Mother Angelica: April 20, 1923-March 27, 2016

I have been downloading programs from EWTN lately for my daily reflections and Mother Angelica's videos are among my favorite. Mother Angelica, is a sort of a rock star in Catholic broadcasting. She is instrumental in establishing the cable channel EWTN which is my favorite source of religious shows and my sanctuary in case life's problems becomes a little bit unbearable. 

Mother Angelica was born Rita Antoinette Rizzo in Canton, Ohio on April 20, 1923.  She was the only child but her father left her and her mother when she was just five years old. From then on, it was a struggle for her and her depressed mother. At one time in her life she said, she is not doing poorly in school and her attention was more on whether her mother would commit suicide that day. For a comprehensive biography of Mother Angelica, read Mother Angelica, television nun -obituary. 

I started coming across Mother Angelica's program and EWTN sometime in 1995. But most of the time I ignored it being a religious channel.  Then a family tragedy happened a couple of years later that changed my attitude towards the channel.  That year, EWTN got most of my time daily with their prayers and other programs. 

One of my most unforgettable episodes of her program is about a priest who had a near death experience and told about the pleadings of the Blessed Mother for people to repent because the wrath of her Son is unimaginable to those who deny goodness and chose evil. 

My mother who suffered a severe kidney disease in 1997 brought me to EWTN and Mother Angelica.  Watching EWTN every day gave me hope. My mother miraculously survived her illness for 12 years. She stopped dialysis in what could be the greatest escape from death. 

My mother has since passed away 7 years ago.  But still seeing Mother Angelica's videos made me cherished those moments when mother was still alive watching Mother Angelica on TV. 

With Mother Angelica's passing, I somehow feel a personal loss. Godspeed Mother Angelica and may you meet my mother in heaven and tell you how her children are a big fan of yours.