Rhoda Wise
| Rhoda Wise | |
|---|---|
| Saint | Rhoda Wise |
| Birthdate | 1888-02-22 |
| Deathdate | 1948-07-07 |
| Miracle 1 | |
| Miracle 2 | |
| Miracle 3 | |
| Cause of death | Natural causes |
| Feast day | |
| Beatified by | |
Rhoda Wise was born Rhoda Greer on February 22, 1888, in Cadiz, Ohio. She recognized within the Catholic community for her spiritual experiences and healings associated with her.
Early life
Rhoda was the sixth of eight children in a Protestant family. She moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, at age two, and later married Ernest Wissmar in 1915, moving to Canton, Ohio. After her first husband died suddenly, she married George Wise in 1917.
Health issues
In the early 1930s, Rhoda developed severe health problems, including a 39-pound ovarian cyst, which was surgically removed.
Conversion
Her interactions with Catholic nuns during hospital stays sparked her interest in Catholicism. She converted to Catholicism in 1939 after being taught about the Rosary and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
Mystical experiences
Visions
She reported numerous visions of Jesus Christ and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, beginning around 1939. These visions included directives to suffer for the salvation of souls, and she allegedly received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, on her hands and feet.
Healings
She has been credited with several miraculous healings, one of the most notable being the healing of Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN, from a stomach ailment when she was young. These events contributed to Mother Angelica's deep faith and her eventual establishment of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), which has become one of the largest religious media networks in the world. The healing and subsequent spiritual experiences Rhoda Wise shared with Mother Angelica not only shaped Mother Angelica's personal journey but also had a profound impact on her mission to spread the Catholic faith through modern media. This connection between Rhoda Wise and Mother Angelica underscores the significance of Rhoda's spiritual influence, furthering her reputation as a mystic and healer within the Catholic community.
Death and legacy
After her death on July 7, 1948, her home in Canton became a place for pilgrimage, known as the Rhoda Wise House & Grotto. Her daughter continued to welcome visitors there for many years. Today, her life's story and the reports of miracles have inspired many in the Catholic faith, and there's an ongoing process for her beatification and potentially canonization.
Her grave is at St. Peter's Cemetery at 2026 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, OH 44709.
Servant of God
Following an investigation started in 2012, in 2016, Bishop George V. Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown declared Rhoda Wise a Servant of God, a first step towards canonization in the Catholic Church.