Mother Angelica
Angelica Rizzo PCPA , known as Mother Angelica (born April 20, 1923 in Canton , Ohio , † March 27, 2016 ), real name Rita Antoinette Rizzo , was a Poor Clare of the Order of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration . In 1976, she founded the spiritual broadcaster Eternal Word Television Network in a backyard garage of her monastery in Irondale , Alabama .
Life
Mother Angelica was born Rita Antoinette Rizzo in Canton, Ohio, in 1923 to a very poor family. She was the only child of John and Helen Mae Rizzo and grew up during the Great Depression. When Rita was five years old, her father left the family; their parents divorced in 1929. Her maternal grandparents also looked after her at times. After graduating from school in 1941, she fell ill with a stomach ailment. In 1943 she was received by a woman who had converted to the Roman Catholic Church named Rhoda Wise (a stigmatized and visionary) after a novena to St. Therese von Lisieux healed of her stomach ailment. This experience deepened her belief. On August 15, 1944, she entered the Convent of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration as a postulant in Cleveland. Among other things, she worked in the laundry, baked bread, served at the altar and worked in the monastery kitchen. On January 2, 1947 Sister Angelica laid after the novitiate the first profession on January 2, 1953, the final vows.
Mother Angelica died on March 27, 2016 at the age of 92.
Founder of EWTN
On May 20, 1962 Mother Angelica founded the new monastery for their order Our Lady of Angels (Our Lady of the Angels) in Irondale, Alabama. In 1976, she began producing and broadcasting television programs in a garage at her monastery. This is believed to be the beginning of the Eternal Word Television Network . Located in the Protestant Bible Belt of Alabama, EWTN increasingly became the voice of North American Catholics.
In the late autumn of 2001, Mother Angelica suffered two strokes that abruptly put an end to her work. On the occasion of her 80th birthday in April 2003, she had her last live appearance on the station. Since then, previous programs (such as the talk shows Mother Angelica's Live and The Holy Rosary with Mother Angelica and the Nuns ) have been repeated regularly .
Orders and decorations
literature
- Raymond Arroyo: Mother Angelica. A nun writes television history , Media-Maria-Verlag, Illertissen 2009, ISBN 978-3-9811452-7-4
Web links
- Global Catholic Network ; English
- Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration
- Our Lady of the Angels Monastery
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mother Angelica |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rizzo, Rita Antoinette (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American nun, founder of the EWTN |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 20, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Canton , Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 27, 2016 |