What Mother Angelica Can Teach Catholic Businesswomen

“Dare to be different by doing what’s right” (Mother Angelica).

Perusing the Mother’s Day card section, we see numerous sentiments declaring gratitude for moms, mothers, and mommies. And, within the racks, there are also cards designated for women who are “like a mother.”

For decades, Mother Angelica served in that role for millions of television viewers.

“Mother,” as she was often simply called, provided these viewers straightforward guidance and a nurturing presence that was hardly limited by the media of the day. Viewers regularly said that when Mother was on camera, they felt that she was speaking to them individually, as mentioned recently in a special EWTN program on what would have been Mother’s 100th birthday.

A Mother to Women in Business

Mother Angelica was the founder of EWTN, the media network that currently reaches more than 350 million households around the world. She was the first woman in the history of broadcasting to lead a television network, according to her colleague Raymond Arroyo, who spent hours on camera with her.

As explained in numerous interviews, Mother’s trailblazing in the world of television is just one example of how she is a role model. Because of her laser-focused vision on answering the Lord’s call, Mother Angelica also created new opportunities for evangelization by setting up a monastery and a missionary and writing several books.

Mother’s belief that “a soul that trusts God is invincible” prompted her to do big things and demonstrated to others the possible results when one trusts in the Lord. Businesswomen who hear about this unique woman—a middle-aged religious sister in the early 1980s with only $200 in her hand who forged ahead into uncharted waters to build a media empire—cannot help but be inspired and encouraged in their own mission.

A Tough Mother

Mother Angelica was like many mothers in that she had a variety of sides to her, some coming as a surprise to anyone who assumed at first glance that she was simply a genteel elderly sister.

“There was also the tough mother who got all this stuff done. … She kicked down walls and knocked people out of the way when they were in the way of her mission, too,” Arroyo notes.

This toughness was driven in part by her fear, as noted by Mother in an interview.

“What happens if you fail?” she was asked.

“I’m not afraid to fail,” she responded quickly. “But I’ll tell you what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of dying and have the Lord say to me, ‘Angelica, this is what you might have done had you trusted more.’ I’m afraid of that. Very afraid.”

Timeless—and Ahead of Her Time

Decades before the advent of YouTube and curated Instagram posts, Mother Angelica, dressed in a full habit and with a large Bible on her lap, was a media phenomenon. She spent countless hours on camera reading and interpreting Scripture, reaching viewers in ways that remain a relevant teaching tool, as evidenced by many seminarians who learn from watching Mother Angelica Live Classics.

Like others in our lives whom we appreciate more as time passes, Mother’s advanced communication skills, such as speaking directly to viewers, being in front of them often, and appearing genuine and approachable, are marketing methods regularly used now by influencers and corporate heads across social media platforms.

Like a Mother, Indeed

After watching videos of her programs, it’s not hard to think that the following Scripture verse could have been written about Mother Angelica and other women who guide and nurture us like a mother: “She is clothed in strength and dignity, and laughs at the days to come” (Proverbs 31:25).

As we see those “like a mother” cards on display, sending an acknowledgment to someone who served in that role may make this one a particularly happy Mother’s Day.

Linda A. Burrows is an attorney specializing in trusts and estates in southern California. She is the founder of Soul Soda, a non-profit with the mission of refreshing faith in those, particularly Catholics, who are feeling disconnected from their religious roots. She is a wife and mother of three teens. Linda’s Confirmation name was that of St. Gabriel the Archangel.