HMWN Radio Maria Web Magazine - December 2009

1. From the President's Desk

2. The HMWN Project

3. For Volunteers and Listeners of Good Will

4. Behind the scenes at HMWN Radio Maria

5. Rosary in Our Schools

6. Now available at Pals' Books

7. How to help HMWN Radio Maria

From the President's Desk

Dear friends:

An Advent Suggestion
What is HMWN Radio Maria? Many concerned Catholics have asked and continue to ask this question.
A simple answer could be: As John the Baptist, we are still the forerunners of Christ, namely, “A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths’”. In fact, we are living, all year long, the season of Advent, understood as a time of preparation for the coming of Christ. That is what the Church is for and that is what the Blessed Mother continues to remind all of us.
In this issue of HMWN Web Magazine, by publishing the text of the booklet "The HMWN Project", we try to give an answer about our own identity and mission.
Read it in this season of Advent, and then, if the Blessed Mother calls you, do not hesitate to join us to become a true witness, “A voice crying out in the wilderness.”

The HMWN Project

Summary

1. History of Radio Maria

2. The World Family of Radio Maria

3. Holy Mother World Networks: (HMWN) Radio Maria

4. HMWN: Closed Circuit Operations

5. HMWN: Guiding Principles

6. HMWN: Volunteers

• Who are HMWN Volunteers?
• Different tasks of HMWN volunteers.
• Beginning a Zone or Parish Team.
• Developing a structured Parish Team.
• General Tasks for the Parish Team
• The “Loaning” Project

7. HMWN: Service to Parishes

8. HMWN: Radio Maria Annual Day of Prayer

For Volunteers and Listeners of Good Will

You are cordially invited to HMWN Advent Reflection for all volunteers on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at the HMWN Radio Studio.

The day will commence with Holy Mass at 10am followed by an Advent Reflection led by Fr. Charles Zichella, OFM Cap. A volunteer appreciation and Christmas reception will follow.

Please RSVP to HMWN Radio Studio at 416.245.0200.

Behind the Scenes at HMWN Radio Maria

Family Matters hosted by Lou Iacobelli (Monday 12:30 pm)

This program aims to communicate the teachings of Catholic Church about life and the family. We want it to be a curriculum where together with the listener, parents and students, we can learn more about how our faith can help us to build a culture of life. Today’s heresy is that the family and the person are being told that they can be and do whatever they choose. Through the Book of the Month reviews and interviews, the program tries to guide the listener to seek the truth.
Our most recent reviews have been Architects of the Culture of Death co-authored by Donald De Marco and Benjamin Wiker and Render unto Caesar by Archbishop Charles Chaput. Both books are an insightful and practical guide for Catholic citizens to better serve the country by promoting a culture of life and how to live our Catholic beliefs, in our family and the public square.
We are told in Deuteronomy (30: 15, 19), “See I have set before you life and death, blessings and curse; therefore choose life that you and your descendents may live.” Commenting on these words, in The Gospel of Life, John Paul II said that we are called every day to the duty of choosing between the “culture of life” and the “culture of death.” This clearly tells us who we are and what we should do as Christians.
Join us every Monday at 12: 30pm as we try to put into practice what may strike some people as wishful thinking, but we see as realistic: to love everyone, including the unborn, as Christ loves us. It’s the only true way of nurturing a culture of life and family.

Rosary in Our School

(click calendar for full size)

Now Available at Pal's Books

(a) New HMWN Rosary CD: A Uniquely Canadian Catholic Event

($15 each)

Last year in preparation for the Eucharistic Congress, the HMWN program “Community in Concert” hosted by Sharon DiCecco interviewed Michelle and Dan Sullivan of Brampton. The couple participated in the pilgrimage of the Ark of the New Covenant in Trois Rivieres en route to Quebec City. Michelle brought a special gift to the travelling troupe. She daily recited the rosary in Algonquin. Deep within the forests of Quebec could be heard the sounds of praying the rosary in three languages: French, English and Huron-Wendat. Now HMWN Catholic Radio is proud to announce the release of a new CD of The Luminous Mysteries in these three Canadian languages.

Along with Michelle you will hear the Shakespearean voice of the Jesuit priest, Fr. Len Altilia. Also, Stuart McDougall, the Eucharistic Minister of Our Lady Peace and Russell Asch, a seminarian at St. Augustine who kindly offered to pray the rosary in French. The music is titled, "This Earthly Space" and was composed by Sal Lima and Dave DiCecco. Heeding our blessed Mother's call to say the rosary, you'll be inspired by these voices in prayer as they bring you closer to her Son Jesus.

Our own HMWN studio technicians Jason Taylor, Alex Dias and Tony Giannantonio masterfully arranged the music and the voices.

This exclusive new recording by HMWN is truly an original and inspirational Canadian praying experience.

(b) HMWN Radio Maria 2010 Marian Calendar

(32 Pages - $5.00)

The 2010 HMWN Calendar aims at promoting the Christian response to the Gospel’s call to worship.

First, it gives prominence to each Sunday (The Christian Worship Day) by showing its position in the Liturgical Year. Second, to underline the spiritual importance of Mary in our Christian life, it emphasizes all the more common Marian Feasts of the year.

Third, month after month, it provides information about the nature and expectations of HMWN, a radio station devoted to spread the Good News in the modern world.

In addition, there is mention every day of the names of a great number of saints and, in particular, the story of Fr. Francesco Giuseppe Bressani, one of the companions of the Canadian Martyrs, is presented. (Excerpts from Luigi Pautasso, The Holy Martyrs of Canada, Pal’s Books).

Finally, you will find the teachings of the Church about the Year for Priests (Letter of Benedict XVI, June 16, 2009).

(c) HMWN Radio Maria Religious Christmas Cards

(Package of 10 Cards, 5 Subjects - Only $5.00)

How to Help HMWN Radio Maria

HMWN does not accept any advertising, nor is it sponsored by any institution. To cover the cost of its operations, HMWN can only depend on God’s Providence, using the generous collaboration of its volunteers and listeners. In short, HMWN exists because its volunteers and listeners, through their generous donations want it to exist.

Click the link below to make a secure and safe online donation using PayPal, Visa or Mastercard. For more information on donations to HMWN, click here.

HMWN Radio Maria Web Magazine - November 2009

1. From the President’s Desk
2. For Volunteers and Listeners of Good Will
3. Behind the Scenes at HMWN Radio Maria (Christopher M. Galati)
4. Rosary in Our Schools
5. The Year of the Priests
6. Now Available at Pal's Books
7. How to Help HMWN Radio Maria

From the President's Desk

An Invitation to Young People in the Name of Friendship

“The concept of friendship has enjoyed a renewed prominence in the vocabulary of the new digital social networks that have emerged in the last few years. The concept is one of the noblest achievements of human culture. It is in and through our friendships that we grow and develop as humans. For this reason, true friendship has always been seen as one of the greatest goods any human person can experience.

We should be careful, therefore, never to trivialize the concept or the experience of friendship. It would be sad if our desire to sustain and develop on-line friendships were to be at the cost of our availability to engage with our families, our neighbours and those we meet in the daily reality of our places of work, education and recreation. If the desire for virtual connectedness becomes obsessive, it may in fact function to isolate individuals from real social interaction while also disrupting the patterns of rest, silence and reflection that are necessary for healthy human development.

Friendship is a great human good, but it would be emptied of its ultimate value if it were to be understood as an end in itself. Friends should support and encourage each other in developing their gifts and talents and in putting them at the service of the human community. In this context, it is gratifying to note the emergence of new digital networks that seek to promote human solidarity, peace and justice, human rights and respect for human life and the good of creation. These networks can facilitate forms of co-operation between people from different geographical and cultural contexts that enable them to deepen their common humanity and their sense of shared responsibility for the good of all...

I would like to address myself, in particular, to young Catholic believers: to encourage them to bring the witness of their faith to the digital world. I ask you to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives. In the early life of the Church, the great Apostles and their disciples brought the Good News of Jesus to the Greek and Roman world. Just as, at that time, a fruitful evangelization required that careful attention be given to understanding the culture and customs of those pagan peoples so that the truth of the gospel would touch their hearts and minds, so also today, the proclamation of Christ in the world of new technologies requires a profound knowledge of this world if the technologies are to serve our mission adequately.

It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this "digital continent". Be sure to announce the Gospel to your contemporaries with enthusiasm. You know their fears and their hopes, their aspirations and their disappointments: the greatest gift you can give to them is to share with them the "Good News" of a God who became man, who suffered, died and rose again to save all people. Human hearts are yearning for a world where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. Our faith can respond to these expectations: may you become its heralds!"

(From the Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI for the 43rd World Day of Communications, May 24, 2009)

For Volunteers and Listeners of Good Will

The Invitation

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe...” (Mark 16:15-17).

The Response

HMWN volunteers are Christians seriously concerned about the glory of God and the salvation of the world. Moved by their faith, they choose to participate in the growth of HMWN Radio Maria in the community in which they live, not for personal gain or interests, but solely for their love of Christ and His heavenly Mother.

The Witnesses

To proclaim the Gospel to all creatures the voice of HMWN needs help from the listeners of each parish. Any person of good will that loves Christ and the Blessed Virgin can become a witness.

The “signs”...

Brian Moccia, an HMWN volunteer from the parish of “Merciful Redeemer” in Mississauga tells his way of developing the “Loaning Project”, which story is certainly related to the signs mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. To know more about it, listen to the audio recording below:

Brian Moccia's Communication

Behind the Scenes at HMWN Radio Maria

Christopher M. Galati
(Live: 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 9:00 pm; encore: 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday, 11:00 am).

Christopher M. Galati, LL.B., B.Ed., B.A. Spec. Hons.

Christopher Galati, a Catholic lawyer and apologist, directs the bi-weekly Wednesday evening (9-10 p.m.) live-on-air program “Catholic Response”, where Catholic responses are provided to all kinds of questions and objections brought up about the Catholic faith. These enquiries come from various sources, including from Catholics wondering how to respond to people who have told them their Catholic beliefs are wrong, or from Catholics who are concerned about family members or friends who have strayed from the Catholic faith or joined another belief system or faith community.

A small sample of the question topics dealt with on “Catholic Response” include: Is there historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus?; Did Jesus create the papacy?; Do the Crusades or Inquisitions disprove the Catholic Church as the one Church founded by Christ?; Heresies old and new; What is the correct approach to interpreting the Bible?; Is the Catholic Eucharist a mere symbol or the real presence of Christ?; Faith and science - how do modern theories of scientific evolution square with Catholic beliefs?; How should Catholics respond to claims that there is no God? Is Christianity just myth?; The dangers to the Catholic faith of secularism, and the new age movement; Aren't all religions equal - how can Catholicism be the one true faith with so many other religions in the world?

Many more topics and questions have been covered on past programs. People are encouraged to go to the “Catholic Response” program radio archives on www.hmwn.net as many of their questions will have been answered in past “Catholic Response” programs (which programs can be identified by key words corresponding to particular questions or topics). On the archives you can also listen to Chris' popular Christian Agora lecture: Defending the Catholic Faith: A Modern Day Apologetic.

Questions about the Catholic faith can also be sent to Chris at any time by email at chris.galati@hmwn.net.


Rosary in Our Schools

The Schedule for the month of November and December 2009 can be viewed as a PDF file by clicking here.



The Year of the Priests

"God's Calling"
Host: Theresa Medina Smith,
November's Interviewees:

• Fr. Bill Comerford: Thursday, Nov. 5, 9:00 pm, (encore) Friday, Nov. 6, 2:00 pm.
  
• Fr. John Pikauskas: Nov. 12, 9:00 pm, (encore) Friday, Nov. 13, 2:00 pm
  
• Fr. Roselle Azares: Nov. 19, 9:00 pm, (encore) Friday, Nov. 20, 2:00 pm
  
• Bishop Fred Henry: Nov. 26, 9:00 pm, (encore) Friday, Nov. 27, 2:00 pm

St. John Mary Vianney

A Prayer for Holy Priests

My dear Lord Jesus, You desire that we pray the Lord of the harvest that He send zealous labourers into His harvest. Deign to raise up in your Church, and especially in this diocese, numerous and holy priests who, taking your Divine Heart as their Model, will, in the exercise of their holy priesthood, promote the glory of your heavenly Father and the salvation of those souls whom you have redeemed with your Precious Blood. Give us truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of your divine love, seek nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls. O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us a number of holy priests.

2010 Marian Calendar and Religious Christmas Cards

1. HMWN Radio Maria 2010 Marian Calendar

(32 Pages - $5.00)

The 2010 HMWN Calendar aims at promoting the Christian response to the Gospel’s call to worship.

First, it gives prominence to each Sunday (The Christian Worship Day) by showing its position in the Liturgical Year. Second, to underline the spiritual importance of Mary in our Christian life, it emphasizes all the more common Marian Feasts of the year.

Third, month after month, it provides information about the nature and expectations of HMWN, a radio station devoted to spread the Good News in the modern world.

In addition, there is mention every day of the names of a great number of saints and, in particular, the story of Fr. Francesco Giuseppe Bressani, one of the companions of the Canadian Martyrs, is presented. (Excerpts from Luigi Pautasso, The Holy Martyrs of Canada, Pal’s Books).

Finally, you will find the teachings of the Church about the Year for Priests (Letter of Benedict XVI, June 16, 2009).

2. HMWN Radio Maria Religious Christmas Cards

(Package of 10 Cards, 5 Subjects - Only $5.00)

How to Help HMWN Radio Maria

HMWN does not accept any advertising, nor is it sponsored by any institution. To cover the cost of its operations, HMWN can only depend on God’s Providence, using the generous collaboration of its volunteers and listeners. In short, HMWN exists because its volunteers and listeners, through their generous donations want it to exist.

Click the link below to make a secure and safe online donation using PayPal, Visa or Mastercard. For more information on donations to HMWN, click here.