IMPERIAL VALLEY –It happens every morning. With the turn of a key or push of a button a car engine fires on, mechanical parts begin whirring…and you turn on your radio.

A familiar sound rings through: “This is the Patrick Madrid Show on Relevant Radio.” Or maybe it is the Entrance Antiphon being sung on EWTN’s Daily Mass. Still it could be Dr. Ray Guarendi cracking a joke about the joys of parenthood and “why won’t these kids listen to me?!?”Maybe one Friday night you hear a familiar voice from Heber/Imperial that makes you picture thick, black-framed glasses, as the host talks about his Catholic topic of the day.

Whatever the case, these characters and audial encounters with the Lord Jesus Christ are made possible by St. John Paul II Catholic Radio and its affiliates.

“That’s our goal as far as our strategic plan:Grow our listener-ship and let people know we’re out there.”

Almost five years into the life of JP2 Radio, the Imperial Valley’s one and only English speaking Catholic radio station not only actively continues working through its journey to becoming bigger and better, but is readying itself to springboard into the future.

St. John Paul II Catholic Radio’s mission is to evangelize and catechize over the radio airwaves in order to impact the lives of people to lead them closer to Jesus Christ,Raul Caro, JP2 Radio station manager, said in an interview mere days before the annual JP2 Radio Benefit Dinner.

“Our goal is to get out there in the public space and let (our listeners) know who Christ is and what his Way is so that they can become followers (of Christ) and imitate him,” Caro said.

“We’re out there (in the public), and our events are just one way of doing it,not only within our own Catholic community but that large segment of the population that are now ex-Catholics,or non-practicing or non-believing Catholics.”

“We’re not only trying to fill a space, we’re trying to expand our space,” Caro said.“That’s our goal as far as our strategic plan:Grow our listener-ship and let people know we’re out there.”

That expansion, Caro said, is currently underway and will manifest as a new fully completed production studio, more local content, short-form videos on Catholic topics, Catholic music, and an app.

“The radio station is all about ‘Everything Catholic,’“Murrie Plourd, JP2 Radio board member, said in a recent interview.

“Obviously to be able to do more programming, own program in the Imperial Valley utilizing the amazing talents and the priests we have here…more local programming as it ties in also with EWTN and Relevant Radio,” she said.