(Aparecida, Brazil) – The year 2021 will be a celebration for the Redemptorist Missionaries of the Province of San Pablo, Brazil. Radio Aparecida, one of the instruments of communication administered by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, will be 70 years old next September.
The Radio was born from the inspiration of Father Vitor Coelho de Almeida, a Redemptorist currently in the process of beatification. The broadcasts, which take place from the National Shrine of Aparecida, bring the message of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Most Holy Redeemer to thousands of Brazilian homes. The station management has proposed a series of actions for the commemorations, which will be carried out in the coming months.
“We have made a calendar of actions that will take place until October, even though the commemoration of the 70th anniversary takes place in September. We have a forecast of internal activities with officials and also a schedule of external activities. We are praying that the pandemic situation improves so that we can put it into practice,” says the director of Radio Aparecida, Father José Inácio de Medeiros, C.Ss.R.
Among the events planned are social actions in the squares in September. The idea is to provide free short-term courses, health services, among others. All open to people free of charge.
The program will also have innovations for commemorations. Special productions will tell the story of seven decades of the station, one of the oldest and most traditional Catholic radio stations in Brazil.
“We want to save our history by highlighting characters, programs, and events from the past. Simultaneously, consolidate the audience with the conclusion of the migration process from the AM to FM frequency, consolidating the programming, above all, by the integration with the National Shrine of Aparecida. Another level of this project is the projection of our future, with our employees’ appreciation and a process of continuous improvement of the quality of the products that we offer to our public”, the director explains.
Even close to 70 years old, Radio Aparecida has the vigour of a young radio station. With its network of affiliated radio stations, the station is experiencing a period of brand expansion with quality content and high listening rates.
“Our biggest advantage is being the ‘Radio de Nuestra Señora’ and having an established audience over time. There is a great identification of the devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mary with radio programming. Proof of this are programmes such as ‘The pointers point to infinity’ and ‘Consecration’ that have existed since the birth of the radio”, explains Father Inácio.
In addition to Radio Aparecida, the Redemptorist Missionaries of the Province of Sao Paulo also have other means of communication for evangelisation. A part of them constitutes the Communication Network Aparecida, connected to the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida, whose administration is entrusted to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
The Network also includes the Jornal Santuário, a newspaper founded in 1900 by the first missionaries; TV Aparecida, created in 2005; and the A12.com portal, created in 2010.
“This great story began 125 years ago, with the arrival of the Province’s founders, the Bavarian Missionaries. They were audacious and visionary, for having chosen communication as a means to achieve evangelisation and to allow growth and maturation in the life of faith of the Brazilian people”, says the superior of the Province of San Pablo, Father Marlos Aurelio, C.Ss.R.
Radio Aparecida can be heard from anywhere in the world at www.a12.com/radio. The picture broadcasts can be followed on youtube.com/radioaparecida or facebook.com/radioaparecida. It can also be listened to via the Aparecida mobile application, which can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store or Play Store.
Victor Hugo Barros
