Fulton J. Sheen

by Fulton J. Sheen, Alexis Walkenstein

The selected wisdom of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is presented in this concise volume compiled by Alexis Walkenstein. The writings, organized by five themes, demonstrate Sheen's clarity in teaching spirituality. Readers will receive a thorough, joyful, and accessible introduction to Sheen's important and encouraging ideas about faith and God's love for us. The book includes descriptions of Sheen's work and thoughtful discussion questions to lead readers to further investigation of this prominent figure in recent Catholic history.

Genres: Religion

144 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2018

About the author

Fulton John Sheen was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, in 1919, Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923. He went on to teach theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and served as a parish priest before he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was made bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in New York. He resigned as bishop of Rochester in 1969 as his 75th birthday approached and was made archbishop of the titular see of Newport, Wales.
For 20 years as "Father Sheen", later monsignor, he hosted the night-time radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930–1950) before he moved to television and presented Life Is Worth Living (1952–1957). Sheen's final presenting role was on the syndicated The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968) with a format that was very similar to that of the earlier Life Is Worth Living show. For that work, Sheen twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Starting in 2009, his shows were being re-broadcast on the EWTN and the Trinity Broadcasting Network's Church Channel cable networks. His contribution to televised preaching resulted in Sheen often being called one of the first televangelists.
The cause for his canonization was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues," a major step towards beatification, and he is now referred to as venerable. On July 5, 2019, Pope Francis approved a reputed miracle that occurred through the intercession of Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification. Sheen was scheduled to be beatified in Peoria on December 21, 2019, but his beatification was postponed after Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester expressed concern that Sheen's handling of a 1963 sexual misconduct case against a priest might be cited unfavorably in a forthcoming report from the New York Attorney General. The Diocese of Peoria countered that Sheen's handling of the case had already been "thoroughly examined" and "exonerated" and that Sheen had "never put children in harm's way".

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first introduction to the work of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, and I found the selections highlighted in this book fascinating. My generation needs priests like Sheen, whose zeal for the Faith is evident on every page. Walkenstein chose excerpts from several of Sheen's books, and has added journal prompts and a bibliography for readers who wish to dive more deeply into Sheen's large body of written work. I definitely want to read more of his work. (ARC received from publisher)

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were quite a few nuggets of wisdom in this book pulled from the writings of Fulton Sheen. I guess I would have liked some commentary on them though. Maybe what was going on at the time and why he felt he needed to address the topics he did. But it was a way to get an idea of what the book was about, that the excerpt was pulled from, and if I had more interest I could buy the book it was pulled from. A lot of the Archbishop’s thoughts without a lot of reading.

[Anna Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

An artfully compiled book of reflections from Fulton Sheen's many books. Loved it. I read most of the reflections at least twice. If you want to start reading Sheen but don't know where to begin, this book is a great place to start.