Monks and the Radio

A new Catholic radio station in the Diocese of Greensburg—while not affiliated with Saint Vincent Archabbey—has given several monks the opportunity to become involved with its broadcasts of events that occur on campus.
 

Programming consists of teaching and prayer, including Mass, liturgy of the hours, Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet broadcast daily on all three stations. WPGR will also broadcast teachings based on Church doctrine.
 

Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., and Brother Pio Adamonis, O.S.B., are among the monks who have become involved in assisting the station. Father Boniface currently serves as programming manager, while Brother Pio works to ensure the audio for events broadcast from Saint Vincent is suitable.
 

While Father Boniface was studying for his doctorate and working in campus ministry at Penn State, a group in State College became involved in a new, non-commercial educational station, and helping provide Catholic radio content for it. So when the Pittsburgh area radio station, previously known as WAMO, was purchased by Saint Joseph Missions of Latrobe, Father Boniface was called to assist by the station’s new owners, with whom he was acquainted. The new call letters, WAOB, represent the longer name “We Are One Body” radio, and broadcasts are aired on 106.7 FM, and 860 and 1510 AM.
 

The radio network serves western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and the West Virginia panhandle, and parts or all of seven dioceses: Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Altoona-Johnstown and Erie in its home state; Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia and 

Steubenville and Youngstown in Ohio.
 

Masses are being broadcast from Detroit, Washington D.C., New Jersey and New York City, as well as locally at Saint Emma’s Monastery and Saint Vincent. The Saturday morning mass with the monks and Saturday evening vespers are broadcast at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. Brother Pio helps capture, monitor, record and do a live mix of the Mass, as well as recording and mixing live events and liturgies, such as the recent ordination Mass of Father Bonaventure Curtis, O.S.B. During the school year broadcasts have also occurred for some Saint Vincent Seminary services.

Father Boniface, in planning what is aired, notes that the station’s educational content involves programming centered on church teaching, taught by bishops. Various priests read Scripture. Programming also includes recitation of the rosary and liturgy of the hours.
 

Brother Pio, who has prior work experience in the audio visual field, noted that the opportunity “has been a blessing. It is important in this day and age to utilize the current technology in order to reach as many people as possible.”