Saint of the Day and Daily Meditation

by | Nov 7, 2017 | Uncategorized

SEPTEMBER

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15. September falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during prayer of Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.

The Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month of SEPTEMBER 2024

For the cry of the earth: We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live. (See also http://www.popesprayerusa.net/)

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, grant me the faith of the centurion, whose trust in Your power amazed even Your Son Jesus. May my belief in You be unwavering, knowing that with just a word, You can heal and restore. Strengthen my heart to trust in Your will, even in the face of uncertainty. Amen

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to Her Son, as they are recorded in the Gospels or through Tradition. Today we are invited to reflect on Mary’s deep suffering:

1. At the prophecy of Simeon: “You yourself shall be pierced with a sword – so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” (Luke 2:35).
2. At the flight into Egypt; “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.” (Mt 2:13).
3. Having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem; “You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow.” (Luke 2:48).
4. Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary;
5. Standing at the foot of the Cross; “Near the cross of Jesus there stood His mother.” (John 19:25).
6. Jesus being taken from the Cross;
7. At the burial of Christ.

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, there were two feasts devoted to the sorrows of Mary. The first feast was insitituted in Cologne in 1413 as an expiation for the sins of the iconoclast Hussites.  The second is attributed to the Servite order whose principal devotion are the Seven Sorrows.  It was institued in 1668, though the devotion had been in existence since 1239 – five years after the founding of the order.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/our-lady-of-sorrows-595

Ordinary Time: SEPTEMBER 16th

Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Other Commemorations: St. Ninian, Bishop (Scotland, Feast; RM); Sts. Euphemia, Martyr (RM); St. Ninian, Bishop (RM); Bl. Victor III, Pope (RM); St. Juan Macias, Religious (RM)

Today’s Memorial of Saints Cornelius (d. 253) and Cyprian (190-258) commemorates two friends in the service of Christ and his Church. Cornelius, a Roman, was the twenty-first Pope during the reign of the Emperor Gallus and Volusian. He had to oppose Novatian, the first anti-pope, who believed that apostates who repented could not be forgiven. Helped by St. Cyprian, Cornelius confirmed his papal authority. He was beheaded in exile at Civitavecchia, Italy in 253. Saints Cyprian and Cornelius are mentioned in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) of the Mass.

The Roman Martyrology also commemorates:
—Sts. Euphemia of Chalcedon (c. 290-c. 305), a virgin of Chalcedon, was martyred under Diocletian. Her cult was widespread in the East. Over her tomb was built the basilica in which assembled the Council of Chalcedon in 451. St. Euphemia was also venerated in the West, especially in Italy.

—St. Ninian (c. 360-c. 432) was the first apostle of Christianity in Scotland. He was born in Cumbria of Christian parents around 360 and was educated in Rome. He became a priest and was ordained a bishop, probably by Pope Siricius, after which he was sent to evangelize Scotland. He landed there in 397 at Whithorn near Solway Firth, where he built a stone cathedral called Candida Casa (‘White House’). He died around the year 432 and was buried at Whithorn.

—Blessed Pope Victor III (1027-1087) was elected in 1086. He was described as a man of “unusual holiness” and he much preferred to remain the abbot of his beloved Monte Cassino monastery than become Pope. Reluctant and also gravely ill, Victor had a short and unremarkable Papacy. Victor is one of the few Popes to be buried outside of St. Peter’s Basilica. His body is entombed in the chapter-house of Monte Cassino (where he did his greatest work), but it was briefly moved to Rome during World War II for safekeeping. Pope Victor III was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1887.

—St. Juan de Macias (or John Massias) (1585-1645) was a Dominican lay brother at Lima, Peru and a friend of St. Martin de Porres. He was born in Ribera, Spain, to a noble family but orphaned at a young age. He went to Peru to work on a cattle ranch before entering the Dominicans at Lima as a lay brother, assigned as the porter. He was known for his austerities, miracles, and visions. John was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1975.

St. Cornelius
Pope Cornelius (251-253) was the successor to Pope Fabian. During his reign a controversy arose concerning the manner of reinstating those who had fallen from the faith under the duress of persecution. The Novatians accused the Pope of too great indulgence and separated themselves from the Church. With the help of St. Lucina, Cornelius transferred the remains of the princes of the apostles to places of greater honor. On account of his successful preaching the pagans banished him to Centumcellae, where he died. St. Cyprian sent him a letter of condolence. At the time of Pope Cornelius there were at Rome forty-six priests, seven deacons, seven subdeacons, forty-two acolytes, fifty-two clerics and more than five hundred widows who were supported by the Church (according to Cornelius’ letter to Bishop Fabian of Antioch).
—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: against earache; against epilepsy; against fever; against twitching; cattle; domestic animals; earache sufferers; epileptics; Albano Sant’Alessandro, Italy; Kornelimünster, Germany

Symbols and Representation: horn and triple papal cross; cows or oxen; font; tall cross; sword; also papal symbols of tiara, church and/or triple cross; martyr’s crown; palm frond (for martyr); papal tiara.

Highlights and Things to Do:

St. Cyprian
Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus, illustrious as a pagan rhetorician in Carthage, embraced the true faith in the year 246 and was soon thereafter consecrated priest and bishop of that city (248). He was an energetic shepherd of souls and a prolific writer. He defended the unity of the Church against schismatic movements in Africa and Italy, and greatly influenced the shaping of Church discipline relative to reinstating Christians who had apostatized. He fled during the Decian persecution but guided the Church by means of letters. During the Valerian persecution (258) he was beheaded. He suffered martyrdom in the presence of his flock, after giving the executioner twenty-five pieces of gold. St. Jerome says of him: “It is superfluous to speak of his greatness, for his works are more luminous than the sun.” Cyprian ranks as an important Church Father, one whose writings are universally respected and often read in the Divine Office. His principal works are: On the Unity of the Church; On Apostates; a collection of Letters; ; On the Value of Patience.
—Excerpted from The Church’s Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patronage: Algeria (proclaimed on 6 July 1914 by Pope Pius X); North Africa; Albano Sant’Alessandro, Italy

Symbols and Representation: Twenty gold coins; crown; axe; palm frond (for martytr); martyr’s crown; bishop’s mitre

Highlights and Things to Do:

Sts. Euphemia of Chalcedon
At Chalcedon, were the deaths of St. Euphemia, virgin and martyr, under Emperor Diocletian and the proconsul Priscus. For her faith in our Lord she was subjected to tortures, imprisonment, blows, the torment of the wheel, fire, the crushing weight of stones, the teeth of the beasts, scourging with rods, the cutting of sharp saws, and burning pans, all of which she survived. But when she was again exposed to the beasts in the amphitheater, praying to our Lord to receive her spirit, one of the animals inflicted a bite on her holy body although the rest of them licked her feet, and she yielded her unspotted soul to God . . . At Rome, the holy martyrs Lucy, a noble matron, and Geminanus, were subjected to grievous afflictions and were for a long time tortured by the command of Emperor Diocletian. Finally, being put to the sword, they obtained the glorious victory of martyrdom.
—Excerpted from The Roman Martyrology

Patronage: Alba Adriatica, Italy; Rovinj, Croatia

Often Depicted As: with a lion or bear or snakes, stabbed with a sword, holding a lily and palm of martyrdom

Highlights and Things To Do:

St. Ninian
Bishop and confessor; date of birth unknown; died about 432; the first Apostle of Christianity in Scotland. The earliest account of him is in Bede (Hist. Eccles., III, 4): “the southern Picts received the true faith by the preaching of Bishop Ninias, a most reverend and holy man of the British nation, who had been regularly instructed at Rome in the faith and mysteries of the truth; whose episcopal see, named after St. Martin the Bishop, and famous for a church dedicated to him (wherein Ninias himself and many other saints rest in the body), is now in the possession of the English nation. The place belongs to the province of the Bernicians and is commonly called the White House [Candida Casa], because he there built a church of stone, which was not usual amongst the Britons.” The facts given in this passage form practically all we know of St. Ninian’s life and work.

The most important later life, compiled in the twelfth century by St. Ælred, professes to give a detailed account founded on Bede and also on a “liber de vita et miraculis eius” (sc. Niniani) “barbarice scriptus”, but the legendary element is largely evident. He states, however, that while engaged in building his church at Candida Casa, Ninian heard of the death of St. Martin and decided to dedicate the building to him. Now St. Martin died about 397 so that the mission of Ninian to the southern Picts must have begun towards the end of the fourth century. St. Ninian founded at Whithorn a monastery which became famous as a school of monasticism within a century of his death; his work among the southern Picts seems to have had but a short-lived success. St. Patrick, in his epistle to Coroticus, terms the Picts “apostates”, and references to Ninian’s converts having abandoned Christianity are found in Sts. Columba and Kentigern. The body of St. Ninian was buried in the church at Whithorn (Wigtownshire), but no relics are now known to exist. The “Clogrinny”, or bell of St. Ringan, of very rough workmanship, is in the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh.
—Excerpted from New Advent

Patronage: The diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada and the diocese of Galloway, Scotland

Often Represented As: bishop with crozier and book

Highlights and Things to Do:

Blessed Pope Victor III
Blessed Pope Victor III was born a Prince of the dukes of Benevento around the year 1026, the only son of Prince Landulf V. Victor was always monastically inclined, having skillfully avoided not one, but two arranged marriages before opting for life as a hermit and monk. He eventually entered the monastery of Monte Cassino, where he succeeded Abbot Frederick when the latter was elected Pope Stephen IX. As abbot, Victor (then Desiderius) became renowned as the greatest abbot the monastery had seen since St. Benedict himself.

Taking office as pope on May 24, 1086, Victor had little time or energy to do much, given his age and the tenuous situation with Antipope Clement III lurking in and out of Rome. It’s said that Victor was hardly able to make it through an entire Mass during his time as pope due to ill health. He’s credited with authoring a work on the miracles of St. Benedict and other saints at Monte Cassino. Pope Victor III died September 16, 1087 and is buried in the abbey he called home for nearly three decades.
—Excerpted from Flocknote

Highlights and Things to Do:

St. Juan Macias (or John Massias)
St. Juan Macias lived in Lima, Peru at the same time as St. Martin de Porres and only 5 years after the death of St. Rose of Lima. Originally from Spain, St. Juan Macias first met the Dominicans at the age of 16 but was told in a revelation that he wasn’t to enter yet. Later, he traveled to the New World, and at the age of 35, he entered the Dominican convent of St. Mary Magdalene in Lima (St. Martin was in the convent of Santo Domingo, otherwise known as Holy Rosary) as a laybrother (cooperator brothers were called laybrothers then).

Now while many historians might try to avoid talk of miracles and the supernatural and look solely at the heroic sanctity of saints, sometimes it is good to look at how God can work in these scientifically unexplainable ways. And even though St. Juan Macias wasn’t known to be a miracle worker of the magnitude of saints like St. Vincent Ferrer or St. Martin de Porres, he still lived a life full of supernatural graces. For instance, he was attacked by demons from the moment that he enter the Order, he had visions of St. John the Evangelist throughout his life, he would disappear when the overly curious or wealthy were looking at him, and he was visited by many of the souls whom he had liberated from Purgatory (he is said to have freed more than a million through his prayers and sacrifices – talk about devotion to the souls in Purgatory).

He was well known mainly for two things during his life. First, he was known to love the Rosary, which he began to pray as a child in Spain while he shepherded his uncle’s flock of sheep. He would pray the Rosary constantly, especially when he had any moment of free time. Secondly, he was known for his generosity to the poor, 200 of whom he fed every day.

He was greatly aided in this by his little donkey that he sent through Lima. He had a little sign which put on it asking for donations for the poor. The donkey, knowing his route perfectly, would travel through the streets and come back with benefactions for the city’s poor. Often the donkey would stop at certain locations and make loud noises so that the people inside would come out to make their donations.

St. Juan Macias was beatified with St. Martin de Porres in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.
—Excerpted from Dominican Friars, Province of St. Joseph

Highlights and Things To Do:

MASS READINGS

September 16, 2024 (Readings on USCCB website)

PROPERS [show]

COLLECT PRAYER

Memorial of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian: O God, who gave Saints Cornelius and Cyprian to your people as diligent shepherds and valiant Martyrs, grant that through their intercession we may be strengthened in faith and constancy and spend ourselves without reserve for the unity of the Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

DAILY MEDITATION: LUKE 7:1-10

I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. (Luke 7:7

What did Jesus think when these “elders of the Jews” came to him and urged him to heal this centurion’s servant (Luke 7:3)? The Jews considered the centurion worthy because of all he had done for them. But Jesus was likely looking at it in a different way. Instead of agreeing that the man deserved a favor because he had been so generous with the Jewish community, Jesus zeroed in on two dispositions that can apply to our lives as well: the man’s awareness of his unworthiness and his faith.

The elders of the Jews emphasized the centurion’s good works. But the man himself knew that his deeds didn’t make him worthy to come to Jesus (Luke 7:4-6). In a similar way, we don’t come to Jesus and offer to him our acts of devotion or good deeds; we leave them at the door. We are all unworthy. We simply present to him our heartfelt need, confident not only that Jesus can help us, but that this is precisely what he is eager to do. What we “deserve” never enters into Jesus’ calculations because grace, by definition, is unmerited.

Regardless of what you deserve, your faith brings you to Jesus, and it’s precious to him. He treasures it just as much as he treasured the centurion’s faith! The centurion trusted Jesus to heal his servant from afar, and you can come to Jesus with the same trust. Jesus has the authority and the desire to hear and answer you. His love for you—and for every person or situation that matters to you—is all-encompassing.

At every Mass, we echo the centurion’s words, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.” But there’s no need to wait until Mass! The centurion’s faith-filled words are appropriate every time we approach the Lord with a petition.

Remember, not one of us is worthy to come to Jesus, but every single one of us is invited and welcomed. Don’t hesitate to lay your petitions at his feet.

“Jesus, I know I don’t deserve your mercy, but I still believe that you want to help me.”

1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33
Psalm 40:7-10, 17

16TH SEPTEMBER 2024
24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 
SAINTS CORNELIUS, POPE, AND CYPRIAN, BISHOP, MARTYRS 
1 Corinthians 11:17-26,33; Psalm 40:7-8a,8b-9,10,17; Luke 7:1-10
THE FAITH OF THE CENTURION
“And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.” Luke 7:6-7
▪The letter of the apostle James tells us that faith must be seen in action. “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:14-17
~ The centurion values the life of his slave (servant). He showed his love by sending a group of people to beg Jesus to come and heal the dying man. He may have a different religion, but he built a synagogue for the Jewish people. They interceded for him in the following words, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built the synagogue for us.” (4,5).
~ When Jesus headed to his house to fulfill the demand, he expressed his faith further, by asking Jesus to say His words to heal the servant. This man knew Jesus as Christ, who has the authority to heal from any distance. He found God in his daily activities. It takes faith to see God in the ordinary things of life. We neglect God in the ordinary things of life, but it was in the ordinary things of life that this man found God working.
~ As Christians, we are invited to learn from this centurion’s faith and find God in our daily activities. Our faith should be seen in our love for those in need. And we should respect others even when we do not agree with them. Faith does not mean trampling over others; it involves believing in God while believing that others believe in God in their own way.
▪Dear friend, we celebrate two of the Fathers of the Church, Cornelius and Cyprian, who stood up for faith and eventually died defending their faith in Christ. Faith means to share in the divine life of God, “The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe and chose to raise up men to share in his own divine life, to which he calls all men in his Son” (cf. CCC 759).
May Saints Cornelius and Cyprian pray for us today. Amen
May God bless us with a fruitful week
Fr Joseph Chukwugozie Ikegbunam

MIRACULOUS MEDAL

 In 1830, one of the apparitions sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church occurred in the chapel of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Rue de Bac, Paris. There were three visions given to Saint Catherine Laboure who, at the time of the first one, was a novice in the order. She was awakened at 11:30 PM on the eve of the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, by a “shining child” who led her to the chapel where she saw Our Lady, who spoke to her for two hours about the difficult task that lay ahead. Four months later, on November 27 Catherine had the second vision wherein she saw a three-dimensional scene of the Blessed Virgin standing on a white globe with dazzling rays of light streaming from her fingers and she heard a voice say:

“These are the symbols of grace I shed upon those who ask for them.”
“There now formed around the Blessed Virgin a frame rather oval in shape on which were written in letters of gold these words: ‘O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee’ Then the voice said: ‘ Have a medal struck upon this model. All those who wear it, when it is blessed, will receive great graces especially if they wear it round the neck. Those who repeat this prayer with devotion will be in a special manner under the protection of the Mother of God. Graces will be abundantly bestowed upon those who have confidence.’ “
At the same instant, the oval frame seemed to turn around. Then I saw on the back of it the letter ‘M’, surmounted by a cross, with a crossbar beneath it, and under the monogram of the name of Mary, the Holy Hearts of Jesus and of His Mother; the first surrounded by a crown of thorns and the second transpierced by a sword. I was anxious to know what words must be placed on the reverse side of the medal and after many prayers, one day in meditation I seemed to hear a voice which said to me: ‘ The ‘M’ with the Cross and the two Hearts tell enough.’ ”
This sacramental from Heaven was at first called simply the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, but began to be known as the Miraculous Medal due to the unprecedented number of miracles, conversions, cures, and acts of protection attributed to Our Lady’s intercession for those who wore it.
Sister Catherine became Saint Catherine in 1947. The church instituted recognition of the apparition in which the Miraculous Medal first appeared for November 27, 1830. Millions of the Miraculous Medal have been distributed, and many graces and miracles have been received through this devotion to Our Lady.    
*Click on this link for a free Miraculous Medal

BROWN SCAPULAR OF MT. CARMEL

“Whosoever dies clothed in this

shall never suffer eternal fire.”

Virgin Mary’s promise to Saint Simon Stock

July 16, 1251″Wear it devoutly and perserveringly,” she says to each soul, “it is my garment. To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life.”

The scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.

THE SABBATINE PRIVELEGE

The blessed Virgin of Mt. Carmel has promised to save those who wear the scapular fromthe fires of Hell; She will also shorten their stay in Purgatory if they should passfrom this world still owing some temporal debt of punishment.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to him and speaking of those who wear the Brown Scapular said: “I, the Mother of grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting.”

Pope Benedict XV proceeded to grant an indulgence of 500 days for each time the cloth Scapular is kissed”. On July 16th, the Scapular feast, while addressing the seminarians of Rome, Benedict XV said: “Let all of you have a common language and a common armor: the language, the sentences of the Gospel; the common armor, the Scapular of the Virgin of Carmel, which you all ought to wear and which enjoys the singular privilege of protection even after death.”

Pope Benedict XV, addressing seminarians in Rome:“Let all of you have a common language and a common armor: The language, the sentences of the Gospel – the common armor, the Brown Scapular of the Virgin of Carmel which you ought to wear and which enjoys the singular privilege and protection after death.”The Brown Scapular | A Sacramental“One of the most remarkable effects of sacramentals is the virtue to drive away evil spirits whose mysterious and baleful operations affect sometimes the physical activity of man. To combat this occult power the Church has recourse to exorcism, and sacramentals” (The Catholic Encyclopedia., 1913, VXIII, p. 293).The Brown Scapular | A True StoryYou will understand why the Devil works against those who promote the brown scapular when you hear the true story of Venerable Francis Yepes. One day his Scapular fell off. As he replaced it, the Devil howled, “Take off that habit which snatches so many souls from us! All those clothed in it die piously and escape us!” Then and there Francis made the Devil admit that there are three things which the demons are most afraid of: the Holy Name of Jesus; theHoly Name of Mary and the Holy Scapular of Carmel.“Modern Heretics make a mockery of wearing the Scapular. They decry it as so much trifling nonsense.” – St. Alphonsus LigouriMary, Mother of God and Our Mother“When Mary became the Mother of Jesus, true God and true Man, She also became our Mother. In His great mercy, Jesus wished to call us His brothers and sisters, and by this name He constituted us adopted children of Mary.” – St. John BoscoOver the years there have also been many miracles associated with wearing the brown scapular.

*If you would like a brown scapular click here:

Free Brown Scapular | Order Page

New Catholic Radio Station serving Chittenden County

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Donna McSoley

Donna McSoley stands in St. Francis Xavier Church in Winooski. She is the driving force behind a new Catholic radio station. Photo by Gail Callahan

WINOOSKI – In a state identified in a national study two years ago as one of the least religious in the country, a new Catholic radio station is being hailed by the market and people of faith.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio, which can be found at 105.5 FM, transmits 24-hour daily programming of the Eternal Word Television Network from the St. Francis Xavier Church property in Winooski. The station can be heard in the greater Burlington area and started broadcasting earlier this fall.

Donna McSoley, the driving force behind WRXJ 105.5 FM, said she is eager to begin producing some local programming after she learns more about audio editing software. McSoley said one of her ambitions is to air homilies from priests who serve the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.

“I wanted to bring Catholic radio to Vermont because many people here have rejected Christianity without even knowing much about church history, the early church fathers, or never having read the Bible in its entirety,” said McSoley. “Our state is in crisis over heroin and other drugs, and many people are lost and are desperately searching for freedom from addictions and a greater meaning in life.”

In 2015, the Pew Research Center conducted the Religious Landscape study, and Vermont tied as the 48th most religious state. The study found 34 percent of the Green Mountain State’s adults said they are “highly religious.”

A state’s spiritual devotion was measured by factors including “absolute belief in God and daily prayer.”

Lance Harlow

The Rev. Lance Harlow, rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral in Burlington, records in WRXJ radio’s Winooski station. Courtesy photo

McSoley, a parishioner at St. Francis Xavier Church, began the quest to secure a broadcast license more than five years ago when the Federal Communications Commission opened a small window to own a channel on the FM spectrum for a low-power station. It took about 18 months to secure the FCC’s approval.

McSoley accesses the station’s computers remotely from her Essex Junction home.

She said a radio station can reach people in ways other media outlets can’t. “Radio can be a great way to reach people in the privacy of their own car and where people are apt to ponder life’s great questions,” she said. “I think for that reason, radio can be a great way to explain the Catholic faith, which is largely misunderstood by the general public. … My hope is that the programs on the station can clear this up and we can foster greater unity within the Christian community here in Vermont.”

Ted Quigley, a practicing Catholic, embraces the organization. “105.5 FM is a wonderful change in my life,” he said. “I turn it on when I’m driving or when I’m home cleaning.”

The Most Rev. Christopher Coyne, bishop of Vermont’s Catholics, recorded some station identifications that play through the hour.

Coyne, who was named by Pope Francis to shepherd Vermont’s Catholics nearly two years ago, said he welcomes the station, praising McSoley’s efforts. “The Catholic community in Vermont has been very supportive of the launch of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Radio,” said Coyne. “Right now, this is the only Catholic radio station in Vermont. I hope to see many more begin to broadcast soon.”

Coyne’s remarks regarding the dearth of religious broadcasting in Vermont underscore what many perceive as an absence of God from the public dialogue. The FCC said it doesn’t keep track of content when license applications come in.

The program director for a Christian radio network serving Vermont said religious-oriented radio outlets are filling a much-needed niche. Bob Pierce, of The Light Radio Network, said his Christian station reaches about 15,000 listeners in Chittenden County.

In a competitive market, McSoley said she is anxious for WRXJ’s message to spread. “Although Vermont is one of the least religious states in the country, I have great faith that people will always be able to recognize truth when they hear it, so my hope is that many people will turn on the radio and start the journey toward discovering God,” she said.

https://vtdigger.org/2017/11/05/new-catholic-radio-station-serving-chittenden-county/#.WgItH9QrK6Y