{"id":34430,"date":"2024-04-18T09:00:09","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=34430"},"modified":"2024-04-18T10:39:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T14:39:13","slug":"roma-downey-shares-why-she-turned-to-faith-after-a-childhood-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2024\/04\/roma-downey-shares-why-she-turned-to-faith-after-a-childhood-tragedy.html","title":{"rendered":"Roma Downey Shares Why She Turned to Faith After a Childhood Tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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During one of the most painful moments of her life, Roma Downey turned to God. As a child, the former “Touched By an Angel” star’s mother died of a heart attack. She told Fox News Digital, “My mother died when I was just a little girl. I was only 10. And I can honestly say if we hadn’t had our faith to support us and our church community to surround us. Life brought us to our knees. But while we were down there, we prayed. We prayed for strength, we prayed for understanding, we prayed for comfort. And the Lord provided. [Faith is] central to who I am and in my work.”<\/p>\n

Downey is starring in the faith-based series “The Baxters” on Amazon Prime. It explores how a family turns to God during tough times. It features Kathie Lee Gifford, her daughter Cassidy Gifford and Ted McGinley of “Married\u2026 With Children” fame.\u00a0Many fans still recognize Downey from “Touched By an Angel,” which became one of TV’s highest-rated dramas. The series, which told the tale of three angels sent to Earth to give people comfort, aired from 1994 until 2003.\u00a0Downey described how it’s been essential in her decades-long career in Hollywood to create faith-based content for families.<\/p>\n

Downey said, “Not everybody is able to bring what they believe into what they do, particularly in show business. But I’ve consistently done that from my days on ‘Touched By an Angel’ through producing ‘The Bible’ series to last Easter’s Prime Video movie, ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’ with Dennis Quaid, which was a story of hope and faith. I’m committed to telling stories that inspire and uplift. It’s a space I want to be in. It’s the work that I think is important.” In 2016, it was announced that the Emmy winner and her husband, reality TV producer Mark Burnett, were launching LightWorkers Media, a\u00a0faith and family\u00a0entertainment broadcast. It aims to “create engaging uplifting and inspirational content,” as well as motivate “people to celebrate and share the good all around them,” the network’s website states.<\/p>\n