THE ODYSSEY OF MOTHER ANGELICA

Catholic League ^ | October 2005 | William Donohue

[NYer]

Like most Catholics, I know Mother Angelica through EWTN (Eternal World Television Network). Now, thanks to Ray Arroyo's inspiring portrait of her, I know her much better. The subtitle of Mother Angelica accurately reads, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles. Yes, it is all that and more—it is a gripping tale of a woman who suffered greatly yet always managed to beat the odds.

Born Rita Rizzo, and reared in Canton, Ohio, Mother Angelica experienced poverty, a broken home, maltreatment, multiple physical ailments, jealously, back stabbing, betrayal—she was even shot at—but nothing could stop her determination. It does not exaggerate to say that the object of her determination never had anything to do with her—it always had to do with God.

In her lifetime, Mother established the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration and gave birth to the Franciscan Friars of the Eternal Word and the Sisters of the Eternal Word. She built the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as the largest shortwave network in the world and the world's first Catholic satellite network. Not bad for a high school graduate who had everything going against her.

Her father was abusive, both physically and verbally, and eventually abandoned her (he tried to reconcile with her later in life). It took such a toll on her that she wondered why God would ever subject a little girl to such a miserable family. It also meant that she missed out on what other kids were used to, so much so that one of her cousins would later say of her, "She was an adult all her life. She never had a childhood."

The nuns she met in school were anything but kind. Their opposition to divorce unfortunately led them to oppose the children of divorce, and this was something the young Rita couldn't bear (the priests her mother encountered were just as condemning). Some family members were just as cruel, including an uncle who verbally beat up on her mother so badly that Rita literally threw a knife at him.

Yet there were miracles. There was the time when, at age eleven, she was crossing a street only to see two headlights staring her right in the face. She thought she was dead. Incredibly, she was able to jump high enough that she avoided being hit. The driver called it "a miracle," while Rita and her mother dubbed it a graceful "lifting."

Her stomach ailments were so bad that she was forced to wear a corset. The doctors tried to help, but to little avail. Then she met a stigmatic, Rhoda Wise, and that's when things began to change. One day, when she was 20, a voice told her to get up and walk without the corset, and she did just that. Immediately, her suffering was relieved. Her doctor, of course, insisted it had to with his treatments, but Rita knew better.

Her mother wasn't too happy when she learned that Rita had decided to enter a Cleveland monastery. After all, she had first been abandoned by her husband, and now her daughter was leaving her as well. But in time she would come to accept it. As for Rita, her failing knees (and the five stories of steps she had to traverse at the monastery), led to her being dispatched back home to Canton.

After nine years in the cloister, Sister Angelica took her solemn vows. Her legs and her back were so twisted she could hardly walk (she wore a body cast), leading her to beg God to allow her to walk again in exchange for a promise: she would build a monastery in the South. What she wanted was a "Negro apostolate," a cloistered community in service to poor blacks. After undergoing spinal surgery, and after being rebuffed initially by her bishop, she got her way; approval was given to build a monastery in Birmingham. Then came to the hard part—coming up with the bucks to pay for it.

In 1959, the year before she became Mother Angelica, she spotted an ad in a magazine for fishing lure parts. She decided that the nuns would go into the fishing-lure business, thus was St. Peter's Fishing Lures born. In 1961, Sports Illustrated honored her with a plaque for her "special contribution to a sport." Remarkably, this half-crippled nun with no business experience was able to garner national attention for her entrepreneurial acumen. It was just the beginning.

Building a monastery in the South in the early 1960s, especially one that would service African Americans, was not exactly a popular enterprise. It didn't take long before local opposition mounted, even to the point of violence: Mother Angelica was shot at one night by one of the protesters (he barely missed).

Amidst what seemed like eternal struggles to keep the revenue coming, Mother started the Li'l Ole Peanut Company. Score another hit: By the end of 1968, she paid off all the monastery debt. Over the next decade, she would write books and give talks, managing to walk with an artificial hip.

In 1978, her life was forever altered when she was introduced to a TV studio in Chicago. Instantly, she got the bug: she had to have one of her own. Then came the first of many disappointments dealing with the bishops. When she contacted them about a Catholic TV show, none replied. Undeterred, she secured funding from New York philanthropist Peter Grace, and in 1981 got a young lawyer and Catholic deacon, Bill Steltemeier, to craft a civil corporation called the Eternal Word Television Network. Bill would remain a loyal and talented ally throughout the tumultuous times to come.

When word reached Rome that a cloistered abbess was traveling the country in pursuit of her broadcasting dream, she ran into trouble with both American bishops and Vatican officials. But thanks to Cardinal Silvio Oddi, head of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, she prevailed.

It was never easy. Every time Mother Angelica thought she was in the clear, another bishop would raise objections to her venture. Indeed, the bishops tried to outdo her by launching their own effort, the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America (CTNA). It was clear from the beginning that Mother Angelica was seen as a threat: EWTN had a traditional orientation and CTNA took a modernist stance. EWTN won. CTNA collapsed.

It was not easy for the bishops to watch their own creation flounder while EWTN won the admiration of Pope John Paul II. Adding to their chagrin was their inability to get Mother Angelica to switch to a new interfaith satellite network. As to her own operations, Mother Angelica did not take kindly to those clerics who questioned her authority to showcase some bishops, but not others. "I happen to own the network," she instructed. When told that this would not be forever, she let loose: "I'll blow the damn thing up before you get your hands on it."

In 1989, a report by the bishops complained that EWTN rejected "one out of every three programs submitted by the bishops conference." The bishops and Mother Angelica were clearly on a collision course: she had no tolerance for the theological dissidence that was tolerated by many bishops and their staff. The last straw came when the bishops conference sent a show to be aired featuring a cleric promising female ordination under the next pope.

The dissent, whether voiced by the Catholic Theological Society of America, or by feminist nuns who favored gender-neutral language in the Catholic Catechism, distressed Mother badly. She even had to endure being lobbied to push for "inclusive" language in the Catechism by the likes of "conservatives" such as Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston. That he failed should surprise no one.

Mother was more than distressed—she was angered beyond belief—when a woman portrayed Jesus doing the Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day in Denver, 1993. "Try it with Martin Luther King," she said on the air. "Put a white woman in his place and see what happens."

She was not prepared for what happened next. The reaction of leading bishops to her outburst was swift and vocal. Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who like Law would later be forced to resign in disgrace, blasted her for what he labeled "one of the most disgraceful, un-Christian, offensive, and divisive diatribes I have ever heard." He had nothing to say about the incident that provoked her.

The bishops weren't finished with her. In retaliation, they recalled priests who had been assigned to work at EWTN, and attempts were made to get EWTN thrown off diocesan TV channels around the country.

Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, Mother Angelica and Roger Cardinal Mahony locked horns. In 1997, she accused the Los Angeles archbishop of questioning the Real Presence: "In fact," she said, "the cardinal of California is teaching that it's bread and wine before the Eucharist and after the Eucharist." She added that she would not obey an Ordinary like him if she lived there, and hoped that those who did would no longer provide him with their assent.

That was it. Mahony exploded. But while demanding that Rome punish Mother Angelica—and this went on for years—Mahony's archdiocese was home to "a cavalcade of dissenters and anti-Vatican agitators." This is the stuff that drives orthodox Catholics mad.

While she survived in the end, Mother Angelica had to ward off attempts by the bishops to take control of EWTN (one archbishop allegedly told her that certain bishops "want to destroy you"). To make sure this would never happen, Mother Angelica resigned from the network in order to save it: the bishops would have no lien on a purely autonomous, lay-run, civil entity.

Twenty years ago, Ben Armstrong of the National Religious Broadcasters aptly dubbed her, "the Bishop Fulton Sheen of this generation." Cardinal J. Francis Stafford was also right when he observed that "Mother Angelica represented the plain Catholic, who is 90 percent of the Church." Let it also be said that she overcame all kinds of adversity, and she did it all—and continues to do it all—for Jesus.

[Zionist Conspirator]

I know Mother Angelica is a good and honorable person, but I wish she wouldn't air (and thus implicitly endorse) Biblical higher criticism such as that of Fr. Mitchell Pacwa.

[A.A. Cunningham]

He had just viewed EWTN for the first time.

Not quite. Delivery of the dish was in March of 1981. The guy on the yacht was in the Bahamas and was reading one of Mother Angelicas' mini books trying to get help dealing with his kids. EWTN didn't start broadcasting until 15 August 1981. (pp 158, 162, 163)

[bourbon]

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations!

[Aquinasfan]

Not quite. Delivery of the dish was in March of 1981. The guy on the yacht was in the Bahamas and was reading one of Mother Angelicas' mini books trying to get help dealing with his kids. EWTN didn't start broadcasting until 15 August 1981. (pp 158, 162, 163)

Well, at least I got the $600k right ;-)

I just heard on Ave Maria radio that EWTN is the largest religious broadcasting network in the world.

[cyborg]

I'm listening to them right now over the internet.

[Aquinasfan]

Biblical higher criticism such as that of Fr. Mitchell Pacwa.

Anything in particular bother you? I catch some odd statements from time to time, but overall he seems orthodox.

[Claud]

"I happen to own the network," she instructed. When told that this would not be forever, she let loose: "I'll blow the damn thing up before you get your hands on it."

I. Love. Mother. Angelica.

[RKBA Democrat]

"I say more polarization is needed, not less. Every increment in polarization represents an increase in the number of people whose eyes have been opened, and in the left's desperation."

I respectfully disagree with you.

While I think you're right in noting that polarizing debate has something of a benefit in highlighting differences, it also has the effect of hardening the opposition. By they left, right, or center.

In my view it's wise to allow your opponents a way to surrender while retaining some sense of honor. People who see that they have absolutely nothing to lose have this strange ability to dig in their heels and figure out a way to win.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Anything in particular bother you? I catch some odd statements from time to time, but overall he seems orthodox.

Doesn't he subscribe to the documentary hypothesis (JCPD) as well as the notion that the Pentateuch is adapted from pagan myths and wasn't put in final form until after the time of the Prophets?

As you know, in Catholicism "orthodoxy" doesn't have anything to do with Biblical inerrancy.

[Aquinasfan]

Doesn't he subscribe to the documentary hypothesis (JCPD) as well as the notion that the Pentateuch is adapted from pagan myths and wasn't put in final form until after the time of the Prophets?

I don't know, but thanks for pointing this out. I've just done some googling and I've learned a little bit about "the documentary hypothesis." I've heard my parish priest advocate this theory, and it seems to be widely accepted by "bible scholars."

But the more I read about it from sources I trust, however, the more skeptical I become. The reminds me an awful lot of "Q."

If you have any good links, please send them along.

[Nihil Obstat]

Fr. Pacwa shoots down "Q" every chance he gets.

[Aquinasfan]

Fr. Pacwa shoots down "Q" every chance he gets.

Cool. "Q" always made me feel queasy 8-)

[Zionist Conspirator]

I don't know, but thanks for pointing this out. I've just done some googling and I've learned a little bit about "the documentary hypothesis." I've heard my parish priest advocate this theory, and it seems to be widely accepted by "bible scholars."

But the more I read about it from sources I trust, however, the more skeptical I become. The reminds me an awful lot of "Q."

If you have any good links, please send them along.

I don't have links, but I don't really have to. When you're a Bible-thumping redneck you're confronted with it at every turn.

Most highly educated Catholics, especially the clergy, accept these critical Biblical theories just as they accept evolution. It's almost as if it is considered necessary to do so in order to prove that one rejects the heretical notion of a self-interpreting Bible (a la Qara'im and Protestants). For example, Donal Anthony Foley has written:

We can trace back this process to the Reformation, when a certain suspicion of the Bible entered into Catholic circles because of the way men such as Luther and Calvin interpreted it. The cleavage between Catholics and Protestants developed into a huge chasm as the centuries passed and was still a major factor at the time of Darwin.

I hope you will try to realize the source of my sometimes visceral reactions to Catholic iconoclasm in the matter of the Bible. Catholicism is supposed to be based on tradition--and an unchanging one, at that. Yet most Catholics (discounting perhaps the folk Catholics of Latin America, Haiti, and other such places) reject without a critical thought the Jewish Tradition from which they received the Bible in the first place, even as they defend the Divine authority of traditions about Mary, the Saints, etc. To me this is maddeningly hypocritical. Why should I not have a hostile reaction to people who defend Tradition from Martin Luther while being Lutherans themselves with regard to what they themselves have received? Do you really believe that the Catholic Magisterium was built upon an "old testament" Protestantism in which every tradition "received from Moses" was in reality "the invention of priests and Pharisees?" Yet Catholic defenders of Catholic oral traditions and the inerrancy and authenticity of the "new testament" say this all the time!

It's bad enough that Catholicism has to defend its traditions against the very charges J*sus brought against its Jewish predecessor. But to utterly reject the traditions of the origin and transmission of the Biblcal text, to gravitate towards each and every theory of liberal Protestantism while defending the authenticity and legitimacy of the cults of Mary and the saints and sacerdotal supernatural powers is absolutely maddening!

To continue from above, I have no idea why us rednecks are the only ones who seem to see and hear these offensive things. Most Catholics subscribe to them; the other ancient liturgical churches remain stoically silent other than an occasional dig at "Protestant creationism." Mainstream Orthodox Jews believe in the letter-for-letter Divine dictation of the Torah text, but they never seem to spead this information outside the confines of their own rarefied atmosphere (and I have no idea why this is). The biggest mystery is the Black American Protestant church whose worship style is similar to that of white literalists but whose only publicly iterated philosophy is that it is "against racism."

I don't expect you to understand this, but to people such as myself the documentary hypothesis stinks of sulfur and brimstone, and that the "ancient, infallible, apostolic church) either remains silent while its clergy propagates it throughout the world is merely "self-evident proof" that it is not from G-d, however "haimish" it is for you and other cradle Catholics.

[Campion]

I don't have links, but I don't really have to. When you're a Bible-thumping redneck you're confronted with it at every turn ... Most highly educated Catholics, especially the clergy, accept these critical Biblical theories just as they accept evolution.

In other words, you have no evidence against Fr. Pacwa specifically; you just wanted to launch your usual anti-Catholic diatribe.

Is "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" still in Torah, ZC?

[Convert from ECUSA]

Excellent book about a woman greatly gifted and used by God! God bless Mother Angelica real good!

[Zionist Conspirator]

In other words, you have no evidence against Fr. Pacwa specifically; you just wanted to launch your usual anti-Catholic diatribe.

Is "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" still in Torah, ZC?

My apologies for misunderstanding Aquinasfans' request. I thought he was asking for links that would provide him with further information on the documentary hypothesis. I didn't realize he was asking me for links tying Fr. Pacwa to this theory.

I do know that at some point in my life some inerrantist Catholic (and I don't recall if it was in correspondence or told to be at the conference I attended at Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1990), but I do know that someone said something about trying to get Mother Angelica to stop carrying Fr. Pacwa's higher critical Biblical commentary.

I do know from private e-mail correspondence from a certain very specific person that Fr. Peter Stravinskas is opposed to total Biblical inerrancy because he had a discussion with him about the subject.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Mother Angelica at Christmas

Mother Angelica Update: Sunday, January 29, 2006

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2001 marks four years since Mother Angelica suffered a severe stroke that left her with a speech impediment and partial paralysis.

These past few years we have hoped and prayed for Mother's full recovery. With grateful hearts, we have seen Mother slowly regain her strength, though she still struggles with her ability to communicate. She continues to be a source of joy to all of us.

The Nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery share stories of her childlike love, her continued zeal for souls, and her smile that never quits! As we approach Christmas, let us ask the Divine Child Jesus to continue to heal our beloved Mother and to bring comfort to all those who suffer.

[monkapotamus]

http://www.ewtn.com/mother_update.asp

Mother Angelica Update: Sunday, May 28, 2006

Happy Birthday Mother Angelica!

Most days find Mother Angelica praying and resting quietly in her room. In the last couple of months it has become more and more laborious for her to come to community activities in the monastery, but it is always a joy when she is feeling up to it.

In honor of her 83rd birthday some friends surprised Mother with a Mariachi band! The day, thanks be to God, found her well enough to come to the parlor and enjoy the playing and singing.

http://www.ewtn.com/mother_update.asp

[A.A. Cunningham]

Thank you.

[NYer]

In case you missed this post 3 years ago. Enjoy!