The Women of Grace apostolate will mark 30 years at 2017 national conference

Irondale, Ala., Mar 27, 2019 / 02:03 am (CNA).- If you picture a nun’s first profession of vows, you probably picture a serene, peaceful affair with the sisters singing harmoniously and everything running joyfully and smoothly.

However, the day of Mother Angelica’s first vows was anything but.

Outside, a blizzard spit snow and ice, snarling roads and delaying the guests and the presiding bishop, James McFadden.

Inside, different storms were brewing.

As then-Sister Angelica knelt behind the grille, trying to pray before taking her vows, the organist sister and the choir director, Sr. Mary of the Cross (with whom Sr. Angelica had sparred in the past), began arguing about musical technique, within earshot of the already-arrived guests.

As the incident is recalled in her biography:

Voices slowly escalated. Suddenly the two nuns were at each other: the organist refusing to play, Mary of the Cross threatening to throw her into the snow if she didn’t.

“And I’m sitting there trying to re-collect myself for my vows,” Mother Angelica recalled. “The people must have thought we were nuts.”

Then came the bug, scampering across the wooden floor in front of the sisters.

Mary of the Cross rose up, lifted the kneeler with both hands, and pounded it on the ground, attempting to annihilate the insect. Like a madwoman with a jackhammer, she repeatedly wielded the prie-dieu (kneeler), hurling it and herself at the crawler. The organist, thinking the display an underhanded critique of her playing, pounded the keys all the harder. Sister Angelica could not believe what she termed “the shenanigans.” Then the bishop walked in.

Wet and cold from walking several blocks where he had to leave his stalled car, Bishop McFadden requested a fresh pair of socks, which Sr. Mary of the Cross sent Sister Angelica to get.

When it came time to place the profession ring on Sr. Angelica’s fingers, the bishop couldn’t fit it past her knuckle – her hand was swollen from a shower handle in the convent that had crumbled and cut her hand several days prior.

“With everything going on there, I’m thinking, Oh Jesus doesn’t love me. You know?…I mean, it was a real spiritual experience!” Mother Angelica said. “But that’s the way God works with me. As I look back, before anything big that was coming, something happened to me.”

Despite “the shenanigans” of the day, Sr. Angelica took her vows seriously, writing in a letter to her mother that “the espoused” and “royal couple” (herself and Jesus) “wished to express their gratitude to their friend and member of their personal court…The spouse has asked the Bridegroom to fill you with his peace and consolation.”

She signed the letter: “Jesus and Angelica.”

Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of EWTN, died on March 27, 2016 after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old.

EWTN Global Catholic Network was launched by Mother Angelica in 1981. The largest religious media network in the world, it reaches more than 275 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories.

In addition to television channels in multiple languages, EWTN platforms include radio services through shortwave and satellite radio, SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 AM & FM affiliates. EWTN publishes the National Catholic Register, operates a religious goods catalogue, and in 2015 formed EWTN Publishing in a joint venture with Sophia Institute Press. Catholic News Agency is also part of the EWTN family.

This article originally ran on March 28, 2016.

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Attendees visit vendors at the Diocese of Arlington’s 2025 “From Inclusion to Belonging Conference.” / Credit: Porto Charities

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 17, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Families whose children have disabilities and Catholics with disabilities were welcomed by the Diocese of Arlington March 15 to the fourth annual “From Inclusion to Belonging Conference” which focused on plans for the future as those with disabilities prepare for adult life out of high school.

“The Lord, for us, is one who will always be there to strengthen us, to heal us, and to help us,” Bishop Michael Burbidge said in his opening remarks at the conference, held at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

With more than 200 people in attendance, the diocesan conference featured an array of talks, in English and Spanish, about resources for children with intellectual, emotional, and physical disabilities. These included tips for life skills, faith formation, education, and employment, which were presented to parents, teachers, priests, and others.

The conference also provided talks for teenagers with disabilities, designed to help guide them on how to advocate for themselves. Those participants were brought to vendors who offered resources to connect them with opportunities.

“We are called to live the Gospel of life,” Burbidge told CNA after giving his remarks. “In fact, it is a mandate to protect, to revere, to celebrate, to cherish, and to welcome all human life. …There are no exceptions.”

Nearly 20 diocesan schools educate students with disabilities, including all four high schools. A few of the schools also have specialized programs for children who have disabilities.

Diane Elliott, an assistant superintendent for Arlington Diocese Catholic Schools, told CNA that it is important for Catholic schools to have the mindset that “we’re going to serve all God’s children.”

She said it’s “not only about the kids with disabilities,” but it’s also important for other children to learn “how to accept individual differences” and avoid stigmatizing people.

Elliott added, “the majority of what we do, it doesn’t cost any money for inclusion,” and spoke about the sensory Masses offered by the diocese. Those Masses are designed for people with sensory processing issues, and usually include dimmed lights, no organ music, and homilies that are very concise. Some people who benefit from those Masses include people with autism, downs syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease.

For efforts that do require financial resources, Burbidge told CNA that the inclusion of those with disabilities should still always be a priority, and that when resources are limited, priorities “must be reflected in how you use those resources.”

Guadalupe Williamson, whose 14-year-old son Patrick has an intellectual disability caused by a malformation in the brain, told CNA she sends him to Saint Anthony of Padua School in Falls Church because she wanted all of her children to attend the same Catholic school.

Williamson said the inclusion efforts ensure Patrick has a “learning environment that also matches our values as a family — our Catholic values.” She said he is also an altar server, and “just absolutely loves everything that the Church has to offer.”

Roxanne Miller, a mother of 10 who lives in Huntley, sends her 18-year-old daughter Megan to St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly. She said her daughter, who has down syndrome, is “part of the fabric of the school” and referred to the inclusion efforts as “second to none.” 

Miller told CNA she attended the conference while she is helping her daughter plan for her future with employment opportunities and possibly advocacy. She said Megan is in the high school’s post-graduate transitional program for those with intellectual disabilities, which is helping them connect her with future opportunities.

Faith formation for those with special needs

The Diocese of Arlington also operates a Special Religious Development (SPRED) Program, which helps those with disabilities develop a faith community and have “access to prepare for and receive the sacraments,” Burbidge told CNA.

“That’s been a great work in our diocese,” the bishop said.

Nancy Emanuel, the coordinator for Special Needs Ministries in the diocese, told CNA that the program provides special religious development designed for those “who don’t fit into the typical religious education programs.”

Emmanuel said about 150 adults and children participate in the program, which divides those who are enrolled by age. The program is inclusive of those with physical and mental disabilities, which includes people with autism and down syndrome.

For some Catholics with disabilities, Emmanuel said that accessing the sacraments can at times be “overwhelming” for them. She said the program uses a lot of visual and tactile learning. For a person’s First Communion or for Confirmation, she said the instructors will practice those rituals with those children or adults to “make it so that it’s a friendly experience.” 

Charleen Katra, who serves on the board of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, gave a talk on the importance of ensuring Catholics with disabilities have access to the sacraments and the ways in which dioceses can accommodate their needs.

She said that dioceses must “meet the real needs” of each person. She noted that catechesis for a person affected by serious intellectual disabilities can sometimes be as simple as ensuring the person knows that the Eucharist is the literal Body and Blood of Christ before communion and ensuring the person knows he or she is receiving the Holy Spirit prior to confirmation.

“If there’s anybody missing in the Body of Christ, we know it’s not complete,” Katra said.

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CNA Staff, May 19, 2020 / 10:01 am (CNA).- Priests and brothers of the Redemptorist community who live and work at a Houston parish have tested positive for coronavirus, leading the parish to close after having reopened earlier this month.

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