A Special Shrine in Alabama

To avoid the ravages of Hurricane Michael in 2018, my family decided to meet in Birmingham, Alabama. While waiting out the storm, we toured the city and the surrounding areas. During this adventure, we found the studios for EWTN. The acronym stands for Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). The studios are located near Birmingham, Alabama.

Last year, one of my friends went on a road-trip with her husband. When she returned, she raved about a beautiful EWTN facility in Alabama. I thought I knew what she was referring to, but when she described the beautiful grounds of the shrine, I was puzzled. I don’t remember seeing anything that impressive near Birmingham. My friend then handed me a brochure for the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. This was an amazing campus created by the foundress of EWTN – Mother Angelica.

In years past, I remember flipping through television channels and seeing Mother Angelica. Although I only watched for a few minutes each time, it was evident that this woman was a fireball. She knew God and she knew her mission. She was direct and she was full of life.

Mother Angelica was born in Canton, Ohio on April 20, 1923. Her given name was Rita Antoinette Rizzo. In 1944, at the age of 21, Rita Antoinette entered a Cleveland convent and became Sister Mary Angelica of the Annunciation. She was a Franciscan Nun of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The order later changed its name to the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration.

In 1957, Sister Angelica sent a letter to the archbishop asking permission to build a cloistered community in his diocese. She was 34 years old at the time. Because she was too young to become abbess of a new monastery, wavers had to be acquired from Rome. After five years of waiting, Sister Angelica received permission from Rome and was also given the title “Mother.” Shortly after, in 1961, Mother Angelica saw a television set for the first time. In 1978, she was introduced to television broadcasting. With only a high school education, $200, and twelve cloistered nuns with no television experience, Mother Angelica turned the monastery garage into a television studio. In 1981, after receiving their FCC license, EWTN began broadcasting four hours a day to 60,000 homes. Today, EWTN reaches more than 425 million homes in more than 160 countries and territories. It is amazing what God can do when we say YES to Him.

With the busyness of EWTN productions, the cloistered nuns found it difficult to maintain their contemplative way of life. In 1995, Mother Angelica began searching for land to build a new monastery. The land was identified in Hanceville, Alabama and the new monastery project had begun when Mother Angelica embarked on a visit to Colombia. The purpose of her trip was to publicize EWTN’s new Spanish channel. While in Colombia, she prayed before a statue of the Holy Infant. Suddenly, the statue appeared to move and spoke to her requesting that she build a temple on the monastery grounds. Immediately, plans changed from a private monastery and farm to a “monumental complex of European style architecture.” As I walked the grounds of this beautiful shrine, I truly felt like I was in Europe instead of rural Alabama. Funding for the new plan was provided by five families. These families wanted the best for Our Lord. This is evident throughout the complex.

I planned for my friends to meet me at the Shrine. Myron and Donna are two of our closest Army friends. Throughout Myron’s Army career, their family spent many years in Europe at a variety of military posts. They are now retired and living outside of Birmingham. The shrine was a new experience for them as well and we each enjoyed it immensely. Many times, we looked at each other and said, “This is Alabama?” Every bit of the structures reminded us of Europe, yet we were home in the USA.

In total, we visited eleven sights during our visit. Here are some of our favorites …

The Castle of San Miguel which housed the beautiful Gift Shop of El Nino was an amazing structure.

More pictures of the entry to the gift shop are below.

The Piazza leading from the Castle to the Main Church was massive.

I can only imagine what it is like to be here on a scheduled day of pilgrimage. I was told that buses bring visitors to the grounds throughout the year. We were lucky to enjoy the complex in the quiet of the December sun.

The beautiful details of the front doors of the Main Church depicted many of the Gospel stories.

The inside of the Main Church was stunning. It is difficult to find words to explain its beauty.

As we continued walking throughout the complex, we found a beautiful courtyard dedicated to Saint Joseph.

Walking toward the Lower Church, we found the Shroud of Turin exhibit. This exhibit provided several scripture references from the Gospel of John, the Prophet Isaiah, and the book of Psalms.

The Lower Church was another beautiful structure.

In the back of the Lower Church, we found the tomb of Mother Angelica and several other nuns from the cloistered order.

Heading back to the gift shop, we saw a building with a sign that simply said - ***Nativity Creche.*** This was a beautiful display of the Christmas story which I believe stays in place all year round.

When researching my second book – The Way of Light: The Story Behind the Stations of the Resurrection – I learned new things that inspired the content for Book #4. During my tour of this beautiful shrine, I found an unexpected connection to Book #4. I will share all of that in the introduction of the new book. Book #4 should be ready for publication in mid to late 2024. Stay tuned!

Let me know in the comments below if you have ever been to the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. Click here for the link to the shrine’s website. Plan your trip today. It was an awesome experience and I highly recommend it to everyone.

God bless all and Happy Travels! This 10-day road trip is not quite over. My friends surprised me with one more stop in the heart of Birmingham. Stay tuned for the next blog!