CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2021 / 02:27 am
It has been five years since Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of EWTN, passed away.
She died March 27, 2016 - Easter Sunday - after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old.
Mother Angelica founded EWTN out of a garage in Alabama in 1981, and it has since become the largest religious media network in the world. Catholic News Agency is a service of EWTN.
Five years after her death, EWTN viewers are still sharing their stories of how Mother Angelica’s life and the network she founded continue to influence them. Here are some of those stories, edited for clarity:
“EWTN has saved me. I am happy every day. I am 91 and I can’t drive. People ask me ‘Are you depressed?’ ‘Do You feel like you are in a prison?’ I say, No! Every day is a happy day. I am not a prisoner in my own home. EWTN has been my salvation and has saved my life!”
“Ever since I was young, I usually bump into your channel on television and watch shows…like those children with St. Faustina, Mother Angelica talks and rosary prayer, Vatican Almanac, Catholic Dictionary, Vatican Events and of course, the Daily Holy Mass. Now that I am older, just started going off to college, I devote myself almost every day to join the Daily Mass and Rosary and I do Eucharistic Adorations sometimes, too! These wonderful works you all have done for me made my Catholic faith even stronger! The True Faith through EWTN has quenched my thirst for the love of God.”
“I am a truck driver, delivering food and other essentials overnight. I work 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and EWTN radio is on, almost 8 to 10 hours of my work through Sirius XM. TAKE 2 surely is one of my favorites and as you mentioned in today's program, people are praying during the night. Yes, I am one of them who prays, laughs, and cries along with all your programs and audience.”
“Fr. Leonard gave a homily on forgiveness that made me pick up my phone and call my sister, whom I hadn’t spoken to in 3 years. I first prayed and asked God for humility and then called her. She accepted the call and we are back together because of Father Leonard.”
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“This week I have especially enjoyed last Sunday Mass with Fr. Mitch and Fr. Wade for the rest of this week. My husband and I are early risers and begin our day with the rosary at 4:30 a.m. followed by the Mass and another rosary. Thank you also for the prayers to St. Joseph as we did the consecration to St. Joseph. Your programing brings peace to our hearts as we deal with all these turbulent times in our nation.”
“I pray y'all are having a blessed day in the Lord. I am 55 years old, and have been studying Catholicism for several years. In fact, I converted several years ago because of EWTN. I was raised a Baptist, in this small, rural Mountain community…However, as one who is part Cherokee and Catawba Indian, I felt I have always been a ‘seeker’... always seeking a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus. I have found that through the Catholic Church.”
“My family just recently lost our two twin girls, Lily Immaculata and Miriam Therese, shortly after birth. I wanted to write to let you know that because of your show, when Lily died and I was away from the hospital, my wife was able to baptize her properly because of your show. Without that, I wouldn’t have the comfort of knowing I was the father of a saint who has guided us after since that day. I’ll always be eternally grateful for your impact on our little girl and our family’s life, and I hope you know that Lily’s story is probably one of many thousands of good fruits that you have brought to God’s kingdom.”
“EWTN is my lifeline. I love EWTN. I thank the Lord! It’s on 24/7. It’s been like this since I discovered EWTN. I had a surgery and I was home for recovery. Boom! I saw Mother Angelica and I said who is this nun? I watched her and said that is wonderful! I realized (soon) that if I switched channels that I would miss something that the Lord wanted to tell me. There are no words to describe the channel. It’s amazing. I tell everybody I am in school. I am learning every day. I am in the school of EWTN, learning every day. It informs me scientifically, theologically, physically, intellectually - the entire order of reality!”
“I just want to thank you all for giving us the daily Rosary and Mass. I don't know what I would have done without EWTN during this COVID time. Please express my sincere thanks to your outstanding choir and their director for the beautiful music. I have not heard such an amazing choir with so much talent. May God Bless you all and hold you in the Palm of His Hands. Without beginning my day with EWTN, I cannot fight off the Devil’s temptations. And then before I go to sleep, I end my evening with another rosary. During the day, the many uplifting programs (the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Father Pacwa, Father Spitzer, etc.) continue feeding me the food of God’s words. Not sure about others, but when I don’t receive my daily inspirations from EWTN, I get sucked into the struggles and hatred of the Evil One. The daily attacks on Catholics and Christians are being fought by all of you at EWTN.”
“Thank you for daily Masses. You can't know how helpful they are to us. I go to live Mass here Monday through Friday but can't hear well even with my hearing aids. I then rush home to hear Mass on EWTN. I hear the Mass on EWTN very well and am so blessed to hear what I miss in live church and take in the meaningful liturgy of the Franciscan priests and the whole Mass again. It means so much to hear the Mass well. So blessed by this! Thank you.”
“EWTN helped me survive the death of my husband and the pandemic. 100% absolutely true, seriously. You have a wonderful TV station. You have helped many through difficult times.”
“I would not know how to go on without the prayers and inspiring stories that I get from EWTN. Yesterday I got home and sat down to try to get myself together after a hard day and the program about the young man who rode on the train to go meet his mother who gave him up for adoption and how this choice not to have an abortion but to give him life blessed so many souls. This half hour program uplifted my whole day and put my thoughts back on track. Just thank you!”
“I am alone most of the day while my husband is at work. Listening to EWTN fills my day and I look forward to listening basically every day from the time I get up until about 5 p.m….In the evenings, many times if I don't care what is on TV I pull up YouTube and listen to Mother Angelica. EWTN has been a life saver for me since the local station began broadcasting.”
“I am a longtime supporter of EWTN and truly cannot get through any day without it. I deeply appreciate Mother Angelica’s dedication to establishing EWTN. Most of my life I have been a very active and practicing Catholic; taught CCD for 46 years and was complimented by parents that I was the ‘only’ volunteer teacher who kept her students coming back. I did nothing special but told the children of all ages the Truth. It is interesting to me that Truth had such an impact and I am most grateful that it did. Striving to always be truthful is a challenging and fleeting concept in our world today and it saddens me deeply.”