Father Benedict Groeschel, co-founder of Good Counsel, once said that Mother Angelica was an example of someone living in an illuminative way, living in response to God’s love and not solely for chore or duty.  In his book, Spiritual Passages, Father Benedict states, “The Christian in the Illuminative Way lives on Scripture and is fed on the writings of the saints.  Reverence and awe [grow] … and the soul is now seen not so much as a shadow being but as the inner place where the Trinity abides in glory.”[1]  I believe we can all agree that Mother Angelica was a shining example of how to live life illuminated and in continuous obedience to God’s will.

Christopher Bell, president of Good Counsel, was fortunate to have met Mother Angelica and had been a guest on “Mother Angelica Live,” several times in the late 80s and early 90s.  Reflecting on those times, he said, “What a great gift for me to have met her.  Her closeness to God was very real.  It was at once both an example and a positive encouragement. She once told her audience while we were talking about Good Counsel homes to ‘call this young man and give him your empty convents to open as homes for mothers and babies’!"

Chris did receive some phone calls from people doing exactly what Mother had instructed, yet none of the offers would work out at the time.  Her direction was prophetic even so as Good Counsel continues, now entering its 31st year, to minister to homeless, pregnant women and their babies.  Five homes are currently in active operation in New York and New Jersey and similar homes in eight states were opened with Good Counsel’s assistance.

What now seems even more providential, at the time of Mother Angelica’s passing, Good Counsel had begun preliminary steps to revitalize an existing maternity home in her adopted State of Alabama.

What a crystal clear example of what can happen when we allow God to work through us, choosing others who can help us to carry out His Will.  Mother Angelica’s EWTN legacy will continue to evangelize hundreds of millions of people on a grand scale and sometimes in small, barely noticeable ways only to be revealed in hindsight, if at all.

The intertwining of the lives, missions, and ministries of Father Benedict, Chris Bell, and Mother Angelica carries on today whenever Father Andrew Apostoli invites Good Counsel to be a guest on Sunday Night Prime – God’s handiwork is nothing short of an awesome wonder.

All of us at Good Counsel pray for the peaceful repose of Mother Angelica’s soul.  In closing, Chris added, “Let us ask her for continued guidance and support for all our evangelical efforts.  She may become the patron saint of all the new media today and to come.”

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[1] Benedict J. Groeschel, Spiritual Passages: The Psychology of Spiritual Development (New York: Crossroad, 1995).