The woman behind this shrine of gold, marble and cedar is Mother Angelica, founder of the EWTN Global Catholic Network.
Mother Angelica was born Rita Antoinette Rizzo on April 20, 1923 in Canton, Ohio. She was the only daughter of John and Mae Helen Gianfrancisco Rizzo. Her childhood was hard. Her Catholic parents were divorced when she was six years old. She endured poverty, illness, and hard work and never really knew the carefree times of childhood. She lived with her mother and began working at an early age, assisting her mother in her dry cleaning business. She was scorned by the nuns and her classmates, not only because of her poverty but because her parents were divorced. Rita eventually left the Catholic school and attended public school instead.
Rita did poorly in school. She had little time for homework, no friends, and no social life. She found strength and solace in reading the scriptures, primarily the Psalms. The first miracle of Rita's life came when she was a young schoolgirl walking downtown. As she crossed a busy street, she her a shrill scream and saw headlights of a car coming at her with great speed. There was no time to react. A moment later, she found herself on the sidewalk. She said it was as though two strong hands had lifted her to safety.
Rita experienced severe stomach pains for many years. She didn't want to worry her mother and hid them from her. Finally, she had to go to the doctor. She was diagnosed with severe calcium deficiency. Her mother had heard of a woman who had been miraculously healed by Jesus. She took Rita to see Rhoda Wise and have her prayer over her. Mother Angelica see that as a pivotal point in her life. After nine days of prayer and asking the intercession of St. Therese, known as the Little Flower, Rita was healed. She began to pray at every opportunity, oblivious to things going on around her. After work, she'd go to St. Anthony's church and pray the stations of the cross.
In the summer of 1944, while praying in the church, she had the "unquestioning knowledge" that she was to be a nun. She had a hardy dislike of nuns from her early school years and at first could not believe it. She sought her pastor and he confirmed that he had seen God working in her life and urged her to be obedient to God's special call. She first visited the Josephite Sisters in Buffalo. The nuns welcomed her and talked with her. After getting to know her, they felt she was better suited for a more contemplative order. On August 15, 1944, Rita entered St. Paul's Shrine of Perpetual Adoration in Cleveland. She sent the news to her mother by registered mail, knowing that it would upset her.
On November 8, 1943, Rita's mother went to her investment ceremony--her wedding day to Jesus. Mae Rizzo was given the honor and privilege of selecting Sister Rita's new name: Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation.
In 1946, when a new monastery was to be opened in Canton, Ohio, Sister Angelica was asked to move there and help with it. She would once again be near her mother. The pain and swelling in her knees, which had concerned the nuns about her ability to receive first vows, disappeared on the day she left Cleveland for Canton.
After suffering from a fall and ending up in the hospital and unable to walk, Sister Angelica faced the possibility of never walking again. She cried out to God, "You didn't bring me this far just to lay me out on my back for life. Please, Lord Jesus, if you allow me to walk again, I will build a monastery for your glory. And I will build it in the South."
Mother Angelica and some of the other sisters of Santa Clara devised money-making schemes to pay for this new monastery in the South--the Bible Belt, where Baptists were the majority and Catholics were only 2 percent of the population. One project that proved profitable was making fishing lures. On May 20, 1962, the Irondale, Alabama community of cloistered nuns dedicated Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. After founding the EWTN Global Catholic Network, writing many books, and sharing her knowledge around the world, Mother Angelica build the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and moved the community to the Hanceville, Alabama Monastery in December, 1999.
Photos of Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament
More Articles
Free Huntsville Newsletter
