD events - including comments on morning catechesis and the excitement that surrounded the Holy Father’s welcoming prayer service.
Fr. Andrew Small, OMI
Prior to the start of the celebration, the Holy Father announced a plenary indulgence for all the faithful who, having fulfilled the usual conditions, devoutly participated in the Sacred Liturgies and devotions in Rio de Janeiro. In this way, the New Evangelization proved to play a Pope Francis at WYD significant role as those who were unable to attend WYD could avail themselves of the indulgence by participating in spirit via radio, TV, and social media. It was estimated that the closing Mass gathered approximately 3.2 million people, making it the largest crowd since the 1995 WYD Mass with Pope John Paul II in Manila, Philippines.
NOW ON THE APP! Audio Prayers Pray along with Relevant Radio - anytime/anywhere! Download the app for Android or Apple at
www.relevantradio.com - keyword “App”
R E L E VA N T R E E L S
L i g h t s , Ca m e r a , Ac t i o n !
On June 3rd, Relevant Radio announced Relevant Reels, a fun and creative movie-making challenge for the whole family! To participate, families were encouraged to make a three (3) minute movie as a bonding experience and to learn something about media. Morning Air® launched the family fun contest in conjunction with Navis Pictures and Jim Morlino. Jim Morlino is a regularly featured guest on Morning Air and the creator of the DVD How to Make a Movie - a fun, fast-paced, starter tutorial for young Catholic filmmakers, covering script writing, pre-production planning, casting, location scouting, cameras, lights, sound, working with actors, editing, and more! To view videos CLICK HERE.
Mission Message
Volunteer Appreciation Day On July 25th, Relevant Radio hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Day at the headquarters in Green Bay, WI, to recognize and thank volunteers for their generous support of the Relevant Radio Mission. The day’s activities included Mass in the Chapel of the Nativity (pictured lower left) followed by lunch (pictured lower right) and presentations afterwards. John Cavil, board member and founder, shared the history of Relevant Radio; Tom Vorpahl, Chairman of the Board, shared his early involvement as a volunteer and the listener testimonials that continue to inspire his faith; Father Rocky, Executive Director, recorded a Hail Mary (pictured right) from the room and then shared his heart for the mission. Thank you, volunteers, for helping us share the Faith!
WITH PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING
Dear Relevant Radio Family, It’s September! Can you believe it? Summer is over, a new school year is upon us, and soon we will be celebrating the great holiday of Thanksgiving. Traditionally, Thanksgiving Day is a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year, and it’s usually celebrated with family around a really good turkey dinner. It is a great opportunity to gather together as a family and give thanks to God, the source and giver of all good things, in His infinite majesty, power, and goodness. As a priest, when I think of “Thanksgiving,” my immediate thought goes to the great act of thanksgiving made at Holy Mass, also referred to as the Holy Eucharist. The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek word “Eucharistia” which means Thanksgiving. Similar to Thanksgiving Day, anytime we attend Mass and receive Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we are truly gathered together as a spiritual family to participate in that Great Meal,
the great act of thanksgiving made to the Father, united with Jesus, His Son. So, we could call the Mass, “Holy Thanksgiving!” We have everything to be thankful for – indeed, our very existence – and the Mass is the best way to give thanks to God. At every Mass I celebrate, I give thanks for all those who support the mission of Relevant Radio – our listeners, our donors, our volunteers, and our associates. We absolutely cannot do this without you, and we are so grateful for your support! We are also extremely blessed to have our Eucharistic Jesus in the Chapel of the Nativity, to adore and worship Him and to pray for our listeners’ intentions. This year especially – the Year of Faith – we are grateful for our new mobile app which has expanded our reach far beyond our stations’ signals. With the popularity of smart phones and mobile devices, the app makes sharing the faith all the more possible. The Year of Faith ends on the Feast of Christ the King, November 24, 2013. So together, let’s end
this big year in a hymn of prayer and thanksgiving to Jesus, our King! And then I suggest that as part of your family’s Thanksgiving – before digging into that turkey and feeding your body – you all attend Holy Mass together and receive the Holy Eucharist as a family, while honoring and giving thanks to our Creator, who nourishes not only our bodies, but more importantly, our souls. May God bless you and your families with great joy and peace, and most of all, thanksgiving for each other! With prayers and best wishes,
Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, JCD Executive Director P.S. My prayers for a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you!
Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, “Fr Rocky” shares the Relevant Radio® Mission with America’s Catholic Television Network® On August 16th, Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, “Father Rocky,” sat down with Father Robert Reed and Jay Fadden, hosts of the CatholicTV Network’s talk show, This is the Day, to share the heart of the Relevant Radio Mission. CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network streaming a live feed 24 hours a day at CatholicTV.com. Early in the interview, Fr. Rocky described the appeal of Relevant Radio. “We are telling the human story and nobody tells the human story better than the Catholic Church, because it’s founded on the perfect human, Jesus Christ... and everybody is interested in that human story, not just Catholics.” In addition, Fr. Rocky addressed some of the challenges associated with communicating the Gospel message to a mass audience and explained the significance of having the Catholic faith spread via media outlets such as radio (New Evangelization). CLICK HERE to watch Fr. Rocky’s full interview with CatholicTV.
Vatican announces Blessed John Paul II will be canonized a Saint Pope Francis cleared Blessed John Paul II for sainthood on July 5th, approving a miracle attributed to his intercession. Francis also decided to canonize another pope, John XXIII, even though there has been no second miracle attributed to his intercession. The Vatican said Francis approved a decision by cardinals and bishops. The exact date of the canonization will be announced by Pope Francis on September 30th. Stay tuned to Relevant Radio for more on this up and coming historic event!
Illuminate your faith with Lumen Fidei “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” - John 12:46 On July 5th, Pope Francis’ released his first encyclical, Lumen Fidei. Lumen Fidei, a completion of the writing initially begun by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, translates into “the light of faith” and thereby considers the role of faith from the days of Abraham until modern times. The encyclical implores the faithful to rediscover the light of faith, stating, “There is an urgent need, then, to see once again that faith is a light, for once the flame of faith dies out, all other lights begin to dim. The light of faith is unique, since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence. A light this powerful cannot come from ourselves
but from a more primordial source: in a word, it must come from God.” This message comes to us at a perfect time as we steadily approach the end of the Year of Faith. The words of the pope eloquently remind us, “The Year of Faith was inaugurated on the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. This is itself a clear indication that Vatican II was a Council on faith, inasmuch as it asked us to restore the primacy of God in Christ to the centre of our lives, both as a Church and as individuals. The Church never takes faith for granted, but knows that this gift of God needs to be nourished and reinforced so that it can continue to guide her pilgrim way.” So nourish your faith! To read Pope Francis’ encyclical now CLICK HERE.