Alabama prides itself as the “Heart of Dixie.” Amidst its small town charms, gracious southern hospitality, natural beauty, and football crazed residents (“Go ‘Bama!”), there is a Catholic heritage to uncover, centered around a largely unknown monk and a “nun no like other” and in some of its residents, a God-given zest for life and willingness to push the frontiers in sport, medicine, and science.
Birmingham
The journey begins in the state’s largest city, Birmingham, the gateway to EWTN and the Catholic shrines of northern Alabama.
This industrial city – once known as the “Pittsburgh of the South” – has experienced many ups and downs over the twentieth century. Some of the unique remnants from that period include the iconic Vulcan Statue, the largest cast iron statue in the world (which you can ascend for panoramic views over the city) and view a choreographed light show at night, and the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Monument and industrial museum; the only preserved steel furnace complex in America that you can still tour.
Birmingham is also a landmark destination on the Civil Rights Trail. It was here that the Rev. Martin Luther King was imprisoned and wrote his famous letter from a Birmingham Jail. That story, and the path to equality for millions of other African Americans, is wonderfully told at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, with many interactive exhibits and artifacts from this sad period in American history. A visit to the museum is a must and an opportunity to reflect on the inner courage and strength it took for the Civil Rights leaders and the thousands who stood alongside them to bear witness to the fundamental dignity of man.
Birmingham is also a significant sports hub. Two of the most thrilling experiences for American sports fans: taking in a Crimson Tide football game at the University of Alabama (less than one hour west in Tuscaloosa) or watching NASCAR drivers whip around the largest raceway in America at the Talledega Super Speedway (one hour east of Birmingham). You can also celebrate the very rich sporting legacy of Alabama right in the downtown, at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum. It has over 6,000 pieces of sports memorabilia and is conveniently located within the convention center. Other sites in town for the sports enthusiasts include the oldest baseball field in the world (Rickwood Field) and the expansive multi-level collection of motorbikes at Barber Motorsports Park.
EWTN Studios and the Alabama Miracle
On the outskirts of Birmingham amid the hills of Irondale is the world headquarters of EWTN, the Eternal World Television Network.
Although no one has officially recognized the advent of EWTN as a miracle, the fact that it grew to become the largest Catholic media organization in the world (broadcasting to over 268 million viewers in 145 countries) and one that is able to sustain itself without any paid advertising revenue is nothing short of miraculous. To boot, it was founded by a cloistered nun – Mother Angelica – in one of the most Protestant states of the Bible Belt, in a region long skeptical and downright hostile to Catholics.
The network had its first broadcast out of the monastery garage in Irondale in August 1981, but today has access to a modern studio facility. Studio tours are available and visitors are able to attend some of the live audience shows produced by EWTN (you do not need to make reservations in advance, as long as you arrive 30 minutes before filming). You can also attend daily mass and confession here, as well as peruse the many items that fill the EWTN Religious Catalogue Gift Shoppe.
While in Irondale, stop by a bite to eat at the Golden Rule Bar-B-Q, Alabama’s oldest continuously running restaurant, famous for pit-cooked BBQ and delicious homemade pies.
Hancesville and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament
From Irondale, it is about fifty miles north to rural Hancesville. In this idyllic setting is a scene right out of Tuscany: the imposing monastery of Our Lady of the Angels and the Franciscan Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Monastery is home of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, the religious order that was founded in 1961 by Rita Rizzo, known to the world today as Mother Mary Angelica (foundress of EWTN). The monastery was originally located in Irondale but relocated to Hancesville in 1999.
The life of Mother Angelica is fascinating. She grew up in a dysfunctional family in Canton, amid tremendous hardship. At a young age, she experienced two compelling miracles that set her on the path to the religious life and her ultimate vocation of launching a global Catholic media ministry. The first was at the age of 11 when she about to be hit by an oncoming bus and two hands miraculously lifted her out of the way. The second miracle occurred when she was 19 and healed of a debilitating illness by the Ohio mystic, Servant of God Rhonda Wise. Within two years of that healing, and convinced of God’s personal love for her, Rita entered the convent and the rest is history.
The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament is set on 400 acres of farmland and its exterior is built to resemble the grand Franciscan churches that dot the Tuscan countryside. The gilded Shrine is where EWTN typically broadcasts its Sunday mass and honors Jesus in the most blessed sacrament. You can attend daily mass or participate in the Divine Office prayed by the Sisters; confession is also available twice daily.
The gilded upper church has a large monstrance above the altar for perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In the lower church, one notable attraction is a replica of the shroud of Turin. There is also a replica castle – Castle San Miguel – which is where the gift shop is located and where you can also view suits of armor.
On the grounds of the shrine is the John Paul II Eucharistic Center. This must-see interactive experience takes you through a number of re-created rooms displaying scenes from the Bible that relate to the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, from a re-created scene of the Sacrifice of Isaac to walking into the Cenacle, the room of the Last Supper. There is also a powerful walk through the Hall of Eucharistic Martyrs, videos of Eucharistic miracles, and interactive exhibits where you can hear reflections on the Eucharist from the saints.
Cullman, and the Ave Maria Grotto
A short drive from Hancesville is the town of Cullman, where another impressive site awaits: the Ave Maria Grotto.
Located in a former stone quarry on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey (a Benedictine monastery), the grotto consists of a set of miniature replicas of famous Catholic sites from Italy, the Holy Land, and elsewhere constructed out of spare materials, concrete and stone, strictly using hand tools. Remarkably, they were constructed by an 80 year old Benedictine monk who lived at the Abbey in the 1930s. They now attract thousands of visitors annually. Visitors to the grotto are welcome to spend the night in the Abbey’s guesthouse and/or join the Benedictine monks for mass and praying the divine office throughout the day.
While at the grotto, take time to explore the broader campus of the Benedictine Abbey, join them in praying the Divine Office or at mass, and don’t forget to purchase the breads made on-site by the monks. The monks came here from Germany in the nineteenth century, bridging continuity with traditions that go back over 1,500 years to the time of St. Benedict and planting them firmly in the soil of north Alabama.
Huntsville
You can end your journey across north Alabama in the City of Huntsville, also known as “Rocket City USA.” This is where the heights of scientific discovery were reached with the space rocket program in the 1950s and 1960s, without which man never would have reached the moon. This heritage is celebrated at Hunstville’s U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the largest space museum in the world and Alabama’s top attraction.
Another must-see in Huntsville is the Early Works Family of Museums, which offers a range of unique experiences from catching a glimpse of pioneer life at the Constitution Hall Park and Museum to exploring the original Huntsville train depot. Not far from Huntsville are two sites dedicated to famous Alabamans who demonstrated great courage and strength in overcoming seemingly impossible odds: the Jesse Owens Museum in Danville, commemorating the life of the Black Olympian who shone at the 1936 Summer Games in Nazi Germany, and the Hellen Keller Birthplace in Tuscumbia, the childhood home of the remarkable woman who overcame being both deaf and blind to inspire a nation.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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