The Important Role of President Emanuele Ferrario in the Making of Radio Maria

By Father Livio — 8 July 2026

Before reflecting on my collaboration with President Emanuele Ferrario, which began in 1987, the year in which the Radio Maria Association was founded, and continued until his return to the Father’s house on 8 July 2020, I would like to make a point that is essential for us as Christians and listeners of Radio Maria.

Radio Maria is a gift from Mary, and in particular from the Queen of Peace. To forget the supernatural origin of this extraordinary work of God would be an unforgivable sin of presumption.

At the origin of Radio Maria is Our Lady, who calls us to fulfil her plan of conversion and evangelisation, at the service of the Church and for the salvation of souls.

Jesus himself reminded us that, even when we have done everything he has asked us to do, we must remain conscious that we are unworthy servants.

When we consider the history of Radio Maria, we must raise our eyes to Heaven. On the one hand, this enables us to see the hand of God supporting and guiding us; on the other, it reveals the uncertainty of our own steps and how, at times, we stray from the path.

My first meeting with Ferrario took place in the spring of 1987, shortly after the Radio Maria Association had been established and had acquired the tiny parish radio station from which the messages of Medjugorje were being broadcast.

Ferrario spoke to me, with surprising conviction, about his plan to establish a nationwide Marian radio station and about the need to find a priest to serve as Director and bring this remarkable objective to fruition.

Ferrario spoke to me about his calling, and I too, following my pilgrimage to Medjugorje, felt caught up in the same fervent desire to serve Our Lady. The project became a reality a few months later, when my Superiors granted me permission to devote myself to Radio Maria as its Director and as a member of its Governing Board.

The first decision we took together was to find new premises for Radio Maria near Erba, separate from the parish, since the Church could not be directly involved with Marian apparitions that were, at the time, still controversial and not well known.

Ferrario was well aware that such a national project—a Catholic and Marian radio station that had to be built from the ground up—would have little or no chance of succeeding without authoritative management in relation to its content.

We therefore divided our respective areas of work according to common sense and in a spirit of service to the Handmaid of the Lord.

Ferrario, as President and entrepreneur, took responsibility for the financial and technical management of the station, aiming for its continual development, first in Italy and later across all five continents. His determination to reach new frontiers knew no limits.

Father Livio, as Director, conceived and built the new Radio Maria, defining its charism, objectives and programming, selecting its hosts, and safeguarding doctrinal orthodoxy and relations with the Church.

Every morning, early in the day, we would speak over the phone and exchange ideas and offer one another advice.

At the same time, a young and faithful Roberta was shaping the station’s broadcasting format like a work of art in a constant process of refinement.

With regard to financial resources, Ferrario readily embraced my firm decision not to accept advertising and to rely exclusively on donations from listeners.

From the very beginning, my task was to make listeners aware each day of the station’s needs. Ferrario always kept me informed about the donations received by post and through the bank, and planned investments according to the funds we were able to raise.

He used to joke that Father Livio’s task was to encourage donations, while Ferrario’s was to invest them in the radio station and its expansion.

At the same time, Ferrario also ran his own private company, which he always kept entirely separate from the management of Radio Maria. He placed his extraordinary entrepreneurial skills and tireless dedication at the service of the Radio Maria project, but not his personal financial resources, as he himself repeatedly made clear.

Ferrario, a faithful servant, remained at his post until the very end, even after handing over responsibility to his successor, the current President, Vittorio Viccardi. On the day of his funeral, I said over the microphones of Radio Maria that Emanuele Ferrario had been welcomed into Heaven with a standing ovation.

Ultimately, what matters most is reaching Heaven and directing one’s life towards that goal. Let us allow the Eternal Father to assign the heavenly halos, the only honours that truly count.

Let us learn from Ferrario, from the love he had for Our Lady and for Radio Maria, persevering and working tirelessly as he did, because this is the secret of the success of the Radio Maria project.