(Photo courtesy of Teresa Tomeo’s website at www.teresatomeo.com)  

When third-grader Teresa Tomeo was given the task of reading a Christmas poem before an assembly of fellow students by one of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a fire was ignited that has yet to be extinguished.  Nearly 30 years later, Teresa continues to relish every opportunity she gets to speak in public or over the airwaves.  Whether it’s hosting a daily talk show on Catholic radio, educating a church group about methods that can be used to influence the media, or advising senior level executives at one of the nation’s largest banks on improving their communication skills, Teresa feels right at home with a mike in her hand and an audience willing to listen.   

Teresa’s determination to succeed in broadcasting from an early age was heavily influenced by her family.  Her father Michael, the son of immigrants from Reggio Calabria, and her mother Rose, whose parents were born a stone’s throw from Naples, were natives of Jersey City, New Jersey.  When Teresa was four years old, the Tomeo family headed west to Detroit when Michael, an engineer with a career on the upswing, was transferred to the Motor City.  Witnessing her mother’s loyal devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, feasting on fish each Christmas Eve in anticipation of Jesus’ birth, and preparing extravagant pasta dinners and mouthwatering desserts for Easter, she realized that two of the most important things her parents desired to pass on to Teresa and her two older sisters were an appreciation of their Italian customs and a love of their Catholic faith.  When their little girl hung on to her dream of becoming a news reporter and concentrated on following the roadmap to success at an age when most children’s only concern about the “distant” future could be summed up by the question “What’s for dinner tonight?”, Michael and Rose offered her nothing but encouragement.  As Teresa briefly struggled to overcome an eating disorder during high school when she became preoccupied with her body image, it was her parents’ support that kept her focused on her goals and enabled her to conquer temptation.  Teresa’s confidence soared, largely in part, because she knew that her parents believed in her. 

While studying to become a broadcast journalist at Central Michigan University, Teresa fell into the trap of placing her Catholic faith on a shelf while savoring her newfound freedom and enjoying her first taste of success.  Without her family present to keep her grounded in her relationship with Our Lord, indifference crept into Teresa’s life.  Her conscience was no longer troubled if she happened to skip Mass on Sunday because she had to cram for a test or if she chose to hang out with friends.  Adding to this downward spiral was the fact that it was the 1970’s and Teresa became caught up in the culture revolution and its distorted notion of freedom.  From a worldly point of view, everything seemed to be on the right track.  Being well-liked on campus, able to impress supervisors at several organizations at which she interned, and scoping out the fine career path lying before her, Teresa had neither the time, nor the desire to let her life be influenced by her faith.  She was well on her way to becoming a “Christmas and Easter Catholic”. 

After graduating from Central Michigan, Teresa’s name became synonymous with action in the Detroit area and beyond.  Teresa was on the scene for all the major stories that broke while covering the streets of the city for seven years as an award-winning news reporter for a local radio station.  She was honored for her fine work with recognition by the Associated Press, The Detroit Press and American Women in Radio and TV.  In 1988, Teresa made the transition to TV news.  She spent over a decade as a reporter and anchor for two stations, one of which was an ABC affiliate.  Teresa traveled the country reporting on some of the most memorable events of the day, a highlight being Pope John Paul II’s visit to the United States in 1995.  

Although most observers would consider Teresa a major success – earning a lucrative salary in a position that she dreamed of since childhood and married to a wonderful gentleman named Dominic, who was the vice-president of an architectural/engineering firm – Jesus used this time in her life to begin drawing her back to Him.  She was suddenly haunted by many aspects of the secular media and her response, or lack thereof, to such problems.  Reminiscent of the scales that fell from the eyes of St. Paul after coming to know Christ, Teresa could finally see that the only things that really mattered in her profession were the bottom line and the advancement of an agenda that was hostile to Christian beliefs and morals.  In order to pad the bottom line, TV newscasts needed viewers, and the station executives would stop at nothing in an attempt to lure them in.  Teresa noticed a trend toward sensationalism, with an unreasonable amount of time and resources being devoted to stories involving violence and controversy.  It hit home for Teresa while doing a piece on Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  Scheduled to interview the father of a young girl who was killed by an intoxicated driver, she was told by her supervisor to rearrange the telecast to take place at the scene of the accident so that it might prompt the grieving man to shed tears.  Teresa held her ground and refused to give in to this request.   

Incidents like this led Teresa to examine her conscience.  She questioned the role that the media and those in entertainment played in causing others to fall into sin.  For example, the murderous rampage that took place at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in 1999 was conducted by a pair of teens that were motivated by watching the same violent film for many consecutive days.  But rather than point her finger at everyone else in the business, Teresa recalled Our Lord’s words about judging others: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye’, while the wooden beam is in your eye?”[1]  As she once again felt a need for Jesus in her life, Teresa wondered to herself why she had quietly gone along with the flow when she could have taken a courageous stand against the many injustices she witnessed in her profession.  Why hadn’t she pushed for more balance in stories that seemed to promote abortion as a human right?  Why did she act as if she was unbothered when a person’s religious beliefs appeared to be ridiculed by the TV news?  This culpability before God of remaining indifferent rather than bear her cross by going against the tide compelled Teresa to live out her faith from that time onward. 

Teresa demonstrated her newfound loyalty to Christ when, in February 2000, she resigned from her position as news director at a large Detroit station.  Leaving behind a high salary and a great deal of security, Teresa told God, “Now that you brought me to this point, you have to help me find my place in this world.”  She began to accept invitations for speaking engagements and provided consulting services to introduce others to the way in which the media works.  Eventually she took a position at a Protestant radio station, where she would remain for over two years.  During this period, Teresa realized that she could not merely sit on her hands regarding her Catholic faith.  Being constantly challenged by her colleagues on her beliefs, she would either wind up leaving the Church for a Protestant denomination or she would learn exactly what was so great and true about Catholicism.  Teresa chose the latter option and, through much prayer and study, came to love the Church and revere her as the Bride of Christ.  Teresa is grateful for the time she spent among her Protestant peers because she made many friends who helped her to better appreciate the Bible as the Word of God.  It was also during this time that she began having conversations with her dear friend Al Kresta, who had been involved with Catholic radio for years, about the possibility of joining the team at Ave Maria Radio in the future.   

In 2002, an opening at Ave Maria Radio presented itself and Teresa jumped over to the Catholic radio station.  She is currently the host of “Catholic Connection”, a talk show that can be heard between 8:00 and 10:00 EST each morning Monday through Friday.  It is carried on Ave Maria Radio in Southeastern Michigan and on EWTN Global Catholic Radio.  You can listen to the show on the internet at http://www.avemariaradio.net/.  On “Catholic Connection”, you can catch Teresa discussing social issues, raising awareness about the media, and interviewing many individuals who are deeply committed to the Church.    

These days, Teresa tries her best to make her faith the center of her life.  She is overjoyed by the fact that she earns a living talking about Jesus Christ and His Church.  Each day, she and Dominic read and prayerfully reflect on the Scripture passages that are proclaimed at Mass.  Prior to each radio show, Teresa prays that God will utilize “Catholic Connection” to accomplish His will in the lives of the listeners.  From the feedback received, it’s apparent that Our Lord has used Teresa and her show to help draw many individuals closer to Him.  Teresa spends hours each day preparing for the following day’s program.  This involves meeting with her producer; reading newspapers, magazines and books; and keeping abreast of news in both the secular world and within the Church.  Teresa recently authored a book by the name of “Noise”, in which she “makes a compelling and irrefutable case about the dangers of our dominant media culture – and the immorality and permissiveness that comes with it.”[2]  In the book, Teresa delves into the dismantling of the family at the hands of the media and gives practical advice on how one can protect his or her family from being bulldozed by the steady stream of irreverent content from our televisions, radios and all other forms of news and entertainment. 

Teresa admits that she found peace only after exiting the secular media, but she doesn’t advise devout Christians to avoid the profession altogether.  While God called Teresa away from her career in order to strengthen her relationship with Him, she realizes that certain individuals may be called by Our Lord into the media to reflect His light where, unfortunately, it is not often on display.  She believes there is an urgent need for men and women of good character to infiltrate the antagonistic world in which she once labored so as to spark the change that will bring decency back to the airwaves.    

Teresa remains proud of her heritage and has become enamored by Italy so much that she has made six visits to the land of her grandparents.  Her most recent trip took place this past February in response to an invitation from the Vatican to participate in an international congress on women, held on the 20^th anniversary of John Paul II’s release of his Apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity of Women).  Teresa is captivated by the beautiful, historic churches found throughout Italy, but saddened by the fact that the majority of these houses of worship are frequented only by tourists and the elderly.  A dream of hers is to evangelize young Italians and open their eyes to the treasures of the Catholic faith that abound at nearly every turn.  From Papal audiences in St. Peter’s Square, to the sites of Eucharistic miracles, to the shrines of hundreds of saints, Teresa is positive that when Italians become aware of the significance and history of their Catholic surroundings, there is no reason to believe they will allow their beloved country to be relegated to a museum for a faith that has died. Rather, Teresa hopes and prays that the riches of Catholicism found in the old country can once again become catalysts that attract the multitudes back to the Church. 

******SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT******

Teresa Tomeo is releasing a new book with her personal testimony, "NEWSFLASH! MY SURPRISING JOURNEY FROM SECULAR ANCHOR TO MEDIA EVANGELIST".  You can obtain this book and receive no charge for shipping and handling for all pre-orders made before September 1.  Please go to the website of Teresa's publisher Bezalel Books at http://www.bezalelbooks.com/tomeo%20preorder.htm for more information.
 

SOURCES: 

1. Interview with Teresa Tomeo

2. Teresa Tomeo’s website - http://www.teresatomeo.com/

3. From the television show “Life on the Rock” on the Eternal Word Television Network, Host Jeff Cavins with guest Teresa Tomeo, “The Media’s Influence and Our Response”, July 18, 2002

4. From the radio show “Catholic Answers Live” at http://www.catholic.com/, Host Jerry Usher with guest Teresa Tomeo, “Is There Bias in the Media?”, July 9, 2003