On September 8, 1921, Mae Helen Gianfrancisco and John Rizzo, were married.  About two years later, on April 20, 1923, Rita Antoinette Rizzo was born in Canton, Ohio. 
Early on in Rita's childhood, her father moved out of the house.  By the time Rita was six years old, her parents' divorce was finalized.  Her mother maintained full custody of her. 

Looking back upon this time in her life, Mother Angelica describes it in the following way: "We were like a pair of refugees.  We were poor, hungry, and barely surviving on odd jobs before Mother learned the dry-cleaning business as an apprentice to a Jewish tailor in our area.  Even then, we pinched pennies just to keep food on the table."

Due to the many responsibilities at home which fell upon young Rita, her school work suffered greatly.  Mother Angelica often says that she worked very hard for her "F's".  In addition to this, Rita suffered much from prejudices because of her parents' divorce.  
Despite much sadness and intense trials, the Lord never abandoned Mae and Rita.  When things got too unbearable, He would send a "wondrous grace" to sustain them.  Often Rita would repeat: "I will fear no evil." 

In Rita's early adolescence, she was walking downtown quite oblivious to everything around her.  As she began to cross a busy street, she heard a woman scream.  Looking back Rita saw a car coming towards her with great speed.  With no time to avoid being hit, she closed her eyes and waited.  At that moment, as if two strong hands had lifted her to safety, she found herself standing on the sidewalk! 

This "wondrous grace" proved to Mae that the Lord had definite plans for her daughter's future.  This event proved to be a great consolation during difficult days.  It instilled a new sense of purpose in Rita's life.  What would God do with her?

The years that followed were indeed difficult.  Mae and Rita experienced severe poverty — often having to bear with hunger and bitter cold.  Sewer rats would literally eat their way through the apartment floor.  It was at this time that Rita entered McKinley High School.  School work continued be a cross for her.  She found much consolation, however, in reading the Scriptures. 

By the age of sixteen, Rita realized that her mother's dry-cleaning job was a dead end.  And so she began searching for work on her mother's behalf.  Through Rita's efforts, her mother got a job and some relief from their dire poverty was found. 

By 1941, a stomach ailment that Rita suffered from since 1939 demanded medial attention.  By November of that year, x-rays revealed serious abnormalities in her stomach and intestines.  The pain continued to worsen, with no alleviation.  The doctors were unable to do anything to relieve her suffering or remedy the ailment.  Together, Mae and Rita asked the Lord for help. 
At this same time, Mae heard of a woman by the name of Rhoda Wise.  Rhoda, a convert to  Catholicism, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Jesus appeared in Rhoda's bedroom twice, during which time she was miraculously healed of her fatal condition.  Saint Thérèse appeared with Jesus during one of the apparitions.  Shortly afterwards, Rhoda received the stigmata (the visible wounds of Jesus) on her own body. 

After hearing all of the reports about Rhoda, Mae and Rita decided to visit her and ask for her prayers.  The day chosen for this meeting was January 8, 1943.  During their visit of about thirty minutes, Mae and Rita found Rhoda to be very pleasant and kind.  She gave Rita a prayer to recite invoking the intercession of Saint Thérèse.  Rita promised the Lord that, if she were healed, she would share this devotion with others.

After praying the novena for nine days, Rita still suffered from severe abdominal pain.  She went to bed that night, January 17, 1943, with doubts about the entire episode.  During the middle of the night, she experienced the worst stomach pain ever, although it lasted only a moment.  The next morning, Rita realized that there was no pain whatsoever.  She had been healed.  God had performed a miracle.

This miracle profoundly touched Rita's life and led her to a very deep love for God.  It was through the grace of this miracle that Mother Angelica traces her lifelong commitment to God.  Mother explains — "I fell in love with God and really began to thirst after Him.  My life was changed from that point on." 

After graduating from high school in 1941, Rita began working at Timkin Roller Bearing Company.  Following work each day, she would stop at a local parish and pray the stations of the cross.  She also attended Mass as often as possible.  Her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary also intensified at this same time.

One evening in the summer of 1944, Rita stopped at a church to pray.  Kneeling before the Most Blessed Sacrament, Rita realized that she was to be a nun.  She sought guidance from Monsignor Habig, a local parish priest.  He encouraged her to begin visiting convents and this she did.  Her first visit was to the Josephite Sisters in Buffalo, NY.  This active order felt, however, that Rita was better suited for a contemplative order.  Monsignor Habig encouraged her to visit Saint Paul's Shrine of Perpetual Adoration in Cleveland, Ohio.  It was there that an order of cloistered contemplative nuns (the PCPA's, then known as the Franciscan Nuns of the Most Blessed Sacrament) were located. 

When visiting this Order, Rita felt as if she were at home.  And indeed she was.  The Order accepted her as a postulant, asking her to enter on August 15.  The one heartache that Rita suffered was leaving her mother who was very much opposed to her daughter's pursuing the religious life. 

And so Rita secretly planned her departure.  On August 14, she wrote her mother a letter.  When Mae found it on the morning of August 15, Rita had already arrived at her destination. In part the letter read:  "When you receive this letter, I will be in Cleveland.  I have entered the Adoration Monastery at 40th and Euclid.  You know it better as St. Paul's Shrine ... Something happened to me after my cure.  What it was, I don't know.  I fell completely in love with Our Lord.  To live in the world for these past nineteen months has been very difficult.  I love you very much and I have not forgotten what you have done for me.  Please trust Him ... I ask your blessing that I may reach the heights I desire. I love you very much."

Thus began a great adventure of love.  The fruit that has been born from this vocation is phenomenal, only in Heaven will we fully realize the many souls who were saved because of Mother Angelica's "yes". 

Even from Mother Angelica's earliest days till the present, we see the great plan of God unfolding.  And so it is with every soul. 

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;  before you came to birth I consecrated you;  I have appointed you prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).