Did you know Mother Angelica’s “special day” was the feast of the Annunciation?
On March 25, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Annunciation, which commemorates the day the Angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Mother that she would bear Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, in her womb.
Mother Angelica’s full religious name was Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA.
In this March 24, 1998, episode of "Mother Angelica Live Classics," the EWTN foundress explains the unexpected way she received her “name day,” which is the day a nun celebrates their religious name.
“It’s a very, very special name day for me,” Mother Angelica says.
She explains that even though her name is Angelica, her abbess declared that her name day should be on the feast of the Annunciation.
“I thought—Wow! I was so surprised and pleased because I had made the consecration to Our Lady—the De Montfort consecration—on March 25th, 1942. I entered the convent in 1944. So March 25th was already a very special day for me.”
Here’s the full text of Mother Angelica’s “Name Day” story:
“Tomorrow is the 25th of March. What do you know about that? It’s the Feast of the Annunciation. It also happens to be my name day. I don’t know how my abbess ever decided on that, but she did. It’s a very, very special name day for me.
“Ordinarily, in a religious order—especially a monastic one—your name day is celebrated on the feast of the saint or event your name is associated with. For example, if your name is Isidore, your name day would be on the Feast of Saint Isidore.
Now, my name is Angelica, so it should have been the Feast of the Holy Angels, which is in October.
But one day, my abbess called me in. And I thought, ‘Oh no, they’re going to send me home again.’ They had almost sent me home five times already, and the reason was that my knees were swollen—like little grapefruits. In those days, if you couldn’t kneel, they believed you didn’t have a vocation. You were supposed to become a postulant in six months, but for me, it took 15 months. So, there I was, thinking I was about to be sent away again.
“But all she said to me was, “I’ve decided that your name day will be the Annunciation.” And I thought—Wow! I was so surprised and pleased because I had made the consecration to Our Lady—the De Montfort consecration—on March 25th, 1942. I entered the convent in 1944. So March 25th was already a very special day for me. You know, so often we let special days pass by simply because we don’t know they’re special.”