When Eternal Word
Television Network (EWTN)
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Biography
MOTHER ANGELICA: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles by Raymond Arroyo 
Mother Angelica, The Remarkable Story
of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, by Raymond Arroyo.
Through hours of interviews with the beloved nun over a three-year
span, Arroyo retraces her path from the tough streets of Canton, Ohio,
to the Bible belt, to the perilous heights of television fame. This
unauthorized biography provides her life lessons and priceless thoughts
and reflections.
Hardcover 400 pages. It is seldom we can read the story of the life of a nun's, in true story form and gain at the same time a much deeper understanding of the mysteries of the Catholic faith. A true account of Rita Rizzo's life from childhood to religious life, a truely enjoyable book, easy to read much like a novel. Raymond bears much in this book and nothing is suger coated. It provides insite on the formation of a young girl who is small but does big things for God.  Rita Rizzo, abandoned by her father at age 5 and with mother in deep anguish. Rita's childhood, is one filled with termiol at every corner, she then plagued by illness and self doubt then experiences a miraculous healing in 1943 that drew her to the cloistered life at the age of 21. There she discovered a love that would forever alter her life and the lives of countless others around the globe. With unprecedented access to Mother Angelica's letters, diaries, medical records, family, friends and foes. Author Raymond Arroyo vividly retraces her tortured and sublime path from the tough streets of Canton, Ohio to the buckle of the Bible belt in Alabama, to the perilous heights of television fame. (EWTN) From this definitive work, a fully human portrait emerges of a woman willing to risk everything to follow the inspirations of Divine Providence. It is a story of survival and the power of faith to overcome incredible obstacles. Mother Angelica talked with the author, granting him hours of candid, sassy, revealing interviews over a three-year period. Only weeks after completing the final interview for this biography, Mother Angelica suffered a stroke that stole her speech. Within are her reflections, her powerful life lessons and thoughts on her remarkable life. For anyone in dire straights, anyone who has ever been overlooked or told, “You can't”-- here is Mother Angelica in all her tenacious and faithful glory.  To order the
biography
Mother Angelcia Click HERE MOTHER ANGELICA - AUDIO BOOK ON CD The
Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles, by
Raymond Arroyo. Recorded in its
entirety by Raymond Arroyo,
This audio book retraces Mother Angelica's path from the tough streets of Canton, Ohio to the Bible Belt in Alabama where she founded EWTN. Discover how she overcame numerous obstacles through the guidance of God. Includes 10 CDs in an attractive storage case. |
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L I N K S
Prayers and Devotions St.Thérèse of the Child Jesus Mini-Sites from EWTN |
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In a comprehensive and engaging biography, Arroyo chronicles the life and faith of Mother Angelica, the nun who almost singlehandedly created a religious media empire through her Catholic cable network, EWTN. Born in 1923 to unstable parents (a cruel father who later abandoned the family and a chronically depressed mother), Mother Angelica—then called Rita Rizzo—is an unlikely person to have redrawn the landscape of Catholicism in America. The strength of Arroyo's biography is what he calls his "unfettered access" to records, associates and the nun herself; as an anchor and news director for EWTN, he's known her for years. But this is not purely a sweetness-and-light portrait; she comes across as outspoken and sometimes hot tempered, arguing with cardinals and even hurling a knife at a sharp-tongued uncle when she was 17. Overall, Arroyo gives a strong sense of the woman who enrages liberals, delights conservatives, but is respected by almost all Catholics. (Sept. 6) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. To order the
biography from Amozon click HERE
A Dangerous Book,
September 13, 2005
Reviewer: Fr Phillip Bloom "parish priest" (Seattle, WA United States) - Last week a parishioner gave me Raymond Arroyo's unauthorized biography of Mother Angelica. With mild curiosity, I read the dust jacket and table of contents. My plan was to skim the book, then return to it when I had more time. I liked Mother Angelica, but I knew little about her life or how she founded the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). I also admired Raymond Arroyo, often listening to his news and interview program, *The World Over.* As I began skimming the biography, I quickly became hooked. It turned out to be what I call a "dangerous book." Every year or two I will pick up a book which so grabs my attention that I wind up devoting every spare moment to reading it. Besides the most basic duties, everything else takes second place. I was expecting a somewhat saccharine story about a folksy contemplative sister. Instead the book depicts what to me is the most difficult reality: the intense and often bitter suffering to which God apparently calls some souls. With the unflinching eye of an investigative reporter, Raymond Arroyo recounts painful details of her childhood. Rita Rizzo (the girl who would become Mother Angelica) had a wandering father who abandoned her at an early age. Her mother, never well balanced, became unhinged by the divorce - at that time a terrible stigma - and wound up reversing the normal mother-daughter roles. She increasingly demanded emotional support from her daughter and provided very little in return. In her twenties, Rita met a Catholic convert turned mystic, who transformed the young woman's life. Entering a contemplative religious order, against her mother's bitter protests, she encountered more painful forms of suffering. Physical ailments (such as knees swollen to the size of cantaloupes) almost ended her religious vocation. Raymond Arroyo, cautious as a newsman should be, relates the seeming miraculous cure which enabled her to continue in the convent. The story of how this contemplative sister founded a world-wide television and radio network is too complex to describe here. Without giving away the story, let me state that it was hardly a smooth journey from one triumph to the next. The biography reads like a novel depicting the suspense and mounting opposition which Mother Angelica and her sisters confronted. Inability to pay enormous bills, the betrayal of co-workers and the death of dear ones (including her mother who had become one of her sisters) led to bouts of anguish and near-despair. During this long "dark night of the soul" only her iron will and her prayer to Jesus kept her going. This book will probably be read mainly by "conservatives." That is a shame - and perhaps makes this a dangerous book in another sense. It is easy for those concerned with doctrinal integrity to feel betrayed by official teachers. The book describes Mother Angelica's strong reaction even against bishops who, for example, promoted women's ordination or who watered down difficult teachings (such as marital fecundity). In that atmosphere, one can take aim at the wrong target - as Mother Angelica sometimes did. For example in his 1987 visit to the U.S., the pope was in Phoenix for the Feast of the Holy Cross (September 14). The organizers provided a large, bare cross for him to kiss. Mother Angelica railed against the organizers, seeing this as a sign of how the American Church wants to take Jesus off the cross. No doubt every pastor in the country, including the most orthodox, has had conservatives attack him for what they perceive as liturgical or doctrinal deviations. They can magnify the smallest misstep until it seems to include all the abuses of the past four decades. For this kind of misguided zeal, many pastors are only too eager to lay the blame at Mother Angelica's feet. "Another complaint from one of the EWTN crowd." Whether Raymond Arroyo's book will increase polarization or reduce it depends on how people read the book. It is easy to get caught up in the political dimension and miss what I believe is Raymond's deeper purpose: to show us a woman who came from a difficult background and who by her own admission has many flaws, but who has embraced suffering with its redemptive power. In a word, he wants to help us glimpse the mystery and the triumph of the cross. |
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To order the
biography from Amozon click HERE Anyone who has surfed the television channels in the last ten years has passed over a grandmotherly woman in full religious habit - either laughing in a down-home way, speaking earnestly about the love of Jesus, or peddling piles of religious articles. The name of Mother Angelica is known to a wide swath of the American population, which is no mean feat for someone without an agent to keep a glossy visage strategically positioned in the magazine racks. Now whether you love her, hate her, or are in different would be based on your view of the Jesus Christ and His Church - the love of which together form the backbone of her worldview, the reason for her work, and the object of her total fealty since 1945. Those who believe that the true Church was founded on the apostles, that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ, and that the Magisterium is a vibrant and infallible guide to truth usually see Mother's mission in a straightforward way. They interpret her struggles as roadblocks allowed by God but stirred up by the Fallen One, her victories as God's sign of approval, and her personal suffering as her own Way of the Cross - a sign of privilege uniting her more deeply to her Spouse. On the other hand, those with another definition of "church" balk at the idea of a cloistered nun without visible oversight meddling in communications, catechesis, and the realm of the clergy. Who does she think she is? To whom is she accountable? Why can't she do things "by the book"? Raymond Arroyo, well-known to the viewers of the Eternal Word Television Network paints a thorough and unflinching portrait of this woman, born Rita Rizzo in Canton, Ohio in 1923. Although the reader may begin by being distracted by the author's own remarkable personality and relationship to the story, his gift of storytelling quickly allows him to recede into the background and for the captivating tale to unfold. There was nothing romantic about her childhood, with its backdrop of poverty, abandonment by her father, her chronic illness, and her dingy Italian ghetto. Her remaining parent was her mother, Mae - fragile, depressed, suicidal, and utterly dependent on Rita for so many things. Arroyo allows the poignant saga to breathe forth - through ordinary life, struggles, insults, brokenness, and shards of god-light at every turn. There are two distinct treasures that flow from these pages. First, one is privy to the enormous transformation in this woman that took place over the decades; and secondly, one can see how God can work miracles with any willing instrument. To look at the former, one must consider the steady, consistent steps taken over the months, the years, and the decades. The Rizzo's were not a believing pair - yet they found deep faith. They never had a traditional home, yet Mother became one of the most visible advocates of Pope John Paul II's writings on the family. Mother joined a convent and was convinced for years that it needed innovations to add relevance, yet decades later she would reject those very notions and reintroduce the most time-honoured traditions as a source of theological stability. To look at the second angle, the magnificence of God in this story, one is brought to Our Lady's Magnificat: "The Almighty has done great things for me ... He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly." Young Rita - already infirm in her youth - suffers more physical setbacks over the course of her life. Deprived of a father's love, maternal affection, and any semblance of good health, God nourishes her soul with Divine Love while allowing her physical capacity to come and go. She experiences miracles of healing, of meeting exorbitant financial needs, and of allowing souls to be touched through her apostolate. For her part, she placed no limits on God, repeatedly seeing just what He could do - especially in the creation of EWTN despite her tremendous inadequacies. The reader is winded just following the afflictions, the injuries, the physical deterioration, and the personal attacks, and yet amidst them witnesses the growth of Mother's little apostolate into the worldwide communications network, defying both business protocols and human logic. Most painful is the bitter acrimony between the fiery nun - in love with Christ and dedicated to spreading the Gospel - and her own bishops who could not fathom such audacity and "narrowness." One easily calls to mind the greatest of saints - Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila - who stepped outside the normal confines of their vocation to be the prophets God called at critical historical junctures, and it is in this term "prophet" that the disparate definitions of the Church (offered at the outset) must be weighed. Surely she was without oversight, surely she spoke her mind - wryly, but even recklessly at times, and surely she undertook a mission directed by a Voice reserved for her alone. Whatever legitimate concerns the bishops may have had were belied by a rancor and vindictiveness, which makes it nearly impossible for the reader to imagine an authentic desire on their part to share her endeavor. Additionally, according to this well-documented account, her own shepherds revealed a remarkable insipidness towards guarding the deposit of faith, ultimately perceiving the network as more of a threat than a gift. Frustrated, wounded, and even heartsick at times, Mother Angelica remained faithful to her mission and filled a gaping spiritual void with EWTN's solid programming and access to the Universal Church. As we idly flip the remote, past the network built on faith, determination, and miracles, it is so easy to take it for granted. With hundreds of stations, why shouldn't there be one dedicated sharing to the Catholic faith? How big a deal is it, really? Now we know the price Mother Angelica paid for that spot - it was only every ounce of strength since she took her vows, a total oblation of one saucy bride for the Bridegroom she cherished, and Who accepted the gift of both EWTN and Rita Rizzo on the altar of sacrifice. |
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I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing in this book. Mr. Arroyo has done a very excellent job of writing an inspirational and entertaining biography of America's favorite nun, the Reverend Mother Mary Angelica. I learned quite a lot about Mother and her Catholic satellite netowork, the Eternal Word Television Network, even though I have been a devoted viewer for years. The writing is excellent-an easy but intelligent read.The author does not hesitate to reveal the negative as well as the positive about Mother,which is I'm sure as she wanted it. The only people I could imagine who wouldn't like this book are the liberal "Catholics" who seem to despise Mother's orthodoxy. I recommend the book to everyone else, Catholic or not. Bravo Raymond Arroyo, September 25, 2005
Reviewer: Beth Hartford-DeRoos "motherlodebeth" (Jackson, California) - Raymond Arroyo is such a gifted writer, and I believe has captured the truth in his book about a remarkable woman whom I was hooked on in the nineteen eighties. She is spunky, tough, has a contagious laugh and having heard her share how EWTN started I was reminded on Bill Hewlett and David Packard and their start out of a garage. Personally I think it was both Mother Angelicas faith as well as her God given sense of humor that has made her organization such a success. And Raymond Arroyo has captured this in the book. Even if you aren't a Catholic or have left the church for another denomination, read the book because it will inspire you and may well be a tool in deepening your faith Great Story, Even for a non-Catholic, September 22, 2005 Reviewer: John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - As anyone who has ever attempted to start a business knows, it is difficult. It's difficult to get it started. It's difficult to supervise its growth. As you go through the various phases where you can't do it in your initial business, where you have to start hiring people, where you basic sales functions have to be expanded to a marketing/sales department. Each of these is an excellent opportunity for the business to fail. Eternal Word Television Network began 25 years ago with only $200 in initial investment. It has since grown to a worldwide organization reaching some 110 million households. This is the story of EWTN, but more important it is the story of its remarkable founder and guiding light. I am not catholic, so the discussions of the liberal vs conservative aspects of the church don't have a great deal of meaning to me. But the strength of her convictions, the life she has lived make her life one worth learning about. She has done a remarkable job of living a life. Even after suffering a stroke and leaving EWTN, the network she built will remain as a monument for many, many years. This Book is an Absolute Joy., September 21, 2005 Reviewer: Peccator (Phoenix, AZ United States) - Arroyo's book on Mother Angelica is more than a great read; it starts great and then gets better, each chapter more unbelieveable than the last. It's no secret that Mother Angelica has fought a single-handed battle for the soul of the Church in America and saved it from those intellectual moderns (including the conference of Catholic Bishops) who prefer we not be too Roman in our Catholicism. Chesterton says that "The Catholic Church is the only thing which saves a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age". Fortunately, Mother knew this all too well, enough to bring many of us back to our wits as well as our faith. Arroyo makes it hard to miss how divine providence was with her every step of the way. I never knew how much. The book is a fascinating exploration of the trials of Mother (Rita Rizzo) from early childhood through her departure from the board of directors at EWTN. Her simple faith built the largest religious network and the only one without a budget. You'll laugh at how she moves undetered through her decisions. When I first heard Mother described as the patron Saint of CEO's I thought "give me a break". After reading I'd say every CEO talks of taking risks, but not a one would ever be ballsy enough to take any of the risks that Mother took along the way. Given her life and the nuns of her childhood, MA should be a disgruntled "recovering" Catholic. Her love and fidelity to the faith, her rediscovery and return to sound Catholic traditions make for a read that can only be appreciated by the Catholic caught for forty years between the lunacy of both the moderns and the schismatics. This book is preaching to the heavenly choir. One way or another, most people's minds are made up already with respect to Mother. If you're one of those who we delighted when you first saw her on "the tube", you'll love the book and come to a deeper appreciation of what she actually endured and finally accomplished. Prepare yourself for the laughs and the tears, in the end it's an absolute joy. |
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To order the
biography from Amozon click HERE A Young Man Discovers the Remarkable Story of an Elderly Nun, September 21, 2005 Reviewer: Seth Naser (Estes Park, CO) - I discovered EWTN in the first months of my freshman year of college. While channel surfing through MTV and ESPN, I came across a beautiful old face swallowed by large glasses and wrapped in a white wimple. I stopped. I'd never known a nun, let alone seen one in a traditional habit. Her simple outlook on faith kept me hooked. After watching Mother Angelica on television for the past five years, I thought I knew the simple elderly nun who'd shown me the beauty of my Catholic faith. After reading Raymond Arroyo's new biography, I realize how wrong I was. Here is the life of Rita Rizzo weaved into a wonderfully narrative story. It shows her humble and tormented early years, her first miraculous healing, and her radical conversion to live for God. It chronicles many little known facts: her many ailments and healings, her intention to build a Southern monastery for reparation for unjustice to African Americans, her charismatic experiences, her dark night of the soul. Her leap of faith in creating the largest religious communications empire in the world is given its due, but does not overshadow. Arroyo treats Mother as a human being, not a pious, holy card saint. She has doubts, a sense of humor, and a fiery temper. She struggles in her relationship with both parents, clashes with bishops and cardinals over orthodoxy and control of her network, and ultimately undergoes a Vatican investigation. Mother Angelica has lived a life of radical service through love for Her Spouse, Jesus Christ, and His Church. Anyone who knows her only through her television network knows only part of the story. This biography tells it all. And Mother will be seen as an even greater witness to God because of it. BUY THIS BOOK, September 14, 2005 Reviewer: M. Hart "paxdominivobiscum" (Volant, PA) - This is one of the most exciting, well written biographies to come out in a very long time. Its about an underprivileged woman who became a cloistered nun and changed the world. Mother Angelica is a woman who somehow balanced real orthodoxy with brilliant management vision and skill without what seems any worldly qualifications whatsoever. Moreover, here's is a story of overcoming great suffering -- both physical and emotional -- and allowing God to transform her life without ever looking back or counting the cost. (It's worth noting too this is no saccharine sweet nun's story, to be sure!) This wonderful biography really shows us she is "The Patron Saint of CEOs" -- and patron of anyone else who by God's grace, must overcome a legion of what seem like insurmountable problems. Mother Angelica's life turns our natural aversion to personal suffering on its head and makes clear that miracles really do happen. --Enjoy |
The human Mother Angelica, September 11, 2005 Reviewer: Conservative in Rochester NY (Southern Tier NY) - Raymond Arroyo made me see Mother Angelica as a humna being; as a person through whom the Holy Spirit works!! I am no fan of Mother Angelica, but even if you don't agree with Mother's Orthodox views and the convservative EWTM, Arroyo's book will make you admire Mother for all she has accomplished in spreading the word of Jesus Christ. The book is an easy read, and captivating. Mr. Arroyo is successful in drawing in the reader into Mother's escapades and battles in making EWTM TV and Radio a reality. I hope Mr. Arroyo will consider writing other books. He has the gift of writing. Fervent Trust in God always prevails - a must read for EVERYONE with much, little, or no faith, Sept 6, 2005 Reviewer: Amy Seltzer (Stuck in Georgia (your will be done Lord)) - The spiritual impact this book has on its reader is amazing. It gives anyone, no matter how difficult their situation, the hope that your life is worth something. Given over to God, the life of every person is powerful. Even if you are not a "religious person" this story in itself is fascinating and nearly unbelieveable. It is written very well, making a most enjoyable read. A good laugh is also guaranteed. And for those of you like myself, tired of the liberal Church constantly chipping away at our Faith, you will have plenty to cheer about. Buy the book; you will not be disappointed. Terrific!, September 11, 2005 Reviewer: EVJW "EVJW" (Allegheny Mts, PA) - I was at a very low ebb in my spiritual life when I picked up my brand new copy of Mr. Arroyo's book last week and started reading. Within minutes, my depression was totally lifted. The word "inspiring" seems feeble indeed to express the tremendous sense of awe one feels upon reading of the depthless devotion of Mother Angelica to her Spouse, Jesus, and her life's complete dedication to Him. I had no idea of the mountainous obstacles Mother has faced physically, nor her humble beginnings. This book is absolutely riveting from the first page, I will read it again and again. Never have I felt so blessed to be a Catholic, what a mighty God we serve! Mother Angelica - Entrepreneur, servant of God, mother to us all, September 12, 2005 Reviewer: Suzanne Daley - For some time now I have regarded Mother Angelica as a personal hero. To me she epitomizes the worldly savvy of any major CEO, at the same time that she utterly relies on God for any and all direction. Raymond has colorfully captured the life of this incredible woman in a book that is so very enjoyable to read, and that never bogs down in the complicated facts, twists, and turns that make up the fabric of Mother Angelica's life. Read this book - if you loved her before, you will gain an even deeper admiration for her. If you didn't like her, you will likely gain an appreciation for her and what she has accomplished for the Catholic Church and for her beloved Jesus. She is certainly a role model for me, and I am grateful to Raymond for giving me a marvelous glimpse into her life. |
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