Small Screen, Big Hearts

Last week, we lost two giants of television: Mother Angelica and Patty Duke. Although these women had very different paths, they were both important Catholic voices in the media.

Anna Marie “Patty” Duke (best known for her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker) was a child star who, after a long battle with drugs, alcohol, and bipolar disorder, returned to her Catholic faith and became an activist advocating on behalf of those struggling with mental health issues.

Mother Mary Angelica founded the Eternal Word Television Network as a way to evangelize and spread the Gospel message. In 1981, EWTN began broadcasting from a garage in Alabama, but by the end of the twentieth century, the network reached over two hundred million households around the world.

  • Who are your role models in the media? What is it about them that you admire?
  • What TV shows really resonate with you? Are there any common themes among them?
  • What are some other ways for a person to make artistic or creative use of their faith?