Roma Downey, best known for starring in the beloved television series “Touched By An Angel,” is opening up about how she found God after suffering a devastating childhood tragedy.
Downey Finds God Through Tragedy
“My mother died when I was just a little girl,” Downey, 63, told Fox News. “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,” she continued. “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.”
Downey is currently starring with Kathie Lee Gifford in the Amazon Prime series “The Baxters,” which depicts a family turning to God during tough times.
“I grew up in a family that was quick to pray,” Downey said. “My father used to say, ‘The family that prays together, stays together.’ … We rarely, as people of faith, get to see faithful families on television, stopping an everyday activity and just praying. And yet, we see that often in ‘The Baxters.’”
Downey added that in the show, viewers see “the mother and the father come together, holding hands and praying in the name of Jesus on her behalf.”
Check out a trailer for that show in the video below.
Related: ‘Touched By An Angel’s’ Roma Downey Reveals How Her Faith Helped Her Cope With Grief
Downey Focused On Faith-Based Projects
Downey is still best known for starring in “Touched By An Angel,” which ran from 1994 until 2003 and told the tale of three angels sent to Earth to give people comfort. Downey is proud of the fact that she’s devoted much of her Hollywood career to starring in faith-based projects.
“Not everybody is able to bring what they believe into what they do, particularly in show business,” Downey said. “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,” she added. “It’s a space I want to be in. It’s the work that I think is important.”
Related: Roseanne Barr Reveals How God Has Helped Her Through Tough Times In Life – ‘Pray With Me’
‘God Is The Light’
Downey is hoping to inspire others to find God through her production company LightWorkers Media, which she founded with her reality television producer husband Mark Burnett back in 2016. The network’s website states that its goal is to “create engaging uplifting and inspirational content,” as well as motivate “people to celebrate and share the good all around them.”
“God is the light. We’re the workers,” Downey explained. “And our mantra always has been that it’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. So, stories of hope interest me. So, making ‘The Baxters’ a hope opera is certainly something that is part of my life’s purpose, part of the calling on my life really, to help people feel connected and closer to God.”
In a time when Hollywood has strayed further from Christian values than ever before, it’s refreshing to see a star like Downey using her platform to spread the word of God. If only there were more stars in Hollywood like her these days!
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