The Station of the Cross Catholic Media Network will hold its 25th-anniversary celebration in Niagara Falls this Saturday, giving listeners the chance to meet some of its featured personalities.
The day-long event will be at the Niagara Falls Convention Center, featuring talks from the station’s radio hosts and contributors.
The station was started by Jim and Joanne Wright and Mary Ellen Capece Nichols after attending a retreat at the Eternal World Television Network headquarters in Alabama. They were inspired by the network’s founder, Mother Angelica, to start a Catholic radio station in Buffalo.
The station’s first programming aired on Aug. 15, 1999, in Amherst. Since then, the station has grown to broadcast over 20 terrestrial stations in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania and through the iCatholicRadio app, airing 24/7 and reaching 8 million potential listeners.
The station has been affiliated with EWTN since its founding, airing shows produced by them and Ave Maria Radio along with self-produced shows over the past few years. Spokesman Zach Krajacic said those shows focus mainly on the Catholic faith and church, occasionally going into national and international issues.
“We’ve grown immensely in terms of listenership,” Krajacic said. Since the network is not subscribed to Nielsen, they do not have hard data on their number of listeners.
The general event featuring the speakers goes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees are also welcome to attend an option 8 a.m. mass at St. Mary of the Cataract church.
Guests include conservative commentator Candace Owens, EWTN host and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo, Bishop Emeritus of Tyler, Texas Joseph Edward Strickland, The Catholic Current host Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J., Mother Miriam Live host Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God, O.S.B., The Simple Truth host Jim Havens, and Station of the Cross Director of Content Joe McClane.
“Strickland is a strong advocate for upholding the traditions of the Catholic Church,” Krajacic said, with Arroyo being a close friend of Mother Angelica since EWTN’s beginning and Owens being a recent convert to Catholicism.
A sold-out VIP Gala Dinner, is taking from 5 to 8 p.m., features bonus talks from Arroyo and Owens with photo opportunities.
Tickets for the general event are $100 and can be bought right at the door the day of. Registration can be done through the Station of the Cross website, at www.threstationofthecross.com.