Mother Angelica, creator of the world's biggest Catholic TV network, dies

The Catholic faithful in the United States are mourning the death of Mother Mary Angelica, a nun credited with launching what became the giant Eternal Word Television Network, with programming devoted to spreading the Vatican’s message.

The nun-turned-media-pioneer, who became a fixture in the households of millions of Catholics with her own show, ‘Mother Angelica Live’, died on Easter Sunday in a monastery in suburban Birmingham, Alabama. She had been in ill health since suffering a stroke on Christmas Eve in 2001.

Her original cable show, cobbled together in a garage of the same monastery in 1981 on a $200 budget, eventually grew into EWTN, which calls itself the biggest religious media network in the world, broadcasting to 264 homes in 145 countries. It also has hundreds of radio affiliates.

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“Mother Angelica is the only woman in the history of television to found and lead a cable network for 20 years,” Raymond Arroyo, the managing editor of EWTN's news division, said in a statement. Her own show, which for years was one of the most popular on the network, has been showing in repeats since her stroke, which severely diminished her ability to speak.

While the network regularly drew criticism from either end of the spectrum of the Church - either for being too liberal in its programming and commentary or too conservative - its executives always argued that it tried to set its compass by the Vatican.

In turn, Rome had made clear its own approval of EWTN. In 2009, Pope Benedict bestowed the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal on Mother Angelica and also executive Deacon Bill Steltemeier. The medal is the highest honor a Pope can bestow upon laity and religious.

“Mother has always, and will always, personify EWTN, the Network which she founded,” Michael Warsaw, the CEO and Chairman of the network said. “In the face of sickness and long-suffering trials, Mother's example of joy and prayerful perseverance exemplified the Franciscan spirit she held so dear. We thank God for Mother Angelica and for the gift of her extraordinary life.”

Among others paying tribute yesterday was Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who is also a board member. “Mother Angelica was one of the great American Catholics of the past half-century, a woman of extraordinary faith, intelligence, energy and determination,” he offered. “In founding and growing EWTN into a major media resource for the global Church, she achieved things almost everyone thought impossible.”