Periodical of the World Family Radio Maria Association
Year V – Issue 21 July - August - September 2017
Pilgrimages to the shrines of Europe: Holy See places of prayer and peace
D
ear Friends, in this beautiful season, we feel the need to break out of the rut of everyday life to find moments to be alone with ourselves and with God in the silence and the beauty of nature. What better choice than to dedicate a few days of our vacation to visiting the smaller and larger shrines scattered throughout our beautiful Italy and all of Europe? Recently, Pope Francis emphasized the important role that shrines play in the new
evangelization, directed primarily to the countries of ancient Christianity where the faith has grown cold or been lost. Shrines, writes the Pope, are “sacred spaces to which pilgrims go to find a moment of rest, silence, and contemplation in today’s often hectic life. A hidden desire gives rise to a nostalgia for God in many of them; and shrines can be a true refuge for rediscovering oneself and regaining the necessary strength for
conversion”. This does not mean a fleeting tour but a true pilgrimage aimed at encountering God through the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. From this perspective, shrines become oases of refreshment for weary souls and an occasion for true inner renewal that benefits the entire person, body and soul, rather than some passing holiday, marked by worldly dissipation. Yours truly, Fr. Livio
World Youth Day in Panama pg.
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pg.
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pg.
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Radio Maria Radio Maria Stations’ Anniversaries
Radio Maria Digital Formation in Africa
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WF RADIO MARIA News
T
he air was thick with expectation and enthusiasm at dawn last 31 July, a Sunday, in Panama. Then the Holy Father’s voice was heard, broadcast from the closing Mass of WYD 2016 in Krakow, Poland: “That is why I joyfully announce that the next World Youth Day will be held in Panama in 2019.” It was an emotional moment for the hundreds of Panamanian youth who were in Poland, as well as those in Panama. And thus, after the Pope’s announcement and a year of planning and meetings between the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), the Dicastry for the Laity, Family, and Life, and a Panamanian government committee, preparations continue at an accelerated pace. There is only a year and a half to the appointment in Panama, which will be held for the second time in a January, from the 22nd to the 27th of 2019. Radio Maria Panama has also started preparations with a volunteer committee, experienced in various areas, that meets every week to organize the media support for the World Family. RM Panama’s president, Mr. Roquel Cardenas, and director, Fr. Victor Atencio, want the radio to do more than just cover and transmit the event to Panama; they also want to provide logistical and technical support for all the Radio Maria’s in the world. This requires serious work to reach the goals set for organization, transportation, accommodation, promotion, and distribution as well as for production and the social networks.
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July - August - September 2017
World Youth Day at the Heart of the World
Along with the preparations in Panama, during the World Youth Day the dioceses will work together with RM Costa Rica and RM Nicaragua since young people from different countries will be welcomed in those countries as well. Eufracio Abrego RM Panama
July - August - September 2017
News RADIO MARIA WF
15
August
1996
RWANDA
15
August
2004
KENYA
19
August
2008
MALAWI
24
August
1999
LITHUANIA
30
August
2004
NICARAGUA
4
September
2001
GUATEMALA
8
September
1997
SWITZERLAND
8
September
2010
AUSTRIA
12
September
1998
COSTA RICA
12
September
2004
EL SALVADOR
15
September
2001
COLOMBIA
1
October
1996
ECUADOR
7
October
1998
USA Hermanos
12
October
2003
IVORY COAST
12
October
2011
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
31
October
2007
ta
CHILE
Co s
1998
e
August
Ch il
5
r do ua Ec
Co as t ry Ivo
Co
lom
bia
Au s
tri a
PANAMA
Ri ca
Radio Maria Stations' Anniversaries in August, September and October
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WF RADIO MARIA News
July - August - September 2017
“Digital Formation” for African Radios
T
he World Family Africa Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, held a training course for directors and editors dedicated to the digital world: using the web and social media. In addition to the training staff there were representatives for the production teams of RM Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, and Tanzania who focused on the importance of these tools for the mission of each Radio Maria. “Why have a social media presence?” and “How can they best be used?” were the questions dealt with. The course had two aims: on the one hand, to give an understanding of these new tools and, on the other, to establish the basis for creating an ever more “social” spirit, looking to create a network marked by the effective use of the new technologies. In the coming months, the course will be repeated for the French-speaking radio stations in Togo and Rwanda. Daniele Trenca
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Periodical of the WFRM Association
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”.