Regina was also present the day Mother Angelica and the sisters decided to obtain a broadcasting license without any prior television experience.
“Mother said to the nuns gathered in the refectory: ‘Once we have a license and we start, there will be no turning back. Are you willing to do this?’ All 12 of them said: ‘Yes.’ Sister Regina said that the Lord took their ‘yeses’ and Mother’s and did something wonderful,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe said in his homily at Regina’s funeral Mass on Thursday, July 28, that “Sister Regina was given a special grace to see a flame that issued forth from that first satellite dish — which remains EWTN’s primary satellite dish — which was confirmed in a photograph the day of its installation.”
“When I asked her about it, she said that she saw that that flame would envelop the whole world and benefit many souls — that this network would glorify Jesus, the Eternal Word,” he said in the homily.
Today, EWTN’s several networks reach more than 408 million homes.
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In addition to sharing moments of success in broadcasting, Regina and Mother Angelica shared many personal moments.
On Aug. 15, 2014, Regina celebrated her 50th anniversary of entering religious life, while Mother Angelica celebrated her 70th anniversary.
“Sister Regina was delighted to share the day with Mother Angelica,” he said.
When Wolfe and his fellow friars visited Regina before her passing, he asked her if she had any advice for them.
“She responded with what she said Mother often said: ‘You can do better,’” Wolfe said.
“She said that Mother said that to always motivate us to holiness. Which reminds me of St. Francis’ words to the friars at his death, ‘Brothers, let us begin today, for until now we have done very little,’” he added.
During her battle with pancreatic cancer, Wolfe said that Regina was always cheerful and friendly, even through the suffering.
“She looked forward to being with Jesus forever,” he said.
Reflecting on a particular memory of Regina, Wolfe said that she loved to sing and had a “beautiful mezzo-soprano voice.”
“Father Mark [Mary] mentioned that he especially remembers her singing a solo of the Franciscan hymn ‘O Most High and Glorious God.’ She also would sing solos at Christmas and Easter, as did Mother Angelica, something we all looked forward to,” he added.
Wolfe also said that Regina loved animals, “especially dogs — having a true Franciscan heart!”
Regina’s obituary concluded with the prayer “Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.”
Joseph Bukuras is a staff writer at the Catholic News Agency. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The Catholic University of America. He has interned in the U.S. House of Representatives, on a U.S. Senate campaign, in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, and at the Susan B. Anthony List. He is based out of the Boston area