On The Dial - Spring 2016

February 2016

How to

Be merciful, just as your Heavenly Father is merciful.

Live the

Year of Mercy

Luke 6:36

Relevant Radio Spotlights:

Get to know the team behind Relevant Rad

io ®

Tim Mersch

Jim DeSchepper Regional Manager

Digital & Social Media Producer

Lindsey Kettner

Wendy Wiese

Tim’s favorite books are Mere Christianity and Brideshead Revisited, and he is currently reading Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Tim has traveled to Italy, Ireland, Poland, Spain, France, and Luxembourg. He was also able to attend Pope Benedict XVI’s last public Mass on Ash Wednesday in 2013. Tim enjoys classical music and Mumford and Sons. Something people might not know about Tim is that he went to school on a scholarship for golf caddies.

Jim has been married to Peg for 33 years. They have two daughters, Alese and Joanna, who are both married with families in Iowa. Jim has a special fondness for St. Gianna Molla because she represents our Faith’s strong support of life. Jim was a TV weather-caster in the early days of his media career. He enjoys Classic Rock, and his favorite movie is Forrest Gump. Jim is currently a Grand Knight of a KC Council as well as a member of the 4th Degree Honor Guard.

Lindsey married her husband Rustin in August 2015, and was his confirmation sponsor when he went through RCIA. She enjoys photography, journaling, and interior design. Her favorite book is Emma by Jane Austen, and she is currently reading Wuthering Heights and Story of a Soul. Lindsey saw Pope Benedict XVI in Spain (World Youth Day 2011) and in Italy (Weekly General Audience 2012). She recently donated 14 inches of her hair to Children With Hair Loss.

Wendy and husband, Chris, have been blessed with two daughters, Kate and Maggie. They are empty nesters, and feel such joy watching their daughters make their way in life, while constantly acknowledging their reliance on and faith in God. Wendy’s favorite saint is St. Margaret of Scotland; she always admired her sense of responsibility to care for those less fortunate, despite being born into a life of privilege. People might not know that Wendy is tall, just under 6’0”.

Mid-Day Producer

WHAT’S INSIDE: Living the Jubilee – Holy Doors –

Host of On CallTM

Lent and Easter –

Mission Message

Holy Doors: Opening Wide the Doors to Christ the door with his hands.

These changes drew attention away from the wall and towards the door and its spiritual significance.

FUN FACT: The first WJOK 1050 AM Broadcast was the LIVE Mass from St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay, WI in 2000.

In his Bull of Indiction for the Great Jubilee of 2000 Incarnationis Mysterium, Saint John Paul II stated, “the Holy Door evokes the passage from sin to grace which every Christian is called to accomplish.

Jesus said, “I am the door” (Jn 10:7), in order to make it clear that no one can come to the Father except through Him.” (par. 8) In this way, the Holy Door serves as a symbol of Christ, the universal door of salvation, and crossing the threshold FUN FACT: represents a conversion of In 2015 alone, heart. The pilgrim is choosing Relevant Radio to leave the world behind has received and and enter into a life of prayed for 179,933 prayer requests. sanctity with God.

On December 8, 2015, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis ceremoniously opened the Holy Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, marking the start of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. According to the Pope’s Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus, “on that day, the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope.” (par. 3) FUN FACT: On March 11, 2011, The Drew Mariani ShowTM began to pray the LIVE and interactive Divine Mercy Chaplet, the most listened to hour in Catholic radio.

Tradition follows that the Holy Door – or ‘Porta Sancta’ – is only open during a Jubilee Year, which usually occurs every 25 years. Historically,

it refers to certain entrances of the major Roman Basilicas that usually remain sealed and are only opened during Jubilee years, as designated by the Pope. Most importantly, pilgrims who pass through the doors may gain indulgences attached with the Jubilee Year, under the usual conditions.

Until the Great Jubilee of 2000, the Holy Doors of the four Roman Basilicas were sealed on the outside by a concrete brick wall. Rather than a door being opened, the Pope actually took down a part of the wall with a gilded silver hammer. The ceremony for the Great Jubilee of 2000 was simplified for safety reasons; workers removed the concrete before the ceremony so that the Pope only had to push on

For this Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis encouraged each diocese to open a Holy Door so all can participate and obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Find a Holy Door near you! Visit RelevantRadio.com – Keyword: Jubilee.

SOURCES: 1. www.vatican.va • “The Opening of the Holy Door of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000” • “Bull of Indiction of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000” • “Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy” 2. stpetersbasilica.info • “The Holy Door”

The Jubilee Year of Mercy reminds us that God is waiting for us with open arms, just like the father of the prodigal son.

--Pope Francis

Living out the Jubilee of Mercy the value of silence in order to meditate on the Word that comes to us. In this way, it will be possible to contemplate God’s mercy and adopt it as our lifestyle.” (par. 13) Step 2: Pilgrimage: Take Action on the Journey

extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort.” (par. 25) For more information on the Jubilee of Mercy visit RelevantRadio.com – Keyword: Jubilee.

QUOTE SOURCE: www.vatican.va • “Bull of Indiction of

What does it mean to be merciful?

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone who could be treated harshly; it is kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation.

Mercy is “God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe.”

(Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus, par. 21)

What does Pope Francis say about our role in the Jubilee of Mercy?

“I present, therefore, this Extraordinary Jubilee Year, dedicated to living out in our daily lives the mercy which the Father constantly extends to all of us... the Church is called above all to be a credible witness to mercy, professing it and living it as the core of the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (par. 25)

How do we respond to this call to live out mercy in our daily lives?

Step 1: Meditate on the Word of God “In order to be capable of mercy, therefore, we must first of all dispose ourselves to listen to the Word of God. This means rediscovering

the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy” “The Lord Jesus shows us the steps of the pilgrimage to attain our goal: ‘Judge FUN FACT: not, and you will not On December 12, 2000, the Feast of Our Lady of be judged; condemn Guadalupe, Relevant Radio not, and you will not obtained the FCC License be condemned; approval for WJOK 1050 AM forgive, and you will in Green Bay, the first station be forgiven; give, and in the network. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patronness it will be given to you; of Relevant Radio. good measure, pressed Tune in to Relevant down, shaken together, Radio during Holy Week running over, will be put into and Easter for special your lap. For the measure you give programming. Don’t miss will be the measure you get back’ (Lk Father Rocky’s Holy Week 6:37-38).” (par. 14) mission, “Close to Jesus

Lent and Easter Programming

a) Self-Preparation • Personal Piety: Visit a Holy Door, Confession, Mass, Holy Eucharist, Profession of Faith, and Prayer! b) Be Merciful like the Father • Corporal Works of Mercy – feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.

• Spiritual Works of Mercy – counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.

“In this Jubilee Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of

to the Last: The Passion of Christ in Five Parts”, airing twice daily Monday-Friday of Holy Week. Father Rocky will lead us in prayer, song and reflection to help draw us closer to Our Lord and Savior during his Passion. For a full schedule of Holy Week and Easter programming, visit RelevantRadio.com – Keyword: Easter.

Things you could GIVE UP for Lent:

Things you could ADD IN for Lent:

Complaining • Your favorite food or sweets • Your pillow or even your bed • Facebook or other social media • Watching TV or movies • Eating out or buying extra things • Coffee • Looking at your phone in front of others • Using the elevator or the dishwasher • Video or computer games • Hot showers • Hitting the “snooze” button • Taking “selfies” • The good parking spot

Daily prayer like the rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, silent contemplation, attending Mass, or reading the Bible • Compliment someone every day • Make special time to exercise • Spend time with someone who is lonely • Write personal letters to your family and friends • Read about the Saints • Spend time volunteering • Practice patience • Keep a thankfulness diary • Be conscious not to waste

Mission Message The title of Pope Francis’ 2016 Lenten Message speaks volumes:

“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”

This Lenten season, our Holy Father asks us to make an extra effort to practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, which he reminds us, work hand in hand and must never be separated.

“For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favorable time to overcome our existential alienation FUN FACT: by listening to God’s On May 15, 2006, weekday word and by Eucharistic Adoration began practicing the works at the Relevant Radio chapel. of mercy.”

Since then, the chapel has –Pope Francis been open approximately 2,459 days, amounting in 15,983.5 hours of Eucharistic Adoration.

Lent is usually a time when we strive for

greater holiness by giving up a certain luxury or making more time for prayer.

During the Jubilee Year, we are called to embrace Christ’s mercy in a deeper way, and Lent is a great opportunity to begin extending that mercy to others. Perhaps this Lent you can visit a prison or nursing home, or volunteer at a homeless shelter or food pantry.

You can practice the spiritual works of mercy by instructing someone in the faith or by forgiving someone you’ve had difficulty in forgiving. It isn’t easy to step out of our comfort zones by interacting with people we don’t know or speaking up to talk about the Faith with a friend, but by practicing these works of mercy, we ourselves grow in holiness.

With repentant hearts, we wait in anticipation during these forty days for the sacrifice of Our Savior. Through His death and resurrection, we have been set free. I thank you for joining our

Relevant Radio® family in our journey through the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Your support has been crucial in bringing the hope and mercy of Christ to thousands.

With prayers for a fruitful Lent,

Rev. Francis J. Hoffman, JCD Executive Director P.S. Visit RelevantRadio.com – Keyword: LENT for more ideas on how to make this a merciful Lent and to read Pope Francis’ Lenten Message.