About Us

At KHSS, we believe that radio is one of the most powerful tools of evangelization available to us today. We are dedicated to reclaiming our culture for Christ by sanctifying the airwaves with the truth of the Catholic faith.

KHSS and the non-profit corporation Holy Spirit Sanctifier Catholic Radio exist in response to the call by Pope John Paul II for a “new springtime” of evangelization. Pope John Paul II saw the mass media as an important part of this mission.

History

Radio station KHSS was purchased in 1998 by Two Hearts Communications, an LLC formed by Rod and Kimberly Fazzari in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The purpose of acquiring KHSS was to bring Catholic radio to the Walla Walla valley in rural southeastern Washington State. An agreement to purchase KHSS from prior ownership was reached in the spring of 1997. At the time, KHSS was a financially troubled, commercial classical-music radio station that was in the midst of a transition to an oldies format. Rod and Kimberly had a different plan for the station’s future, however. As they had felt called to bring Catholic Radio to the Walla Walla area, the purchase of KHSS was the first step.

The second step was the acquisition of the necessary equipment to receive Catholic programming from EWTN in Birmingham, Alabama, accomplished during the fall of 1997.

At long last, on the second Sunday of Advent, December 7, 1997, KHSS began broadcasting Catholic programming. The initial broadcast lasted just four hours, beginning at 5:00 AM with a live Mass from Our Lady of the Angels Monastery at EWTN. The lineup included the Mass, the rosary, Life on the Rock, the Journey Home, and Our Father’s Plan, a program by Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins. During the rest of the week, the station rebroadcast secular programming and carried EWTN audio on a subcarrier. Area residents could use a specially modified radio to hear Catholic programming all week long. Eventually, the four-hour Catholic broadcast was extended to 18 hours from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM each and every Sunday, and then to 24 hours from midnight to midnight on Sundays only.

Due to the lack of automation equipment at KHSS, all of the switching between secular and Catholic programming had to be done manually. As soon as the documents were signed in 1998 that transferred ownership to Two Hearts Communications, they immediately began upgrading the equipment in preparation for expanding their Catholic broadcasts. Soon, all of the equipment was in place.

The final step was mustering up the courage to go 24-7 with Catholic programming. Financially, THC couldn’t see a way there from where they were at the time. Enter Immaculate Heart Radio (IHR), a Catholic radio group in California headed up by Doug Sherman. IHR pledged to provide one year of financial support if KHSS would only take the plunge and “go Catholic” 24-7. So, in September, 2001, KHSS switched to full-time Catholic programming seven days a week. True to their word, IHR provided matching funds for all donations given to KHSS for an entire year. By September, 2002, KHSS was on its feet financially and touching more lives than ever with EWTN’s Catholic programming.

Shortly thereafter, Holy Spirit Sanctifier Catholic Radio was founded by the Fazzari family. The mission of this non-profit corporation is to promote Catholic Radio throughout the northwest. Several communities now enjoy english and spanish Catholic radio due to the efforts of Holy Spirit Sanctifier Catholic Radio and its donors. If you appreciate our mission at Holy Spirit Sanctifer Catholic Radio, please consider supporting us.