Mother Mary Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun (pictured) who used a monastery garage to begin a television ministry that grew into a global religious media empire, has died aged 92

Mother Mary Angelica, a folksy Roman Catholic nun (pictured) who used a monastery garage to begin a television ministry that grew into a global religious media empire, has died aged 92

 ...anchor of 'Mother Angelica Live'
  ...founded Eternal Word Television Network - the world's largest religious media network with just $200



Mother Angelica had been in declining health since suffering a severe cerebral hemorrhage on Christmas Eve 2001


Mother Angelica had been in declining health since suffering a severe cerebral hemorrhage on Christmas Eve 2001
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,' Warsaw said in a news release late Sunday.


Mother Angelica had been in declining health since suffering a severe cerebral hemorrhage on Christmas Eve 2001. 
She never regained her full speaking ability and had other, less-severe strokes through the years.
Bedridden for months, Mother Angelica was placed on a feeding tube this fall as her health slowly declined, fellow nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery said in an announcement released in November.
Although she had been out of the public eye for years and was no longer appearing on her trademark 'Mother Angelica Live' show, old episodes of her show have remained a programming staple on Eternal Word.


'We want you to know how much God loves you, and that's a lot,' she told viewers at the end of an episode taped in November 2000.
Mother Angelica displayed both deep devotion to Jesus and a comic's timing on the episode, drawing laughs when she couldn't reach her Bible during the opening sequence. 
An unseen aide hands her the book from off camera.
'That's when you appreciate long arms,' Mother Angelica deadpanned.
Mother Angelica was born Rita Rizzo in Canton, Ohio, in 1923. 
She entered the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration monastery in Cleveland at age 21 and joined other nuns in moving South to open a new monastery in Alabama in 1962.
Mother has always, and will always, personify EWTN, the Network which she founded' said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. WarsawMother Angelica was born Rita Rizzo in Canton, Ohio, in 1923
Mother has always, and will always, personify EWTN, the Network which she founded' said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw (right)

With only $200, the nun began broadcasting a religious talk show from a TV studio put together in the monastery garage in suburban Birmingham in 1981. 
That show grew into Eternal Word Television Network, which has long had the blessing of the Vatican.


While critics sometimes accuse Eternal Word Television Network of being too conservative or too liberal, it says it tries to stick to the leadership of the Vatican. 
The network reports extensively on statements and trips by the pope.
Despite its humble beginnings, EWTN Global Catholic Network calls itself the world's largest religious media network. 
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11.00 am Friday at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville (pictured)

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11.00 am Friday at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville (pictured)