Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

There are giants who walk among us as we make our pilgrimage through life. Many of us see the problems and situations that confront us and are immobilized by their complexities. Still, others just stand on the sidelines and hope that someone will provide solutions. But, it is the giants who act.
 
As a community, the Church is strengthened by our brothers and sisters who contribute to and face the challenges of fulfilling the great commission of Our Lord Jesus Christ: “Go preach, teach and baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
 
In our modern world, we have been blessed to have figures that transcend to popular culture and appeal to the broadest base. Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta and Karol Wojtyla (St. John Paul II) are great examples of persons whose faithfulness produced witnesses for the world, as God used them as His instruments, to further the Gospel message. By the world’s standards, they would be considered individuals of ordinary backgrounds, nothing special, but in the community of the Church they possessed an unspoken element that the world fails to recognize. They were individuals of extraordinary faith with a trust in the living God.
 
Recently, a giant passed from this life to the next. Mother Angelica, well known in Catholic circles here in the United States, was buried most appropriately during the Easter octave after years of suffering which left her incapacitated. Mother Angelica, one of the great Catholic communicators of the twentieth century in the United States, spoke through the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) that she established with faith, guts and determination.
 
Born Rita Antoinette Rizzo in Canton, Ohio of poor struggling parents, she devoted herself to religious life by entering the convent in 1943. I can only imagine that her mind must have been filled with ideas as how to best maximize the simple resources that were at her disposal for the greater glory of God.
 
The name chosen for her at her profession, “Angelica,” scripted her for the rest of her religious life. An angel is a messenger, and Mother would certainly fulfill that role. Understanding the importance of carrying the message to the world community, Mother started her communication project from a garage. From there, she began a world-wide communication network.
 
There is no doubt that she ruffled feathers, but every determined person ruffles feathers when they attempt to carry out their vision. Mother charged forward despite the obstacles placed in her path. I have often said that if Mother Angelica had worn pants and a business suit, there would be no debate about her position among the greats of Catholic communication.
 
Mother provided a place on EWTN for Catholics who hungered for pietistic spiritual practices and to celebrate that fact without being ashamed or considered archaic. Her devotion to the real presence and Eucharistic adoration challenged those Catholics whose true understanding of the real presence was lacking and whose practice and respect had become lax. As Mother, she fed the hunger for Catholic conversation that provided a view of the world that was proud of the contribution that Catholicism made to Western civilization, as well as the hope that the Church offers to all through the Redeemer. She demonstrated the need for a Catholic broadcast network.
 
I know that her suffering was joined to the redemptive suffering of Christ. She was a model for all of us – appreciating every moment of life and willingly carrying the cross, knowing that it leads to the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.
 
What she leaves for us is a communication network that is truly Catholic, and an invitation to take up the challenge to evangelize in whatever opportunities that are given to us to share the faith. We can start simply by seeking to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the April 6, 2016 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.