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Happy Easter
Jubilee 2025

2025 Jubilee: The Holy Year

With Optional 2-Night Venice and St. Anthony of Padua Post Tour Extension

The Office of Radio & Television and WJMJ Radio invite you to join Father John Gatzak on a special pilgrimage tour to Italy in celebration of Jubilee 2025: The Holy Year of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Jubilee is a special year of grace, in which the Catholic Church offers the faithful the possibility of asking for a plenary indulgence, that is, the remission of sins for themselves or for deceased relatives. A Jubilee usually lasts a year and a few days: it begins just before the Christian Christmas and ends on the Epiphany of the following year.

Florence, Assisi & Rome, October 26 to November 6, 2025 (12 Days)

Do you want to learn more about this exciting 2025 Jubilee pilgrimage hosted by Father John Gatzak, featuring Florence, Assisi and Rome?  Please watch our Zoom travel presentation conducted by Collette Tours, originally recorded on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, just click the button below.

Habemus Papam!
We Have a Pope!
Leo XIV
Vatican News Photo

Leo XIV

Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost

Elected 267th Pope on May 8, 2025

Pontificate Inaugurated on May 18, 2025


Biography of Pope Leo XIV
First Urbi et Orbi of Pope Leo XIV 'Peace be with all of you'


Leo XIV - Second Pope from the Americas

The first Augustinian Pope, Robert Prevost - now Leo XIV - is the second Roman Pontiff from the Americas after Pope Francis. However, unlike Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost is from the northern part of the American continent, though he spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected head of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms.

First Augustinian Pope

The new Bishop of Rome was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.

He spent his childhood and adolescence with his family and studied first at the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers and then at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where in 1977 he earned a Degree in Mathematics and also studied Philosophy. 

On September 1 of the same year, he entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.) in Saint Louis, in the Province of Our Lady of Good Counsel of Chicago, and made his first profession on September 2, 1978. On August 29, 1981, he made his solemn vows.

He received his theological education at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. At the age of 27, he was sent by his superiors to Rome to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). 

In Rome, he was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica by Monsignor Jean Jadot, then Pro-President of the Pontifical Council for Non-Christians, now the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Prevost obtained his licentiate in 1984; and the following year, while preparing his doctoral thesis, was sent to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru (1985–1986). In 1987, he defended his doctoral thesis on "The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine" and was appointed vocation director and missions director of the Augustinian Province of “Mother of Good Counsel” in Olympia Fields, Illinois (USA).

Mission in Peru

The following year, he joined the mission in Trujillo, also in Peru, as director of the joint formation project for Augustinian candidates from the vicariates of Chulucanas, Iquitos, and Apurímac. 

Over the course of eleven years, he served as prior of the community (1988–1992), formation director (1988–1998), and instructor for professed members (1992–1998), and in the Archdiocese of Trujillo as judicial vicar (1989–1998) and professor of Canon Law, Patristics, and Moral Theology at the Major Seminary “San Carlos y San Marcelo.” At the same time, he was also entrusted with the pastoral care of Our Lady Mother of the Church, later established as the parish of Saint Rita (1988–1999), in a poor suburb of the city, and was parish administrator of Our Lady of Monserrat from 1992 to 1999.

In 1999, he was elected Provincial Prior of the Augustinian Province of “Mother of Good Counsel” in Chicago, and two and a half years later, the ordinary General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine, elected him as Prior General, confirming him in 2007 for a second term.

In October 2013, he returned to his Augustinian Province in Chicago, serving as director of formation at the Saint Augustine Convent, first councilor, and provincial vicar-roles he held until Pope Francis appointed him on November 3, 2014, as Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo, elevating him to the episcopal dignity as Titular Bishop of Sufar. 

He entered the Diocese on November 7, in the presence of Apostolic Nuncio James Patrick Green, who ordained him Bishop just over a month later, on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the Cathedral of Saint Mary.

His episcopal motto is “In Illo uno unum”—words pronounced by Saint Augustine in a sermon on Psalm 127 to explain that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.”

Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, from 2015 to 2023

On September 26, 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo by Pope Francis. In March 2018, he was elected second vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, where he also served as a member of the Economic Council and president of the Commission for Culture and Education.

In 2019, Pope Francis appointed him a member of the Congregation for the Clergy (July 13, 2019), and in 2020, a member of the Congregation for Bishops (November 21). Meanwhile, on April 15, 2020, he was also appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Callao.

Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops

On January 30, 2023, the Pope called him to Rome as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, promoting him to the rank of Archbishop. 

Created Cardinal in 2024

Pope Francis created Prevost Cardinal in the Consistory of September 30 of that year and assigned him the Diaconate of Saint Monica. He officially took possession of his titular church on January 28, 2024. 

As head of the Dicastery, he participated in the Pope’s most recent Apostolic Journeys and in both the first and second sessions of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, held in Rome from October 4 to 29, 2023, and from October 2 to 27, 2024, respectively.

Meanwhile, on October 4, 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as a member of the Dicasteries for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the Eastern Churches, for the Clergy, for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, for Culture and Education, for Legislative Texts, and of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State.

Finally, on February 6 of this year, the Argentine Pope promoted him to the Order of Bishops, granting him the title of the Suburbicarian Church of Albano.

During the most recent hospitalization of his predecessor at the “Gemelli” hospital Prevost presided over the Rosary for Pope Francis’s health in Saint Peter’s Square on March 3.

Source: Vatican News

PRAYERS AND DONATIONS

The volume of TV Mass prayer intention requests continues to remain high and the television Mass prayer and intention schedule fills up quickly; especially Sundays and Holidays.  So please remember that it may be three months or more before you see your prayer request on the TV Mass, unless you have requested a specific (special) date AND it is available!  Under normal circumstances, special date requests must be submitted at least TWO months in advance.  Please note, for your security and to prevent fraud, we deposit donations on the same day that they are received.  Please continue to use our mail-in or online resources to request your prayer intentions, and remember to indicate whether the person you are requesting a prayer for is LIVING or DECEASED in all correspondence.

GUIDELINES FOR TELEVISED MASS PRAYER REQUESTS

Our Belief

We believe that there is power in prayer and know that with the multiplication of all our voices who watch the television Mass on behalf of all those in need, our loving God will generously respond with his blessings. When we publicly share the name of a person for whom we pray, it is an invitation to thousands to pray with us on behalf of that person.

Fr. John Gatzak celebrates Mass in his office Chapel for all our donors and for those requesting prayers. We are happy to pray for your daily needs and to petition God's blessings for you and your intentions. We feel privileged to pray for those requesting our prayers and want you to know that there is absolutely no charge for requesting prayers. Those who may not be able to afford a donation to support the television Mass should feel confident that we will pray for their needs.

The daily Television Mass is of untold benefit to those who most dearly need God's personal presence in their lives. It is because of our dedication to God and his people that we are committed to ensuring the availability of the television Mass for years to come. Due to the enormous expense of televising the Mass, we are extremely grateful to those who generously contribute to its support. A gift of $10 pays for just 9.71 seconds of the production and television airtime expenses required to produce the television Mass, and there are 1,740 seconds in each television Mass. Only with your help and support, can we hope to continue the television Mass, now and in the future.

Stewardships

We have designed two Stewardship levels for those wishing to donate in support of the television Mass, and who would also like to have the entire television Mass family pray for a loved one or a special intention.  Each level of Stewardship, with its recommended minimum donation, is a gift in support of the television Mass. It is not a charge for prayers.  As a thank you and in gratitude for your gift, we include your prayer for a loved one or special intention during the television Mass, if so desired.

Level 1 - Cherubim:

With a donation of $10 or more, in gratitude for your donation, the name of your selected person to be prayed for (living or deceased) will be scrolled on the television screen at the very beginning of Mass, following the call to prayer.

Level 2 - Seraphim:

With a donation of $50 or more, in gratitude for your donation, the name of your selected person to be prayed for (living or deceased) will be read aloud by the lector and also displayed on the television screen during the Prayer of the Faithful.

All Prayer requests must be submitted in writing either via postal mail or online using the Please Donate Now button below.  Please be sure that your request indicates whether the person(s) or family you want prayed for is living or deceased.   For your convenience please print and complete the prayer request form and mail it with your donation.  Please print clearly and mail your donation and request, if so desired, to:

Office of Radio & Television
15 Peach Orchard Road
Prospect, CT 06712-1052

Emergency requests are allowed by phone ONLY for accident victims or for those facing unexpected surgery.

Please be aware that your request is received and processed on a "first come, first served" basis.  This is the only equitable way that we can process the volume of prayer requests that we receive daily.  We kindly ask that you allow at least TWO MONTHS for your prayer(s) to be shown on the television Mass.  Plan ahead and you won't be disappointed.

We appreciate all donations, whether a Mass prayer request is included or not.  Donations may be made by check or money order made payable to the Office of Radio & Television, or you can make a secure online using the Please Donate Now button below. We accept all major credit cards.

We do not charge for prayers.  Individual donations are the only financial support we receive to produce and broadcast the daily television Mass.  We are grateful for all donations, no matter the size.  You can be assured of the personal prayers of Fr. John Gatzak and the entire staff of the Office of Radio & Television whether your prayer request is accompanied by a donation or not.

Special Request Dates

The number of names that can be shown on the screen both at the beginning of Mass and during the Prayer of the Faithful is limited. We cannot exceed the limit.

If you have a special day that you wish to have someone remembered in prayer, like a birthday, baptism, graduation, wedding, or death anniversary, we will do all that we can to honor your request.  However, you must make sure you send in your request to us at least TWO MONTHS in advance for ordinary days.  We need this amount of time to receive and process your request.

We remind you that holidays, such as Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas, are popular days for family prayers.  These dates reach capacity as much as SIX MONTHS or more prior.  We advise you to request these days as early as possible so as not to be disappointed.  We try to accommodate all requests.  However, if your request should arrive late or the date is already at capacity, we will process your request for the closest available date.

We appreciate all our donors. You make it possible for the Mass to be broadcast on television, for the spiritual enlightenment and enrichment of so many.  Through your generosity, God's powerful presence can impact the lives of the lonely, the forgotten, the alienated, the sick, the confused and so may others who look to God for comfort and healing.  Thank you for providing this ministry with us.

Donate Now

To make your donation and request online now, just click the Donate button below.  Unfortunately, prayer requests without a donation cannot be submitted online at this time.  Please email your request to TVMass @ ortv.org (without the spaces).

ORTV, Inc. operates the Office of Radio & Television and WJMJ Radio.  ORTV, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and is included as a subordinate organization under a Group Exemption Ruling issued by the IRS to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

As indicated in the most recent IRS Group Ruling Determination Letter, contributions to the subordinate organizations included in the USCCB group ruling are deductible for federal income, estate and gift tax purposes under sections 170, 2055, 2106 and 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code.

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Office of Radio & Television and WJMJ Radio
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