INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Mother Angelica, Founder Of Catholic Network EWTN, Dies At 92

By Stephen Jordan
Published on: 13:29 PST, Mar 27, 2016

Mother Angelica, the founder of Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), died on Easter Sunday, March 27, according to Catholic News Agency. She was 92-years-old.

“In passing to eternal life, Mother Angelica leaves behind a legacy of holiness and commitment to the New Evangelization that should inspire us all,” said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus.

Mother Angelica was born Rita Rizzo on April 20, 1923, in Ohio. After her parents divorced when she was 6-years-old, she and her mother moved around to several places, with little-to-no money or food, struggling to survive. As a teenager, Mother Angelica suffered stomach pains, and after several days of prayer, her pains went away. This is when she decided to dedicate her life to Jesus. At 21, Rita entered the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Cleveland and was given the name Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation.

“I was honored to know and be able to assist Mother Angelica during the early days of EWTN,” Anderson continued. “Over the years, that relationship grew, and today the Knights of Columbus and EWTN partner regularly on important projects. Mother Angelica was fearless because she had God on her side. She saw what he needed her to do, and she did it!”

Mother Angelica went through a traumatic ordeal in the 1950s when she was scrubbing the floors in a monastery. She slipped on the soapy floors and was thrown against the wall behind her. Two years had gone by and the injury had gotten worse, putting Sister Mary Angelica in the hospital awaiting surgery. The doctors informed her that she had a 50 percent chance of never walking again. She prayed to God and promised to build a monastery in the South, if she were to recover successfully. And she did.

In 1978, Angelica was producing Christian programs for a cable TV network, when she realized that the station owned by the studio was planning to air a film she believed to be blasphemous. She complained to the station manager, which yielded no results, and that is when she got the idea to just create her own network – EWTN.

“She transformed the world of Catholic broadcasting and brought the Gospel to far corners of our world,” Carl Anderson continued. “That witness of faith was unmistakable to anyone who met and worked with her, and generations of Catholics have and will continue to be formed by her vision and her ‘Yes’ to God’s will.”

In 1981, Mother Angelica launched Eternal Word Television Network, and today EWTN runs 24-hours-a-day in over 264 million homes in over 140 different countries.

Below, you can find the schedule of events for Mother Angelica’s funeral:

Monday, March 28

7:00 a.m. Memorial Mass from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama.

2:00 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet and Litany of the Sacred Heart.

7:00-8:30 p.m. Special Live Show.

8:30-9:30 p.m. Rosary.

Tuesday, March 29

6:00 a.m. Divine Office in memoriam.

7:00 a.m. Mass from Irondale.

10:00 a.m. Holy Hour in memoriam.

2:30 p.m. Coverage begins with EWTN host Raymond Arroyo.

3:00-4:00 p.m. Mother Angelica’s body will be receive a procession to the upper church, followed by a Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the shrine.

7:00-8:30 p.m. Special Live Show.

8:30-9:30 p.m. Rosary.

Wednesday, March 30

6:00 a.m. Divine Office in memoriam.

7:00 a.m. Mass from Irondale.

9:30 a.m. Coverage begins with EWTN host Raymond Arroyo.

10-11 a.m. Public Visitation and Rosary.

2:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross.

5:00 p.m. Vespers and the Divine Mercy Chaplet with the Nuns of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery.

7:00 p.m. Rosary.

8:00-9:30 p.m. Special Live Shows.

Thursday, March 31

6:00 a.m. Divine Office in memoriam.

7:00 a.m. Mass from Irondale.

9:30 a.m. Coverage, with EWTN host Raymond Arroyo.

10:00-11:00 a.m. Public Visitation and Rosary.

2:00 p.m. Holy Hour in memoriam.

5:00 p.m. Solemn Vespers.

6:00-7:00 p.m. Remembering Mother Angelica, with EWTN host Raymond Arroyo.

7:00 -8:30 p.m. Vigil Service and Rosary.

Friday, April 1

11:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial, followed by Procession and Rite of Committal.

[Photo via EWTN/YouTube]

Share this article: Mother Angelica, Founder Of Catholic Network EWTN, Dies At 92
More from Inquisitr