World Family of Radio Maria News - 20 ENG

Periodical of the World Family Radio Maria Association

Year V – Issue 20 April - May - June 2017

D

ear Friends, every year, we celebrate the World Mariathon together with all the Radio Maria stations spread throughout the world. Again this year, It was a time of fellowship and solidarity for our great Radio Maria family, united in our desire to serve the Virgin Mary.

Without the Madonna, this radio that bears her name would not have spread throughout the world, awakening faith, calling for conversion, and comforting hearts with prayer and Christian hope.

We are celebrating Radio Maria’s 30th anniversary and much has been accomplished, but there is still a long road ahead of us if we are to keep spreading Radio Maria throughout the world.

The Mariathon rekindled fervor and unleashed new energy, confirming the virtue of perseverance in seeking the spiritual and material resources needed to continue forward.

Dear friends, during the Mariathon we are called to support Radio Maria concretely so that we will be able to continue its mission.

So much has been done already and with your continued support we will be able to continue further.

Our duty remains, first of all, to see to the necessities of Radio Maria Italy, which is the rock upon which the World Family is built. In this way, we can continue carrying out the projects presented for assisting the Radio Marias that are poorer or still taking their first steps and for responding to the many calls we receive from all over the world.

Our Lady expects an openness of heart from us and the strong decision to serve her. From just listeners we become supporters. Let us continue to help our Lady to help one another.

Yours truly, Fr. Livio

Radio Maria WFRM Members' Assembly pg.

3

pg.

4

pg.

6

Radio Maria Formation in Africa

Radio Maria News Briefs from Around the World

1

April - May - June 2017

WF RADIO MARIA News

Photogallery Mariathon - El Salv ador

Mariathon - Philippines

Mariathon - Lithuania Mariathon - Spain

Mariathon - Cameroon

Mariathon - Italy Mariathon - Mexico

Mariathon - Sierra Leone

2

Mariathon - Papua New Guinea

Mariathon - USA

April - May - June 2017

News RADIO MARIA WF

WFRM Members’ Assembly: Opportunity for Growth, Planning the Future

J

ust like every year, the board of directors and members’ assembly gathered at the headquarters of RM Italy. We took advantage of the event to ask President Viccardi a few questions.

practicing their faith freely.

We are specifically referring to those areas where Christians are afflicted by civil wars and who are living in situations where the Church calls us to be near these communities.

President Viccardi, what prospects were discussed and what decisions were made?

Regarding the decisions and investments for 2017, we confirmed the means of assistance to developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and the projects in the Middle East. We believe their support is fundamental to Radio Maria’s mission to the least among us, particularly to those who have trouble

What is coming up in the next months?

Regarding our editorial activities, this will certainly be an important year of great collaboration between the various nations. We will focus on some projects like Radio Maria in the Caribbean and—as throughout the Mariathon—we will stay faithful to the commitments that are made possible thanks to the generosity that our listeners showed during that great event.

What would you like to say to our readers?

I would like to thank our volunteers and everyone who was involved, above all our generous listeners who permit us, every day to draw near to persons by our work answering the Church’s call in every country of the world. I would also like to mention the projects that our listeners are supporting, the broadcasts and Masses from the parishes. I would especially like to thank them for giving us the means to fulfill Radio Maria’s specific mission: to be with the people and to broadcast liturgies throughout the nations. Finally, I want to recall the importance of Radio Maria’s mission to

be near to the least among us. We are continuing our work—which comes from the desire to give hope to those who have none—to help the imprisoned and support those who are suffering in hospitals by distributing hand-held radios and material for chaplains.

Without a doubt, Radio Maria’s social outreach sustains spirituality and extends the invitation to be near to those who are alone. All of this is made possible thanks to the help of the thousands of volunteers who provide assistance every day, helping to spread the voice of Radio Maria, distributing handheld radios and being a tangible presence of love.

Corinna Corti

3

WF RADIO MARIA News

April - May - June 2017

Formation in Africa in 2017

F

or several years now, the World Family has been investing in training with the conviction that a radio’s success is necessarily tied to the growth of the persons working at it. In Africa, this commitment is carried out, in service of all the African radio stations, by World Family Africa in Dar-es-Salaam and by the FARM organization (Formateurs Africain Radio Maria), a group of directors and presidents who, along with WFAfrica staff members, plan and implement the training courses.

The World Family has developed three levels of formation.

The first level is orientation training, that is, from the moment someone becomes part of the Radio Maria family in whichever country they come from, they receive the essential training needed to understand the structure of the radio, the mission and values of the Radio Maria Association, and the role they will play. This step of the training is done at the individual stations as well as by long-distance lessons. WFAfrica has packaged and provided multimedia materials (videos and self-assessment questionnaires) for these remote classes. The videos are available on the intranet here: http://www.intranet.radiomaria.org/web/guest/ document-download?p_p_ i d = w f r m d d _ WA R _ w f r m a p p p o r tlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_ col_id=column-1&p_p_col_ count=2&p_r_p_-211998915_ groupId=123436&_wfrmdd_WAR_ wfrmappportlet_folderId=360087 There is also orientation training for the entire station’s team, which entails an instructor going to the individual stations.

The second level of formation is called field training, that is, a course held in a “radio lab” where all those being trained have the same position (for example, they are all promoters or all coordinators…). They meet to compare and share their experiences and to learn techniques and practices that the radio lab has tested and found effective.

It is training with a high level of sharing and each participant has the opportunity to learn, not just from instructors, but also from the experience of their colleagues from other stations. Many have already participated in this training, which has shown itself to be a true moment of growth, in each one’s particular competencies, as well as in the spirit of being members of the Radio Maria family.

4

This year, new English-speaking African promoters have already taken part in field training held at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in March. They came from Kenya, Uganda, Liberia, Malawi, and Zambia. They not only took part in lessons and classroom workshops but they also helped promote Radio Maria Tanzania during a visit to a parish in the city.

Another course is scheduled in Togo this September for French-speaking promoters.

The third level of formation is in-depth training on particular areas. This year, for the first time in Africa, we are going to have an in-depth course for editorial directors and their staff. Since most of those in Africa have already taken the first two levels, it was necessary to offer the possibility for improving themselves and their work at the radios by focusing on aspects of the editorial tasks at Radio Maria. During the 2015 World Conference in Collevalenza, Italy, the need to improve the quality of programming and Radio Maria’s presence in the social media were recognized. Indeed, this is the goal for the three upcoming formation sessions planned for different geo-linguistic areas of Africa: one for English-speakers in Tanzania; another for west African French-speakers in Lomé, Togo; and the third for central African French-speakers in Kigali, Rwanda.

These formation courses will take place in July, August, and September after the Mariathon activities (which last until June in many African countries) will have finished.

Besides these courses, which are already on the calendar, we will have other spontaneous and informal opportunities for formation as the need arises. The World Family formation center in Dar-es-Salaam is always open to welcoming new coordinators, directors, administrators, and promoters who join Radio Maria during the course of the year. There, the WFAfrica formation team takes care of them, introducing them to the various ways of working at Radio Maria.

A further note regarding our presidents: the World Family organizes orientation training for them in Italy. Twice a year, in May and December, the new presidents from every continent are invited to attend two days of formation in Erba at the headquarters of Radio Maria Italy. The first session this year was already held this 25–26 May. We had 18 new presidents who enthusiastically and joyfully participated.

Paolo Taffuri

April - May - June 2017

News RADIO MARIA WF

June

2010

MOZAMBIQUE

2

June

1995

WORLD FAMILY OF RADIO MARIA

3

June

1998

ZAMBIA

21

June

1999

INDIA

30

June

2013

4

July

2009

ITALY - SOUTH TIROL (German language) 16

July

1997

ALBANIA

19

July

2003

MACAU

19

July

2015

SERBIA (Hungarian language)

31

July

2006

5

August

1998

CHILE

15

August

1996

RWANDA

15

August

2004

KENYA

19

August

2008

MALAWI

24

August

1999

LITHUANIA

30

August

2004

a

1

Ke ny

UKRAINE

wi ala M nia ba Al bo n Ga ac M hu an ia

am Pa n

Ch

ile

a

au

PANAMA

Za

mb

ia

Se

rb ia

Mo zam biq ue

Rw

an da

Uk

ra

ine

GABON

Lit

So

uth

Tir

ol

Ind

ia

Radio Maria Stations Celebrating Anniversaries in June, July and August

5

April - May - June 2017

WF RADIO MARIA News

Radio Maria in the World: News Briefs AFRICA

be reached by Radio Maria.

The work that still awaits us in this immense continent is only beginning!

AMERICA During this year’s Mariathon, Radio Maria Costa Rica raced alongside all her

sister stations around the world. A beautiful event was organized at the main offices in San Juan. The large Radio Maria team planned a special party dedicated to families, especially their youngest members. Prayer, music, games, and special broadcasts livened up the whole day and united hundreds of listeners in the same mission Michela Burdino

EUROPA The Radio Maria mission

6

Ra

just begun. Their new studios were just blessed by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev.

ASIA Awaiting the start of the Mariathon, Radio Maria the Philippines prepared with a novena of Masses celebrated by pastors of various cities who then, along with their parishioners, arrived at Radio Maria Tarlac City to visit the studios. In 2002, the Philippines were the first Asian country to

Periodical of the WFRM Association

Eq Ra ua di to o M ria a l G ria uin ea

second most populated city.

In Zambia, a national office will open in Lusaka and the current studios in Chipata will serve its own region like the studios in Kabwe, which will also open soon. These are just a few examples of the importance of our commitment to regional stations in countries where Radio Maria is already present, to support local cultures by proclaiming the Gospel to every ethnic group in every language.

Za dio M mb ar ia ia

R Co adio sta M Ri aria ca

Ra

Be dio M lar ar us ia

We would like to recall a few of Radio Maria’s ongoing projects in Africa. In Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking African nation, the national offices of Malabo will be joined by a substation in Bata, the country’s

calls us everywhere—even to re-evangelize our old continent, paying special attention to the eastern European countries that suffered from Communism for so many decades. Among those is Belarus, where the Radio Maria Project has

Editorial Office: p. Livio Fanzaga; p. Francisco Palacios; Stefano Chiappalone; Raffaele Galati; Daniele Trenca; Michela Burdino; p. Charles Mutabaruka.

Via Rusticucci, 13 00193 Rome roma.wf@radiomaria.org www.radiomaria.org The contents of this periodical

(texts and photos) may be used in full or partially on the websites, newsletters, social networks of RM. Always mention the source “WFRM News”.