Mother Angelica - the book

I have long thought that the story of Mother Angelica was a story that was seriously fascinating, both from a “faith” and a “finance” point of view. It is a story completely neglected by the press. When Vanity Fair or Fortune or other magazines write their annual lists of “100 Amazing Woman” or “100 Successful Executives” this cloistered nun in crutches, who built a media empire from her monastery garage, with a couple of bucks and faith, is never mentioned. The empire is The Eternal Word Television Network

Raymond Arroyo, (great scott, but he is a clean looking guy, isn’t he?) who anchors EWTN’s daily news program The World Over has written the long-awaited book on this woman, telling not just the story of her childhood and what led her to a life of prayer, but the story of how EWTN became a global Catholic network, a radio network and more.

Arroyo, a New Orleans native who lost his home in Katrina is profiled here - an interesting read. And some comments about the book itself:

For anyone in dire straights, anyone who has ever been overlooked or told, ‘You can’t'–here is Mother Angelica in all her tenacious, faithful, and hilarious glory…This is the amazing story of a working class girl who grew up to become the head of a huge television network. It’s also the story of a nun who loved God and battled the church. This is some woman. - Peggy Noonan

This is one of the great untold business stories of our time. Who could have imagined that a cloistered nun with a dauntless faith and the ability to turn handicaps to advantages could build a media empire? In this dramatic page-turner, Raymond Arroyo has captured the life and lessons of Mother Angelica, a woman who may well be the patron saint of CEO’s. Buy this book and be inspired.
-Lee Iacocca, The Iacocca Foundation, former chief executive officer of the Chrysler Corp

A page-turner about an elderly nun? It seems improbable, but when the nun is the formidable Mother Angelica and her biographer the eloquent Raymond Arroyo, the result is a book that few readers will be able to put down. Arroyo has produced a spellbinding tale of how Rita Rizzo emerged from a broken home, battling poverty, illness, and uncomprehending clerics to become the queen of Catholic media and a leader of the New Evangelization in America.-Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University and author of A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Raymond Arroyo masterfully captures the complexities, humanity and tenacity of Mother Angelica, who has long been one of my own personal heroes. The founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, Mother Angelica was a woman who dared to dream, to stand up for what she believed in, and whose faith showed that anything is possible. In Arroyo’s hands, she becomes someone you wished you would have had the opportunity to know and love. Read this book and believe. . .
- Nicholas Sparks, Author of The Notebook

Raymond Arroyo invites the reader to join him on the wild ride of the Holy Spirit that transformed Rita Rizzo into Mother Angelica, one of the feistiest and most effective evangelists of our time. It is an invitation not to be declined.
-Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things Magazine

Ahem…this book is now at the very top of the Anchoress Bookshelf - it can be pre-ordered through Amazon, and if you order it in September, all proceeds from the order - placed through my bookshelf - will go toward Katrina Relief. Buy a book as a present, help Katrina victims! A twofer!