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In 1981, Mother Angelica dared to “do the ridiculous, so that God can accomplish the miraculous” by transforming her Poor Clares’ monastery garage in Irondale, Alabama into a Catholic television studio broadcasting just 4 hours a day.

Anyone with any professional broadcasting experience would have told you on August 15, 1981 that it would be well beyond reasonable or even fantastic expectations to think that such a haphazard enterprise would become what is today the largest religious media network in the world. Oh yes, and it is all supported solely by donations and underwriting.

But Mother Mary Angelica was a cloistered nun, not a broadcasting professional. She simply said “yes” to God.

Armed with only a high school education, $200, and 12 cloistered nuns with no television experience, Mother proceeded turned the garage of the monastery she founded into...a television studio! EWTN received its FCC license on Jan. 27, 1981, making it the first Catholic satellite television station in the United States. A few months later, on Aug. 15, 1981, EWTN began broadcasting four hours a day to 60,000 homes.

Raleigh, North Carolina’s Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio, through its affiliation with the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network, is one of 500 domestic and international EWTN radio affiliates. WETC-AM’s affiliation is also part of EWTN’s enormous radio broadcast platform including worldwide shortwave radio, direct broadcast satellite; programming transmitted through SIRIUS/XM and iHeart Radio.

Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio, like EWTN, is 100% listener supported. We are an independent lay apostolate that does not receive financial support from the Diocese of Raleigh. Without the regular financial contributions of our wonderful listeners and the critical financial support of our Business Underwriters, WETC-AM could not stay on the air.

On this 40th Anniversary of EWTN, we pray you will consider supporting their mission with a donation to EWTN.

Finally, we also humbly ask that if you are not yet a donor to Divine Mercy Radio, please donate here.

Thank you for your support of our broadcasting ministries and may God bless you.

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Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio was honored to broadcast live from St. Michael The Archangel Catholic Church in Cary as the parish hosted “An Evening with Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ”.

The dinner and presentation allowed invited guests to listen to Fr. Spitzer present his talk “The Four Levels of Happiness”, offering his Catholic perspective based on timeless principles going back to Aristotle - who said that happiness is the one thing we desire in and of itself, everything else is desired for the sake of happiness.

Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., is the founder and president of the Spitzer Center. A scholar, teacher, author, and seasoned leader, Fr. Spitzer is a pre-eminently a theologian and philosopher. His other fields of expertise, however, include management science, finance, ethics, and physics. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1952, Fr. Spitzer entered the Society of Jesus in 1974, was ordained a priest on June 11, 1983, and took final vows April 4, 1992.

In addition to a pre-talk interview with Fr. Spitzer, Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio hosts Ellen White and Peter K. O’Connell also interviewed the event’s organizer, local Catholic businessman Bob Luddy and St. Michael’s pastor Fr. Michael Burbeck. Many of the guests in attendance were also interviewed a part of the exclusive, live broadcast.

Divine Mercy Radio will soon announce a rebroadcast date for the event which can be heard on Catholic 540-AM and the Divine Mercy Radio app - available to download for free from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

(Pictured l-r Catholic 540-AM Volunteer Program Director Peter K. O'Connell, Divine Mercy Radio Executive Director Cecelia Flanary, Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ & Catholic 540-AM Host Ellen White)

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While we have always been a 100% listener supported Catholic radio station, there’s nothing like a live on-air pledge drive to remind us how generous our listeners can be.

Whether it was $1.00 or $1,000, we are sincerely grateful for all the donations we received.

All of the funds raised go towards Our Daily Bread...meaning our daily operational expenses to operate our volunteer radio station serving eastern and central North Carolina

We received some extra matching funds after the pledge drive so IF YOU STILL WANT TO DONATE, YOU CAN!!

CLICK THIS LINK to go to our donate form. All donations to Divine Mercy Radio are tax deductible.

If you are a business owner and would like to donate through our Business Sponsor program - which includes announcements about your business on Divine Mercy Radio, please CLICK HERE.

(Pictured: Msgr. Jeffrey Ingham, VF of St Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church in Raleigh with Divine Mercy Radio Pledge Drive Host Peter K. O'Connell during Catholic 540-AM's Spring 2021 Live On-Air Pledge Drive)

THANK YOU TO OUR ON-AIR PLEDGE DRIVE GUESTS INCLUDING:

• Deacon Arthur Powers – Divine Mercy Radio Board Member, Author
• Fr. Peter Devereux - Pastor at St. Joseph Church, Legionaries of Christ
• Josh Lonnecker – Catholic 540-AM
• Deacon John De Guzman - Diocese of Raleigh Seminarian
• Joe Rothengast - Divine Mercy Radio Board Member, St Luke's parishioner
• Msgr. Jeffrey Ingham - Pastor St. Luke’s Church
• Ellen White - host of Catholic 540-AM’s Faith Works
• Bob Luddy - CEO of Captiveaire
• Fr Joshua West, Chaplin at NC State University
• Christine Sulzen - Ignited By Truth
• Joe Smolenski II - Renaissance Funeral Home
• Patricia Guin, Divine Mercy Radio Board Member
• Lisa Piratsky - In His Name Catholic Store, St. Joseph Church Chalice Program for Seminarians
• Anne Allen & Tyler Brooks - Thomas More Society
• Luci Pasarin – Producer Catholic 540-AM’s Meet The Priest
• Vince Govan - Catholic 540-AM Volunteer
• Dr. Johnny Nelson
• Tom Kenna – Kenna Custom Painting
• Patrick Yanke – Yanke Financial
• Deborah Pergerson - Legion of Mary at St. Joseph Church
• Joe Deaton - Catholic 540-AM Listener
• Alexander Guin - Catholic 540-AM Listener
• Eileen Mayhew - 40 Days for Life
• Gretchen and Kobe Inkumsah - Natural Family Planning
• Msgr. Doug Reed – Pastor Emeritus at St. Michael The Archangel Church
• Brittany Makely - host of Catholic 540-AM’s Bits of Beauty
• Wendy Edwards (Charismatic Prayer Group at St. Joseph Church) & Msgr. John Williams
• Mary Beth Phillips - Family Honor

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Eastern and central North Carolina’s 100% listener supported Catholic radio station, Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio, will host its next Live On-Air Pledge Drive Wednesday, April 14th through Friday April 16th. This will be the volunteer-run radio station’s first Live On-Air Pledge Drive of 2021.

The theme of this Spring Pledge Drive is “Our Daily Bread”.

The fundraising focus is to raise money specifically and importantly for the Raleigh-based Catholic broadcaster’s significant monthly bills for normal operations. For example, 10,000/4,400 watt radio stations that operate 24 hours a day use a lot of electricity – monthly operational bills like that add up for Divine Mercy Radio.

Because Catholic 540-AM is completely independent and not financially supported by any Diocese, Divine Mercy Radio relies on the generosity of its listener-donors to pay the station’s bills for normal operations and critical projects. Businesses can also support the radio station through advertising/underwriting programs that feature on-air and website announcement for the businesses.

None of the fundraising for this Spring’s “Our Daily Bread” fundraising campaign for Divine Mercy Radio will go towards the station business loan it took out when the 501(c)(3) corporation bought WETC-AM two years ago.

To donate, supporters can make their tax deductible donation by calling 919-300-5400 or by visiting the website catholic540am.org.

Donations can also be made via Divine Mercy Radio app for iPhone and Android; available via the Apple App Store or Google Play, the Divine Mercy Radio FREE app can be found by searching "Divine Mercy Radio NC".

Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio is North Carolina’s largest Catholic radio station.

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The 18th annual Ignited By Truth Conference will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 10am-5pm ET on the IBT YouTube Channel.

Speakers include Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Michael Schmitz, Fr. Chris Alar, Matthew Leonard, Patricia Sandoval, and John Pridmore.

Register at IgnitedByTruth.org for FREE access, including weekly pre-conference talks!

Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio is the official radio sponsor the Ignited By Truth Catholic Conference.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE HERE

CONFERENCE AGENDA (Eastern Time) as of 4/21/21
11:00 AM - Dr. Scott Hahn

"It Is Right and Just: Why the Future of Civilization Depends on True Religion"
Note: The conference stream with this talk is available only for 24 hours.

12:00 PM - John Pridmore

"A Limitless Love"
plus Student Testimonies from NC State Catholic Campus Ministry
and Eucharistic Adoration
(with Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Students at ECU Newman, Greenville, NC)

1:00 PM - Fr. Michael Schmitz

"Christ and Cancel Culture"

2:00 PM - Patricia Sandoval

"Transfigured: Escape from Drugs, Homelessness, and the Back Doors of Planned Parenthood"

3:00 PM - Matthew Leonard

“The Good News of Great Hope”

4:00 PM - Fr. Chris Alar, MIC

"The Eucharist: God's Gift of Mercy"

5:30 PM – Vigil Mass with Msgr. Jeffrey A. Ingham

(LIVE at St. Luke the Evangelist, Raleigh, NC)
St. Luke's YouTube Channel

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EDITOR’S NOTE: From eastern and central North Carolina’s 100% listener supported Catholic radio station comes the first blog post in a series about our new Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio app for Google Android and Apple iPhones. Our free Catholic radio app has many helpful and prayerful features that we want you to know about and use in your spiritual journey.

Step one to enjoying all the benefits of the Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio app for Google Android and Apple iPhones is to DOWNLOAD the free app.

To do that, please go to the existing app store on your phone where you download all your current apps.

For Android smartphones, you would go to the Google Play store app?.

For Apple iPhones, you would go to the App Store app.

When your App Store app is open on your phone, search Divine Mercy Radio NC and you should see something that looks like this.

Click “GET” and it will download for free automatically. Then you will have the Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio Smartphone App on your phone.

Enjoy exploring the app!

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Eastern and central North Carolina’s Catholic radio station, Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio, is introducing two new morning programs that will begin on Monday, February 22nd.

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Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction about the future of winter 2021 matters little to listeners of Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio. That's because mornings for our listeners are about to get a lot more Relevant and Brighter!!

When you start your mornings with eastern and central North Carolina’s Catholic radio station starting on Monday, February 22nd at 6:00 am, you’ll enjoy a peppier, more informative and more spiritually uplifting listening experience.

And we’ll keep that momentum going all morning long with some new and returning radio friends that make listening to Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio such an important part of your day.

Whether you listen On-Air (540-AM), On-Line (catholic540am.org) or On-App (for iPhone - via the App Store - or for Android Phone - via Google Play?) your mornings are about to get a whole lot more Relevant and Bright on February 22nd beginning at 6:00 am.

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Sometimes February in our area can be kinda cold, rainy and blah.

Well in 2021, Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio aims to change those blahs to oh boy...especially in the morning!!

Beginning on Monday, February 22, Divine Mercy Radio will be changing its morning line up with some great new Catholic programs that will help you start your day with a bit more pep!

Great Catholic conversation, prayerful insight and even fun! We aim to make February mornings...and mornings for the whole rest of the year a whole lot better!

Tune in February 22nd for great new shows and many of your old favorites on eastern and central North Carolina’s Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio!

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On Saturday, January 16, 2021, hundreds of people from across our state came to Raleigh to stand up for the protection of the unborn at the North Carolina Right to Life Rally and March.

Covering it all as it happened, the volunteers and staff of Catholic 540-AM, Divine Mercy Radio broadcast the entire rally LIVE from downtown Raleigh’s Bicentennial Square, as well as covering the Diocesan events that preceded it.

Catholic 540-AM Right to Life broadcasts began at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh with the Rosary for Life. This was followed by a Mass for Life with Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama presiding, which also carried live on Divine Mercy Radio.

Our radio anchors, producers and engineers then convened in downtown Raleigh for the Rally and March.

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As eastern and central North Carolina’s 100% listener supported Catholic radio station, it is very humbling for all our volunteers to get together twice a year and ask listeners for donations during our live on-air pledge drives.

But our listeners again have answered the call and, with their donations, have ensured Catholic 540-AM Divine Mercy Radio will remain on the air to broadcast “The Word of God Through The Power of Radio”.

As grateful as we are to our donors, we are equally humbled by our guests who came on the air to ask for pledges as well as our volunteers who manned the phones to take donations. We would like to take a moment to recognize our guests and volunteers here.

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Like many across the Diocese of Raleigh, we awoke this morning to the terribly sad news of the death of Father Phil Tighe, following a long battle with cancer.

We’ve all been touched by Father Tighe in countless ways and Divine Mercy Radio was certainly no exception. From this station’s early days to only months ago, Fr. Tighe was an active supporter of our radio apostolate. For his wonderful encouragement, the volunteers of Catholic 540-AM are eternally grateful to Fr. Phil.

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