If you’ve watched Mother Angelica on EWTN you know she was a joyful, no-nonsense, immensely faithful woman. She didn’t hold back with the guests on her show. She was quick to share her faith and wisdom and encourage the audience to step up their connection with Jesus.
Her love of the Lord was obvious and contagious. She also had a devotion to Mary. Recordings of her praying the rosary with her sisters can be seen regularly on the station.
Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation was born on April 20, 1923 in Canton, Ohio and named Rita Rizzo. Her parents divorced when she was 6 years old resulting in a childhood of hunger and poverty.She also suffered a period of severe stomach pain as a teenager, which she believed was cured after a novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Then, in the 1950s she had an accident that could have prevented her from ever walking again.
Mother Angelica’s struggles brought her closer to Christ. She prayed and trusted that God would carry her through those hard times so that she would be stronger and able to achieve incredible goals, which she indeed did do.
Mother Angelica founded a religious order in addition to the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN). She began the network in 1981 with a $200 investment. She never doubted her venture’s success because she believed God assigned the mission to her. EWTN currently transmits programs 24 hours a day to more than 264 million homes in 144 countries. Nearly 400 employees participate in broadcasting terrestrial and shortwave radio around the world, operate a religious goods catalog and publish the National Catholic Register and Catholic News Agency, among other publishing ventures.
Mother Angelica suffered a stroke in 2001. She passed away on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016. She was 92 years old. Her legacy continues through her powerful media evangelization and her example of faith and following Providential guidance.
Saint Theodora/Mother Theodore Guerin 