Diocesan Communications in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan
RADIO APOSTOLATE
This began in the mid 1970's, when the only radio station in the country was the government-operated Radio Belize. Programs were written and produced by a newly- ordained Jesuit priest and played weekly on this station, which reached the whole country. Within two years this priest left the country, and a fairly large amount of recently purchased recording equipment and supplies were stored up in hopes that they would someday be useful.
In 1977 another priest, Fr. John Stochl, S.J., who had served in Belize since the 1950's and who had taken Belizean citizenship successfully attempted to revive radio program production upon becoming Superior of the Jesuits in Belize. He soon enlisted a layman, Mr. Barti Riverol, to assist in the technical details of recording and making tapes that radio stations could use. The programs consisted of an introductory prayer, a presentation of the theme’s material, and a concluding short meditation. They ran from seven to twelve minutes each, and were aired once a week early in the morning for more than 30 years.
Programming consisted mostly of foreign scripts that were rewritten by Fr. Stochl to give them more relevance to Belize. When the government station closed (soon after the start-up of a number of private stations) he found a spot on a private station that reached the greatest area in the country.
Fr. Stochl arranged his scripts into “themes,” and printed them in small booklets for people to have as inspirational reading material. Each booklet was about twelve chapters (each 3 to 4 pages in length). Nine such series were issued.
With Fr. Stochl’s final farewell broadcast of Devotion at Dawn in October 2013, another Jesuit priest Fr. Matt Ruhl continued the radio program under the title Happy Day Devotion which were aired on private radio stations heard across the entire country.
DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
In 1979 the Diocese began its own newspaper, under the direction of founding editor Fr. John Maher, S.J. Its inspiration came from a 1978 gathering known as “Diocesan Assembly One,” and the recommendation voiced by people from all over the country for a means of regular communication of Church events, teaching and inspirational matter.
RADIO APOSTOLATE
This began in the mid 1970's, when the only radio station in the country was the government-operated Radio Belize. Programs were written and produced by a newly- ordained Jesuit priest and played weekly on this station, which reached the whole country. Within two years this priest left the country, and a fairly large amount of recently purchased recording equipment and supplies were stored up in hopes that they would someday be useful.In 1977 another priest, Fr. John Stochl, S.J., who had served in Belize since the 1950's and who had taken Belizean citizenship successfully attempted to revive radio program production upon becoming Superior of the Jesuits in Belize. He soon enlisted a layman, Mr. Barti Riverol, to assist in the technical details of recording and making tapes that radio stations could use. The programs consisted of an introductory prayer, a presentation of the theme’s material, and a concluding short meditation. They ran from seven to twelve minutes each, and were aired once a week early in the morning for more than 30 years.
Programming consisted mostly of foreign scripts that were rewritten by Fr. Stochl to give them more relevance to Belize. When the government station closed (soon after the start-up of a number of private stations) he found a spot on a private station that reached the greatest area in the country.
Fr. Stochl arranged his scripts into “themes,” and printed them in small booklets for people to have as inspirational reading material. Each booklet was about twelve chapters (each 3 to 4 pages in length). Nine such series were issued.
With Fr. Stochl’s final farewell broadcast of Devotion at Dawn in October 2013, another Jesuit priest Fr. Matt Ruhl continued the radio program under the title Happy Day Devotion which were aired on private radio stations heard across the entire country.
DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
In 1979 the Diocese began its own newspaper, under the direction of founding editor Fr. John Maher, S.J. Its inspiration came from a 1978 gathering known as “Diocesan Assembly One,” and the recommendation voiced by people from all over the country for a means of regular communication of Church events, teaching and inspirational matter.The Christian Herald has been continuously published since 1979, and reaches all the districts of the country on a monthly basis. It is published ten times a year, with no issues in July and August. Since 1988 it has been again edited by Fr. Maher who was given the job again after two other editors oversaw it from 1981 to 1988, and Mr. Ruben Wong, who now serves as its editor (and also who does all the work of producing and distributing it).
The oldest means of communication in our diocese, The Christian Herald newspaper will enter its 46th year of publication in September 2025. It features a Children’s page, international news, feature column, gospel reflections and timely messages from our Diocesan Administrator.
Unfortunately, with the increased range of electronic media options available to readers, printed copies have been declining over the years, but distribution to various parishes and some high schools continue to be strong. In addition to the monthly newspaper, the diocese and communication center also produces a yearly liturgical calendar as well as a diocesan directory (every 2-3 years).
CATHOLIC T.V. APOSTOLATE
In 1984 Fr. Maher was given permission by the recently-installed Ordinary, Bishop O.P. Martin, to begin an apostolate aimed at the recently-arrived television market in Belize. He purchased programs from the U.S., mostly Mother Angelica series, and added to them a beginning and an ending that tied them into Belize. For some years these programs were sent to stations throughout the country for playing on Sunday mornings. (There was no national television station, only a multitude of local ones.)
Occasionally a local production of a religious event (Mass, Procession, Special gathering) was made with simple equipment and played in the Sunday slot.
In 1991 the apostolate was expanded greatly with the development of our own television station in Belize City (Channel 11 – The Family Channel), in partnership with a local businessman who had another channel already in operation since 1982. The station mixed Catholic programming for about six hours a day with other family-oriented programming for ten or eleven hours a day. Due to extremely low funding the station did not have its own production facilities, and served mostly as an outlet for the programs we had already been making and for programming taken directly from satellite.
In 2001 the Diocese took over full responsibility for the station, but still used the free facilities of our now former-partner to broadcast. In October of 2003 it was necessary to leave those facilities, and although there were hopes to re-enter broadcast TV someday, the diocese changed directions in 2009 and put all efforts into developing a Web site for the Diocese. The T.V. Apostolate (now Diocesan Communication Center) itself continued a few years after in serving the needs of the Catholic community through video productions and other related services.
DIOCESAN COMMUNICATION CENTER
The Diocesan Communications Center of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City and Belmopan was blessed and inaugurated on February 11, 2023. With its location at the Msgr. Facundo Castillo Diocesan Building in Belize City, it comprises video and audio recording and editing facilities. Various events and meetings have also occurred in the Communications Center which is also equipped with a conference room capable of housing 30 persons.Through a grant funding from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), our diocese and local business community, Signis Services Rome provided the equipment and the Diocesan Communication Center launched its first podcast show “BZDiocese” in February 2023. Currently, the Center produces content mostly of podcast recording/editing, social media (Facebook, Instagram), YouTube, website support and live-streaming of major diocesan events (in collaboration with Guadalupe Media - owned and managed by the SOLT priests).
The Center is expanding its productions and setting the stage for our younger generation to get involved in evangelization using the technology we have available.
Website and Social Media
In March 2019, the diocese relaunched its website (catholic.bz) in collaboration with EData who provides hosting. The aim is to make this site “home” for online resources for our parishes, schools and diocesan ministries. Aside from its website, the diocese also introduced its social media platform on Facebook, Instagram as well as a Youtube channel.
Facebook – Catholic Diocese of Belize
Instagram - @catholicdiocesebelize
Youtube - @Pastoral Diocesan
Website – catholic.bz
SOLT RADIO APOSTOLATE
The SOLTs also began a radio station in the western border town of Benque Viejo in the l990's, mostly to counter anti-Catholic radio propaganda and literature from neighboring Guatemala. Because of the hilly terrain of the west, the station’s reach was somewhat limited, and the group had the future goal of making their station a national one. They moved ahead with that plan by beginning preparation for a station to be located in Belize City (at a SOLT staffed parish, Divine Mercy). In August 2006, a ground breaking ceremony was held for their National Catholic Radio station. Three years later in 2009 the building was blessed. Their first local radio production “Table of Grace” was hosted by Phonice Auil in 2014 at the new National Catholic Radio station and media center (now Guadalupe Media) and was aired on Radio Guadalupe 101.9 FM.
In December 2016 the expansion of a TV station was launched which produced local, sound Catholic programs broadcast to homes across the entire country.