Radio Maria (formally known as The World Family of Radio Maria; es, link=no, Radio María, pt, Rádio Maria, hr, Radio Marija, mt, Radju Marija, lt, Marijos Radijas, hu, Mária Rádió, russian: Радио Мария, uk, Радіо Марія, known in Germany as ''Radio Horeb'') is an international
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
radio broadcasting service founded in
Erba,
province of Como, in the
diocese of Milan
The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lo ...
, Italy, in 1987.
The World Family of Radio Maria was formed in 1998, mainly based on the
Our Lady of Medjugorje
Our Lady of Medjugorje ( hr, Međugorska Gospa), also called Queen of Peace ( hr, Kraljica mira) and Mother of the Redeemer ( hr, Majka Otkupiteljica), is the title given to visions of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which began in 1981 to six Herz ...
apparitions and messages, and today has branches in 86 countries around the world. Its mission includes
liturgy,
catechesis,
spirituality,
devotions,
prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deifie ...
, spiritual assistance with everyday issues, information, music, and culture.
History
Its first broadcast facility was from a parish in
Arcellasco d'Erba (
province of Como, Italy), but in 1987 it became a separate entity outside its home parish as an association of lay people and priests as Radio Maria Italia. In less than five years, it grew into a national Catholic radio network throughout Italy. Though not directly connected with the Roman Catholic hierarchy, it was founded as an instrument of the Church and as a tool for
evangelization
In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...
, implementing and adhering to the teachings of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
. Initially it was inspired by the appeals made by the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...
in
Fátima, Portugal
Fátima () is a city in the municipality of Ourém and district of Santarém in the Central Region of Portugal, with 71.29 km2 of area and 13,212 inhabitants (2021). The homonymous civil parish encompasses several villages and localiti ...
, and in more recent years based on the
Marian messages from
Medjugorje
Medjugorje ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Međugorje, Међугорје, ) is a town located in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, about southwest of Mostar and east of the border with Croatia. The town is part of the Čitluk municipality ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
, pleading for worldwide conversion. As such, Radio Maria is not subsidized or funded by the Roman Catholic Church; instead it is underwritten by listener contributions.
In 1994, the principal founder don M.
Galbiati left Radio Maria and founded Radio Mater, also in Arcellasco d'Erba, as a totally separate entity. Since 5 September 1994 transmissions started in
Albavilla
Albavilla ( Brianzöö: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about east of Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com ...
in the province of Como. The
Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...
is diffused in the
Roman Rite. Radio Mater is broadcast via radio in Italy, in Europe via satellite (
DVB-S Hot Bird), and worldwide via Internet (
WMP
Windows Media Player (WMP) is the first media player (application software), media player and media library application that was developed by Microsoft for playing sound reproduction, audio, video and viewing images on personal computers runnin ...
).
The World Family of Radio Maria was formed in 1998 out of its subsequent international growth in the 1990s, and pursuant to the 1987 speech by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
in
Saint Peter's Square addressing the need for a new evangelization. Emanuele Ferrario (inspired by the Pope's words to form a new evangelization) is the founder and president of Radio Maria, Inc., which has since grown into an association of 40 multilingual broadcast operations in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Overall, Radio Maria operates approximately 1,500 radio transmitters worldwide.
Radio Maria USA
Its United States of America operation is one of the newest to join the World Family, in May 2000, with
KJMJ (AM) in
Alexandria, Louisiana, being the originating English-language station, together with a network of several FM and AM repeaters in Louisiana, an AM station in Port Arthur, Texas, on 1250 AM (
KDEI), and an FM repeater in Anna, Ohio. An AM repeater in Springfield, Ohio, east of Dayton, commenced broadcasting in June 2008 with new FM repeaters in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, coming on the air in June 2009, D'Iberville, Mississippi, and Peshtigo, Wisconsin, both in May 2010. Spanish-language and Italian-language programming is heard on FM
subcarrier frequencies in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Chicago,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
, New York City and Washington, D.C.. Italian-language programming can also be heard on the New York City FM subcarrier as well as French Canadian and English speaking services on FM subcarriers in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Ontario. Audiostreaming is available from most of these stations.
World Family of Radio Maria
Radio stations in Europe
Radio stations in Asia
Radio stations in Oceania
Radio stations in Africa
Radio stations in the Americas
Programming
Programming mostly consists of traditional Catholic worship music, but some stations also air a mix of traditional and
contemporary Catholic music, along with various talk and teaching programs discussing the Catholic faith, frequent recitals of the Holy Rosary, novenas, and Masses.
Facilities
Radio Maria's programming mostly emanates from one centrally located studio or station in a given region or country, and is then re-broadcast (or "simulcast") on a network of repeater transmitters on the AM and FM bands. Some employ the use of a
subcarrier, also known as SCA (for "
Subsidiary Communications Authority") facilities of FM stations, requiring the use of a receiver designed to receive SCA signals. Since the emergence of the internet, audio-streaming has been used extensively as a means to help fill in gaps left by the unavailability of AM or FM frequencies in metropolitan areas already taken up by commercial, public, or other religious broadcasters.
Starting in June 2008, there have been
shortwave transmissions originating from Italy at 26 MHz and at 26.01 MHz DRM making it the only (and last) shortwave service originating in Italy besides
Vatican Radio.
There are presently no commercial satellite radio subscription services (such as
Sky Digital,
Sirius or
XM) of Radio Maria. However, its Spanish-language, Italian-language, and Polish-language stations may be available in some areas served by the Dish Pronto division of
Dish Network, a satellite television subscription service.
See also
*
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...
*
Christian radio
*
Contemporary Catholic music
*
List of religious radio stations
The following is a list of religious radio stations divided by country.
American Samoa
*KKBT (FM), KKBT Leone, American Samoa, Leone
*KSBS-FM Pago Pago
Argentina
*FM Santa Rosa Pilar, Buenos Aires Province
*Radio Betania Pilar, Buenos Aires Provi ...
*
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
References
External links
*{{official website
Radio stations established in 1987
International radio networks
Shortwave radio stations
Catholic radio stations
Radio stations in Italy
Radio stations in France
Radio stations in Spain
Radio stations in Belgium
Radio stations in the Netherlands
Radio stations in Switzerland
Radio stations in Austria
Radio stations in Hungary
Radio stations in Croatia
Radio stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Radio stations in Serbia
Radio stations in Albania
Radio stations in Malta
Radio stations in Romania
Radio stations in Ukraine
Radio stations in Russia
Radio stations in Lithuania
Radio stations in Lebanon
Radio stations in Indonesia
Radio stations in the Philippines
Radio stations in Burkina Faso
Radio stations in Gabon
Radio stations in Kenya
Radio stations in Malawi
Radio stations in Mozambique
Radio stations in Rwanda
Radio stations in Argentina
Radio stations in Brazil
Radio stations in Ontario
Radio stations in Quebec
Radio stations in Chile
Radio stations in Colombia
Radio stations in the Dominican Republic
Radio stations in Mexico
Radio stations in Paraguay
Radio stations in Peru
Radio stations in Portugal
Radio stations in Venezuela
American radio networks
Multilingual broadcasters
Radio stations broadcasting on subcarriers
1987 establishments in Italy
Christian radio stations