www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall New Book Slams EWTN

THE ONLY REASON that I am a practicing Catholic at all, and by extension the reason my wife converted and the fact that we have 4 children and more on the way is because of EWTN. No one is allowed to trash Mother Angelica or EWTN cable or radio. I wouldn't be practicing, I wouldn't know anything, and there would be 10-13 less Catholics in Perryville, Missouri if not for EWTN.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis owes a great debt to EWTN as well. We have 2 Catholic Radio stations in the St. Louis area that carry EWTN programming and local programs that feature Seminary Professors.

That Ferrarra guy is a quasi-SSPXer who has to gripe about something to make a living. :rolleyes:

Maybe EWTN is light on the social Gospel, but that's because there is enough emphasis on that already. People know that part, that gets preached at each warm and fuzzy sermon in every suburb in North America. Our Catholic people don't even believe in Our Lord's presence in the Holy Eucharist!!! Only 30% believe! Yes we need the social Gospel and there is plenty of witness to that from groups as the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal; the Missionaries of Charity; the Missionaries of the Poor; and the Family of Jesus, Healer; and many others who work among the poor. These groups are mentioned alot or actually appear, such as Fr. Benedict Groeschel.

Dr Eric-
I am not talking about the "Social Gospel", but about Catholic Social Teaching, which has been called the Church's greatest secret; far from being overly familiar it plays practically no role in the political decisions of Catholics.
I am glad EWTN has had such a good effect in your life in the lives of so many Americans. I am not saying that it is a total failure, merely that it shares in American Catholicism's besetting shortcoming, the replacement of our great social tradition with a secular "conservative" substitute.
-Daniel

When I had cable I enjoyed the Coming Home Network a lot. I used to rush home to watch it!

I do believe that it is time for a second Catholic Cable television network though. There needs to be a balance. With +60 million Roman Catholics I am sure there can be a market for it.

+T+
Michael

I wonder if, because of her recent ailments, control isn't being "wrested" from Mother Angelica, who's always led EWTN down the straight-and-narrow. I surely hope her successor will do the same.

I vote for Fr. Angelus Shaughnessy or Fr. Benedict!

Benediction & Devotions is one of my favorite programmes on the channel. I do wish they could televise the Mass from the Blessed Sacrament Chapel instead of that small little church, but as I understand it the priest faces ad orientam in the Chapel and the local bishop won't allow that Mass to be televised. That altar is awfully close to the wall! Nice! Just push it back a couple more feet!

As many have said before, the Sisters' singing is truly angelic. They sell CDs, right?

Anyway, Mother is so likeable with all her idiosyncrasies! When I'm watching EWTN at home on occasion my 17 year old sister will walk in and say, "Oh my gosh I looove Mother Angelica! She's so cute!"

As an aside, I do agree with Daniel that some of the neo-conversative Catholics in this country focus exclusively on issues like abortion, gay-marriage, etc, but sometimes, I fear, to the exclusion of other social aspects of Catholic Teaching. Abortion, to my mind, is the single-most threat to Catholicism in America, but not far behind that are a lack of care for the poor, disenfranchised, and the need for peace instead of war...

Sounds more like the GOP platform than Catholic Teaching to me. Oh, if we could merge the best qualities of both Parties and create one solid Catholic voting bloc! I won't hold my breath.

Logos Teen

Daniel, you are so right!

I am glad you pointed this out.

+T+
Michael

I don't think so, I'll bet it's all her.

+T+
Michael

Hey,

Just last weekend I noticed that they purchased
an Eastern Christian three-chain (sans the jingle bells "kadillo" that the priest and deacons used for their Eucharistic Adoration and Supplication! Maybe that was a gift from Fr. Michael Sopoligia from the Light of the East set!

Ungcsertezs

No control is not being 'wrestled' from her. Many years ago, the board was set up and is actually owned not by the sisters anymore. The reason being, is the bishops were fighting with her over the network. The fight intesified the first time JPII came to America - they wanted one thing and she wanted another. In other words they wanted to use Bishops that were very liberal leaning in their theology and she told them no. Also, they had their own television network, which was apparently a disaster - falling very much inline with just what EWTN preaches against. The only way to protect EWTN, to keep the bishops from taking it out of her hands, was to form a separte corporation. So, Deacon Bill has been the CEO - following her desires completely since then.

God sent Deacon Bill to Mother. He was practicing Law in Tenn. and was at a meeting or was drawn to a meeting in, I blieve Chicago(don't hold me to that city), he walked into the Church and sat there attentivley listening. When he heard, 'from now till you die' - something very close to that. And he said at the same time Mother Angelica looked straight at him. Upon getting home, the words kept coming to him. I don't remember how long it took, but he finally gave up and drove to Birmingham. Knocking on the door of the convent, Mother Angelica came to the door, opening it she said to him,'well what took you so long?' So from that point he has been the attorney and has worked with her through what was only possible for God to do.

If you are in the studio by the offices, you will see a picture of the first satelitte dish. No one saw what was in the picture when it was taken, but when it was printed - well out of the center there is fire shooting to the heavens. God is in control, His Word is going forth to all the nations.

Everything is set tight, nothing is being changed from the charter.

Pani Rose

Let's not forget that just because EWTN will sometimes feature an interview with a politician who just happens to be a practicing Catholic, who just happens to be strongly anti-abortion, and who just happens to be a member of the Republican party, that this doesn't amount to a blanket endorsement of the Republican party.

I am a Catholic thanks to EWTN radio, for which I am extremely grateful. (Convert from Protestant).

The local Catholic radio station (that ran EWTN programming) got me through difficult times at a secular university where many were Catholic- in-name-only or adhered to the unorthodox ideas/practices taught by the "Catholic" ministry on campus.

Reading on the Internet (which led to books) gave me a more traditional perspective on the Catholic faith, that EWTN sometimes lacks. I cannot fault them however -- they led me to be able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, the greatest thing in the world.

You are so right, He is the Greatest!

I will pray for your vocation!

I'm glad you're a Catholic.

Brother Daniel,

I'm not clear on the difference between the Social Gospel and Catholic Social teaching. Do I have them confused?

I was under the impression that the Social Gospel was the 7 Corporal Works of Mercy as they were called in my old gray St. Joseph Catechism book. (Which I say is still the best catechism for kids and adults around, hands down!)

God Bless You and Your Family,
Dr. Eric

Dear Vito you said:

"Daniel, For not watching EWTN very much you've accurately described it--as least as far as I'm concerned. I enjoy several of the programs, but I must agree about their promotion of the Republican and Bush social/political agenda. This almost seemed to descend to idolatry during the last national election."

I say:

Maybe EWTN's, and every other pious religious leader's support for the Republican party was due to the damage that our 'Democratically' appointed 'liberal' judges inflicted on our society.

Abortion is only one case in point. Another would be the tendency of some judges towards homosexual marriages, imposing light sentences on criminal behavior, and the license of pornography which we have exported throughout the world.

A perfect example of what I'm saying lest you forget, was the venomous nastiness inflicted on Judge Alito by the liberal Democrats when he was appointed to the Supreme Court by Pres. Bush. I don't think any Republican would act in that fashion.

Zenovia

Dear Daniel you said:

"Using the same rationale I suppose we shouldn't condemn any historic atrocity or even genocide. People never [or rarely] do evil for the pure joy of it; it is most often motivated by fear of the Other. Germans were afraid of the Jews. Turks were afraid of the Armenians. Even women who abort are afraid of the baby."

I say:

Yes, most attrocities were committed by fear. For instance, the Germans were frightened of their culturally 'inferior' Slavic neighbors. The one's that surrounded the 'Fatherland'. But we were not frightened of the Japanese. If we were, we would not have placed an embargo on them, knowing that we might end up in a war. If we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was because we didn't want 60,000 of our men killed...which certainly would have happened if we landed on the mainland.

As I have said before on this forum, my grandson was in both cities two years ago, and there was a small run down museum in Nagasaki run by the Korean government. It showed the attrocities in pictures that the Japanese committed on them. It stunned the Japanese students. Then were never told.

Zenovia