Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, the pioneering nun who founded the groundbreaking Eternal Word Television Network – which telecasts Roman Catholic programming to more than 230 million homes around the world – died on Easter at age 92, the
Catholic News Agency reports.
"Mother has always and will always personify EWTN, the network that God asked her to found," EWTN's chairman and CEO Michael Warsaw said. "Her accomplishments and legacies in evangelization throughout the world are nothing short of miraculous and can only be attributed to divine Providence and her unwavering faithfulness to Our Lord."
Mother Angelica suffered a stroke several months ago, according to
Catholic Sentinel.
Mother Angelica's order was the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at Our Lady of Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama.
On Feb. 12, Pope Francis sent his greetings to the ailing nun from aboard the papal plane to Cuba ahead of his meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Catholic Sentinel reports.
"To Mother Angelica with my blessing and I ask you to pray for me; I need it," the pope said, according to Catholic Sentinel. "God bless you, Mother Angelica."
A native of Canton, Ohio, Mother Angelica launched EWTN Aug. 15, 1981, amid skepticism about demand for Catholic programming. The
network website reports it transmits programs 24 hours a day to more than 230 million homes in 144 countries via cable and other technologies, broadcasting in English and several other languages.
"Mother Angelica succeeded at a task the nation’s bishops themselves couldn’t achieve," Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia tells the Catholic News Agency.
"She founded and grew a network that appealed to everyday Catholics, understood their needs and fed their spirits. She had a lot of help, obviously, but that was part of her genius."
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