CATHOLIC RADIO UPDATE #603 May 21, 2012
HOLY FAMILY RADIO in GRAND RAPIDS MARATHON: FIRST TIME UP AT BAT, & STATION SCORES A HOME RUN Catholic Radio Update #603 May 21, 2012 2
HOLY FAMILY RADIO SURPASSES GOAL AND ALL EXPECTATIONS FOR ITS FIRST ON-AIR PLEDGE DRIVE
Grand Rapids, Michigan – May 15, 2012— West Michigan’s Catholic radio station, WVHF-AM 1140, was blessed with a tremendous outpouring of support during its first on-air pledge drive recently. Nearly $150,000 was pledged over the next three-year by several hundred donors. The funds raised will be used for operating expenses and expanding the reach of listener-supported Catholic radio in West Michigan.
Spring Sharathon, with the theme “One Body in Christ”, took place Wednesday through Friday, May 9-11, from 7:00am to 6:00pm each day. It was 33 hours of live and local programming from the Holy Family Radio studios on the Southeast side of Grand Rapids, with more than 150 guests from many parishes, organizations and institutions throughout West Michigan joining us on air to talk about their programs and ministries. It was an inviting and exciting pledge drive format designed to introduce our growing listening audience to the mission and benefits of Holy Family Radio. Holy Family Radio is dedicated to broadcasting the knowledge, love and practice of the Roman Catholic Faith. It seeks to offer a spiritual and educational gift to all listeners to help build stronger marriages and families, greater unity, and growth in discipleship and apostleship.
WVHF-AM 1140, Holy Family Radio, is a listener-supported 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. It first went on the air Christmas Day of 2010. It offers local programming through a Saturday morning Hispanic outreach called “Voices of Hope”, hosted by Fr. Jose Quintana. A Community Calendar also airs three times daily. Holy Family Radio will be adding more local programming this year to complement the quality network Catholic programming it already airs from the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Answers Live and others.
Contact: Larry Nienhaus, General Manager; Holy Family Radio, 2504 Ardmore Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 (616) 956-1140; larry.nienhaus—AROBA—holyfamilyradio.net
CATHOLIC RADIO ACTIVITY BEFORE THE FCC
The following actions concerning Catholic radio took place at the FCC this past week; these are arranged chronologically. KHOT 1250 AM Madera (Fresno), California— Redwood Family Services, Inc., has applied to modify the license of the station, probably to noncommercial status. Redwood has been leasing the station to Immaculate Heart Radio and is selling it for $10 to IHR. KLFT 90.5 FM Kaplan (Lafayette), Louisiana— FCC accepted application to modify CP to reflect 17,000 watts ERP, antenna 149.9 m HAAT, directional; Class C2; transmitter at Third Island, 14 km south of Kaplan in the Louisiana coastal marshes. WMUX 1110 AM Hurricane, West Virginia— FCC accepted application to modify license, probably to change to noncommercial status. St Paul Radio Co. (WLUX Charleston) WXTP 106.7 FM North Windham (Portland), Maine— FCC accepted the application to sell the station from Nassau Broadcasting III, LLC, Debtor-in-Possession, to The Presence Radio Network for $250,000. WTMI 88.7 FM Fleming (Syracuse), New York— FCC accepted application for license of a new station from Holy Family Communications (WLOF Buffalo et al.) KZXD 88.3 FM Kodiak, Alaska— FCC accepted application from One Ministries, Inc. to modify CP to reflect 100 watts ERP, antenna –8 m HAAT. The station is being sold to Sacred Heart Radio (KBLE Seattle and KTTO Spokane). K269FB 101.7 FM Sausalito, California— FCC granted license to cover changes in station, principally a move from Daly City (San Francisco) to Sausalito in the North Bay. Immaculate Heart Radio. Translator rebroadcasts KSFB 1260 AM San Francisco. Catholic Radio Update #603 May 21, 2012 3
CORRESPONDENCE
Right Town, Wrong Call Sign in Maine Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for these updates. They are very informative! Just wanted to mention a slight correction: Our new station in Bangor, ME is WXBP (as opposed to WXPB). God bless, Mike.
Sincerely in Christ,
Josh Houde Audio Production The Presence Radio Network 207-689-9939
Chesapeake Catholic Radio Launches WFDS Pennsville, New Jersey Hey Mike, we're finally on the air in Pennsville. Please add us to the list! Official date was May 6, though we've been fine tuning. The transmitter is getting a new chip today, and hopefully we will work out our remaining satellite issue (feeding with an internet stream right now).
No listener response yet, but we're hopeful. We're going to head out there and drive the area to map the signal strength soon. And we'll be streaming the over the web probably next week - with a Smartphone app available, too!
On to Leonardtown…..
Tom Lynch President, Chesapeake Catholic Radio
CRU #600—Low-Power FM Mike:
You forgot to provide the FCC link page… Here it is below. http://www.fcc.gov/events/low-power-fm-and-fm-translator-public-forum
Dick Jenkins Immaculate Heart Radio
QUINAS From all we have said, it is clear there can be no accident in God. First, because a subject is compared to its accidents as potentiality to actuality; for a subject is in some sense made actual by its accidents. But there can be no potentiality in God. Secondly, because God is His own existence, and as ABoethius says, although every essence may have something superadded to it, this cannot apply to absolute being: thus a heated substance can have something extraneous to heat added to it, as whiteness, nevertheless absolute heat can have nothing else than heat. Thirdly, because what is essential is prior to what is accidental. Whence as God is absolute primal being, there can be in Him nothing accidental. Neither can He have any essential accidents (as the capability of laughing is an essential accident of man), because such accidents are caused by the constituent principles of the subject. Now there can be nothing caused in God, since He is the First Cause. Hence it follows that there is no accident in God.i —St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Radio Update #603 May 21, 2012 4
CATHOLIC RADIO AROUND THE GLOBE
CONFERENCE OF PHILIPPINES CATHOLIC BISHOPS HEAD SEEKS JUSTICE FOR SLAIN CATHOLIC RADIO MAN
Manila, The Philippines, May 10 (CBCP)— The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is calling for justice for the killing of a Catholic radio reporter in Mati City, in Davao del Sur. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, CBCP president, condemned the killing of DXHM-AM news reporter Nestor Libaton and prays that the broadcaster’s death would be given justice.
“First, we are saddened that this happened,” Palma said. “Second, we hope and pray that the authorities will act on it that justice may be pursued.”
At around 2pm last Tuesday, Libaton was shot and killed by still unidentified gunmen while he was on his way to the city proper on board his motorcycle. Reports revealed that the two suspects riding in a single motorcycle shot Libaton seven times. He died on the spot.
Libaton was with a fellow broadcaster Eldon Cruz on board another motorcycle when the incident happened in Sitio Bitan-agan, Barangay Don Enrique Lopez, Mati City.
The killing also took place as the Catholic Church is set to observe the World Communications Sunday on May 20.
“At in this sense we are saddened because we know how important communication is. The celebration of the World Communication Sunday is a way of reminding us that as Christians, it is our duty to proclaim and to communicate the teaching of Jesus,” Palma said.
The Philippines has one of the world’s highest rates of unsolved media killings. At least 151 reporters have been killed since 1986. Libaton is the third member of media killed within the last 15 days. It is not clear whether the killings are work related.
CBCP News :: Official news service of Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Media Office
RADIO MARIA NUEVA YORK SET TO EXPAND
The Radio Maria Nueva York (Spanish language) page in Facebook is announcing that the station, heard in Houston, New York, Connecticut, Washington, and Chicago on FM subcarriers, will soon launch on Long Island in Reading, Pennsylvania. Presumably these will be subcarrier (SCA) operations on existing noncommercial and commercial FM stations.
Cover Photos by WVHF Holy Family Radio, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Catholic Radio on the Air: 217 WFDS 88.1 FM Pennsville, New Jersey May 6
47 Translators
Catholic Radio Update #603 May 21, 2012 5
Ramblings of an Old Curmudgeon
A good friend with whom I worked for years in the federal government and who is a devout Southern Baptist—but not the bigoted kind who proliferate—wrote me recently how she has been saddened and upset to see the increasing irreverence of laymen inside Catholic churches. She told me that in the past she often marveled at the piety and good decorum of Catholics, always silent and reverent in church, in comparison with her fellow Baptists who are silent and reverent in church only during the immediate service.
That being said, here follows part of our pastor’s letter that appeared in the parish bulletin two Sundays ago. It speaks volumes about our times.
“I like every citizen of our great country, have my political opinions. I do my best to leave them outside the church. I suggest you do the same. You won’t see me wearing a campaign button on my vestments. I would be very happy if no one else wore political advertising of any sort to church [boldface his, not mine]. . . . .
“And talking about what we wear to church—I’m afraid that the pastor saw a couple of girls/women who were wearing ‘shorts’ that were way to short for church [boldface again is his] (or any other place besides the beach, in the pastor’s opinion.) I was really tempted to go and say something to these people, but I held my tongue this time.
“(I am just too busy this week to put up with the phone calls of their parents: ‘Don’t you know what a hard time I have getting my daughter to church?!!’ ‘Of course, if your sermons weren’t so boring, I’m sure she would want to come!’ ‘And who are you to tell my daughter what to wear?!! Worry about the priests molesting children instead!’ ‘This isn’t the 1950’s, after all! And why were you even looking at my daughter? You must have dirty mind!’ Etc., etc., etc.’ I’m not making this stuff up. And then they complain to the Archbishop, who backs up the pastor, but it’s a whole new round of phone calls. Do you sense my frustration over this?)
“Dear people, again, please use common sense: —what you wear on top needs to meet what you wear on bottom. —what you wear on top should cover your shoulders, your back, and your front. —what you wear below should come to your knees. —Guys: don’t come dressed like the cat just dragged you in off the street. T-shirts with weird or suggestive things on them are just out of place. —Parents: Please give direction to your children on how to dress in church. —Everyone: Dressing for Mass does not need to be an expensive fashion show and in the hot weather we can be comfortable, but we all must be CLEAN, NEAT, and MODEST in church.” [The boldface emphasis is the pastor’s.]
Our large parish has 16,000 people registered. The panoply of dress on Sundays is to be seen. We have old bachelors arriving in white T-shirts and shorts that look as if they sleep in them; their legs are bare from their shabby shorts down into their dirty gym shoes, for they go sockless. Younger ones arrive in faded jeans with ragged worn holes in them, safari shorts, tank tops, and sockless in sandals. Many wear clothes that are worn, faded, rumpled, mismatched, and downright dirty.
We are not talking weekday Masses when people may be on their way to work; we are talking Sundays. Although many teens and twenty-somethings dress in the same manner as above, on the whole their appearance is often better than their elders. Those elders include middle aged women who around here, probably because of the diet born out of consistent poverty, are quite fat; many are obese, some extraordinarily so. Invariably, they insist on wearing halters and tight blouses, and their slacks seem to be straining to restrain the huge semi-spheres of fat without splitting at the seams. I assume they think themselves alluring.
Catholic Radio Update #603 May 21, 2012 6
Several years ago at a weekday Mass, I found myself some pews behind three kids in their midteens. Two boys flanked a beautiful blonde teenage girl, and when they rose with the rest of us to greet the priest at the beginning of Mass, I saw that she was wearing white short shorts. They were clean, they were cuffed, and fit her perfectly. She had beautiful legs and the rest of her was in classy proportion.
If that were not enough, in the course of kneeling, sitting, and rising during the Liturgy of the Word, the shorts leg (leglet?) on her left thigh rose up to expose about a third of her left buttock. She was totally unaware of it, and throughout the canon into the rising for the Lord’s Prayer, whenever she stood, it was apparent that the wayward leglet was still higher up than it should have been.
Now, this was a weekday Mass and there was no obligation to be there; it is to the credit of the three teens that they were there. Still! Folks, I may be old, but I am not dead. I do not know if anyone else noticed; I was far enough back to see her revealing, lifting shorts; those farther back or at an angle may not have seen it. After Mass, the teens left quite nonchalantly, and when she turned to exit I saw that her face was as pretty as the rest of her. She showed no sign that she had become aware that anything was amiss with her clothing.
It’s not just teens. I have been to Sunday Masses where the reader—the reader!— wore a short cocktails- style pleated skirt and a rather flimsy top with no sleeves. As she mounted the sanctuary steps, her long, fine legs and thighs were clearly visible through dark stockings.
I have not seen barefoot people, women in thongs, or shirtless men at Mass, so I suppose things could get worse. In the meantime, I feel sorry for parish priests who have to endure this, and when they finally rise to speak about the lack of proper dress being a de facto disrespect of Christ in the Eucharist, they are challenged and defied with the most insulting and vilest responses.
That fact triggers another memory, one of the CCD director at our suburban parish on the North Shore across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. When the catechetical curriculum got around that year to the sixth commandment, and the woman was teaching the teenagers about Christian sexual morality, that night she got a phone call from a furious mother who demanded that she stop teaching her child “that warped, inhibited, old-fashioned stuff about sex” and “transferring her [the teacher’s] neuroses and hang- ups onto the poor children”!
One finds it hard to believe that any Catholic with common sense would say such things to priests and teachers who uphold two thousand years of Catholic moral teaching. The proof, however, is there, and I offer examples from here in Albuquerque back to Louisiana. I am sure these kinds of Catholic behavior and attitudes are not isolated to the Southwest and Deep South.
Years ago I carpooled with a former Anglican priest who could no longer be an Anglican because of their “anything goes” approach to theology and morality. He told me that the situation even among conservative Anglicans (as opposed to liberal Episcopalians) is such that any Anglican priest who dares to champion traditional Christian sexual morality, or condemn abortion and homosexual marriage, will find the paint on his car keyed, car windows shattered, and tires flattened. “It’s gotten so that many Anglican priests won’t dare touch these topics,” he told me.
I suspect that more than a few Catholic priests do the same. They just don’t bring up the subject of sexual morality because they don’t want to infuriate even more laymen into leaving the Church, don’t want to have to cope with the insulting phone calls, don’t want to see the whole of the priesthood libeled with charges of pederasty, don’t want to have to defend themselves to the bishop encased in his bureaucratic glass chancery box.
Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’m going to stand up and pull the cord over the window on this bus. “Next stop, driver! I’m off next stop!” —Michael Dorner
i Summa Theologica, I, Q. 3, Art. 6