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Catholic Radio now Available

(CNS photo/courtesy of Hearts and Minds)

“Catholic Radio is up and broadcasting in Burlington, Winooski, Essex and South Burlington! Congratulations to Donna McSoley and all who helped her make this happen,” Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne enthused on social media.

The station went live Sept. 29, the Feast of the Archangels.

Tune in to WRXJ, 105.5 FM for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio, dedicated to helping listeners grow in holiness in Jesus Christ.

The low-power radio station is owned by St. Francis Xavier Parish Charitable Trust; it broadcasts from St. Francis Xavier Parish in Winooski.

A member of the parish, Donna McSoley, landed a permit with the Federal Communications Commission to build the radio station. She now serves as its president.

An Oct. 1 post on the non-profit station’s Facebook page noted, “We are on the air! Tune in to 105.5 FM to hear Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Radio — your prescription for joy.”

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio’s programming purpose is evangelization and catechesis. Broadcasting from Winooski, it reaches communities in the Burlington area with its signal reaching across Lake Champlain into New York.

McSoley said she was relieved, excited and happy to have the station on the air. “I love listening to it in the car,” she enthused. “Now the fun part can start.”

She would like to include homilies of local priests, some local programming and talks on topics of Catholic interest and on topics of social issues.

Programming currently includes EWTN Live, Mornings with Mother, Sunday Night Prime and Women of Grace. “The EWTN content is so excellent,” McSoley said.

Through broadcasting scripture, sound doctrine and pastoral advice, the station is committed to helping listeners understand the Catholic faith, increase hope by preaching truth and bring about the interior conversion that is demanded in the Gospels.

According to its website, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio Inc. is faithful to the teachings of sacred Scripture, sacred tradition and the magisterium: “We hope that our encouragement will bring people in deeper union with God, and in doing so, strengthen our community. In a world that has lost its way, we offer hope and invite all to know clarity, wisdom and truth through the lens of the Church that Jesus founded, in order to bring it peace, love and light.”

“I want to support the Diocese to evangelize and proclaim the Gospel,” McSoley said.

For programming information, go to wrxj1055.org/programing.

Vocation in the Church: Universal and Primary

The first time I had a thought about a vocation I was a child. My sisters and I would play Mass in our home. Always on the search for the perfectly rounded Lay’s potato chip for the host, we enjoyed the idea of bringing something so sacred into something so familiar.

National Vocation Awareness Week begins Nov. 5 and continues throughout the week as a way to teach and encourage our young people about the gift and variety of different vocations in the Church. This week we celebrate two aspects of Vocation in the Church: the Universal and the Primary. The universal call from God to each and every one of us is that we conform our lives to that of God’s Son, Jesus. Through our communion with Him we are sanctified, meaning we are made saints. The primary, or what is commonly referred to as “the big V vocation” in one’s life, is how we live that universal call to holiness.

By Baptism we are consecrated to God, set apart for God’s purposes. As God’s life in us is strengthened by confirmation and nourished by the Eucharist and Reconciliation, we prayerfully begin to discern our state in life: ordained life, consecrated life or the life of the laity.

In the ordained state of life, a man may hear the Lord calling him to serve the Church as a deacon, priest or bishop. Each of these offices has particular graces and particular responsibilities for the building up of God’s holy people.

If someone is drawn to consecrated life, he or she may consider several different ways that God may be calling: as a consecrated virgin living in the world; to apostolic religious life (sister or friar); as a member of a secular institute or a contemplative institute; as a diocesan hermit; or as part of a monastic community as a monk or a nun.

In the lay state, a person discerns between married life and dedicated single life.

Although the focus of this week in our parishes and schools may highlight one vocation or another, the goal is to help raise awareness about the various possibilities within the Church for persons to explore how the Lord is asking them to make a gift of their lives and a gift of their love to others.

Together, let us build a culture of vocations where our youth are inspired by the idea of the sacred coming close to them and in which the guiding principle for their lives becomes this prayer of their hearts, “God, help me to want what you want for my life.”

Check out a video featuring the priests of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington responding to the question, “What do you love most about being a priest?”

For more information and resources on National Vocation Awareness Week, visit: Vianney Vocations and the U.S. Conference o Catholic Bishops.
———————
Father Jon Schnobrich is the director of vocations for the Diocese of Burlington.

This article was first published in the Nov. 4-10, 2017, issue of The Inland See bulletin.

EWTN Coverage of the Centennial Anniversary of Fatima

(EWTN photo)Children participate in a Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour.

(EWTN) – As part of EWTN’s coverage of the centennial anniversary of Fatima, the Network will broadcast two special events on Friday, Oct. 13.

At 10 a.m. EWTN will broadcast the 15th annual Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. This annual event spiritually unites the children of the world before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The children will make reparation to console Jesus and pray for their families, their countries and the world.

Father Chris Alar, director of the Association of Marian Helpers of the Immaculate Conception, will preside at the Holy Hour. For more information, go to childrenoftheeucharist.org.

That evening, Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl will lead a historic candlelight rosary procession and a prayer of entrustment for individuals and families to Our Lady of Fatima’s Immaculate Heart. EWTN will broadcast the event live from the basilica at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13.

“Gather your families, wherever you are on the evening of Oct. 13, if possible, tune in to EWTN, light a candle, pray the rosary and the prayer of entrustment, spiritually uniting with Cardinal Wuerl,” said Connie Schneider, director of the two events. “We hope Catholics worldwide will join in from their dioceses, parishes, homes, nursing homes…everywhere!”

A Family Entrustment Pamphlet is available at childrenoftheeucharist.org/product/beautiful-8-page-booklet-includes-consecration-family-youth-children  to help families follow along with the prayers during this special event.

“Miracle of the Sun”

(CNS photo/EPA)Portuguese shepherd children Lucia dos Santos, center, and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, are seen in a file photo taken around the time of the 1917 apparitions of Mary at Fatima.
(EWTN) – Friday, Oct. 13, marks the 100th anniversary of the capstone of the Fatima apparitions: the Miracle of the Sun, where the sun appeared to hurtle towards the earth. Even the secular newspapers of the time reported on the phenomenon – although they never would have credited it to Our Lady of Fatima.

Hear Our Lady’s words and watch a recreation of this miracle in the seventh episode of the EWTN series “The Message of Fatima.” It airs at 8:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 13, and 10 a.m. ET, Saturday, Oct. 14.

Another way to celebrate the anniversary is to tune in to EWTN’s many Fatima specials. For a complete listing of dozens of Fatima-related movies, documentaries, and news shows, please go to ewtn.com/fatima/programming.asp. Some of these programs will be streamed live on Facebook, facebook.com/ewtnonline, so be sure to “like” our page to watch.

Among the devotional highlights will be:

Our Lady of Fatima: International Rosary and Candlelight Procession: Live from Fatima, Portugal. Airs 4:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, Oct. 12.

Holy Mass in Honor of Our Lady of Fatima: From the Shrine in Portugal. Airs 5 a.m. ET and noon ET, Friday, Oct. 13.

Worldwide Children’s Holy Hour, Candlelight Procession, and Consecration of the United States of America: Live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Airs 7 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 13.

Among the special movies, documentaries and news shows will be:

Vaticano: Examine the event that shaped history; explore the city of Fatima, relive the canonization of Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and much more. Airs 11 p.m. ET, Thursday, Oct. 12.

Fatima and the Popes: An historical look at the connection between the Fatima apparitions and the Popes. Airs 10:30 a.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 13.

Fatima – A Message of Hope: A documentary examining the prophetic revelations and the great miracle of Fatima, with insights from leading experts and family members of the three shepherd children. Airs 5 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 13.
Queen of Heaven: The Consecration – My Immaculate Heart will Triumph: A look at how Our Lady of Fatima’s prophecies about World War II and the rise of the Soviet Union came to pass. Airs 6:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 13.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 36th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN’s 11 TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 268 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; the largest Catholic website in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, “The National Catholic Register” newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division.

Respect Life Month

(CNS/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard)Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington delivers a keynote address prior to a panel discussion on “Lives Worthy of Respect” at Georgetown University in Washington Oct. 2. The event was held to kick off the month of October as Respect Life Month.
In a statement to mark Respect Life Month, October 2017, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York reiterated the need to build a culture of life throughout the year. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The Cardinal’s statement launches the year-long 2017-18 Respect Life Program (usccb.org/respectlife), which provides materials exploring the theme, “Be Not Afraid.”

“Looking back over the last year, there’s been a lot of uncertainty, suffering, and heartache. Between tragedies that occur in the public eye and trials that take place in our personal lives, there’s no shortage of reasons we cry out to God,” Cardinal Dolan said. “At such times, we may feel alone and unequipped… But we have an anchor of hope to cling to. …God says to us, ‘Do not fear: I am with you’ (Isaiah 41:10).”

“There are times we may doubt the value of our own lives or falter at the thought of welcoming and embracing the life of another. But…He makes all things beautiful. He makes all things new. He is the God of redemption,” the Cardinal said. “That’s powerful. That’s something to hold onto.”

“As followers of Jesus Christ, …we are called to be missionary disciples…commissioned to reach out to one another, especially to the weak and vulnerable,” Cardinal Dolan said.

Begun in 1972, the Respect Life Program highlights the value and dignity of human life throughout the year. Materials are intended for use across the spectrum of Catholic life, work, ministry, and education.

The 2017-18 Respect Life Program features six articles on a range of issues. They address practical steps to build a culture of life, compelling reasons to oppose assisted suicide, principles to consider at the end of life, an overview of the role of conscience, offering genuine support to a friend who’s considering abortion, and a Catholic Q & A on the death penalty. Many digital and print resources are offered, including toolkits for priests and deacons, parishes, Catholic education, Respect Life ministry, youth ministry, young adult ministry, faith formation, and communications.

The full text of Cardinal Dolan’s statement is available along with many other resources at usccb.org/respectlife.

U.S. Bishops call for prayers, care for others after shooting in Las Vegas

(CNS photo/Steve Marcus, Las Vegas Sun)A body is covered with a sheet in the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South after an Oct. 1 mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. A gunman perched high on the 32nd floor of a casino hotel unleashed a shower of bullets on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 50 people and wounding hundreds, making it the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
On October 2, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), expressed “deep grief” after a deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas.

The full text of the statement follows:

“We woke this morning and learned of yet another night filled with unspeakable terror, this time in the city of Las Vegas, and by all accounts, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.  My heart and my prayers, and those of my brother bishops and all the members of the Church, go out to the victims of this tragedy and to the city of Las Vegas.  At this time, we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering.  In the end, the only response is to do good – for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light.  May the Lord of all gentleness surround all those who are suffering from this evil, and for those who have been killed we pray, eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”

“I join with Cardinal DiNardo in offering my prayers for the victims, their families, and for the first-responders,” said Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of the Diocese of Burlington, “and I invite all those of the Catholic community in Vermont to do so as well.”