My Uncle Fulton Sheen

by Joan Sheen Cunningham, Janel Rodriguez

Joan Sheen Cunningham was happily growing up with her family in Illinois when her uncle Bishop Fulton Sheen offered her the opportunity of a to attend a private school in New York City. With the blessing of her parents, she eagerly accepted, and Fulton Sheen became a second father, a role model, and a lifelong friend.

In this memoir, Joan describes many formative experiences she had with Fulton Sheen—from shopping for a winter coat to meeting Al Smith, the governor of New York. She fondly recollects how her uncle guided her courtship, helped her and her new husband find an apartment, and baptized their children and grandchildren.

Sheen is most known for his popular television show, Life Is Worth Living. The Sheen that Joan presents, however, is not only a polished television personality, but a man of prayer, generosity, and missionary zeal who interacted with count- less people from all walks of life. In one story after another, she illustrates that this great man’s chief concern was sharing the mercy of God with everyone.

Genres: Catholic, Religion

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 20, 2019

Reviews

[Fr. Patrick O'Brien]

Magnificent, powerful, and so enjoyable to read. He is the best!

[Sarah Cain]

This was such a delightful read. It's the kind of thing that you can sit down and truly relax with, like a novel, except it's true. So, it can calm you and also be edifying. You can learn who Bishop Fulton Sheen was as a man, and as a priest, and how completely indistinguishable those roles were for him. He became a priest in every sense, always.

I especially enjoyed reading about his understanding of suffering and the purpose of offering it to God. That was an unexpected blessing.

[Gerri Bauer]

I've admired soon-to-be Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen since he was a prominent figure in New York City during my childhood and youth. Life Is Worth Living wasn't in production when I was growing up but The Fulton Sheen Program was, and it aired on local channels. I watched it regularly in the 1960s.

This book by his niece provides a family-oriented perspective that shows a softer side of him that many people didn't see. The book also reinforces his strong religious personality and his tireless endeavors to bring people closer to Christ and the Church. A person always knew where they stood with Archbishop Sheen.

He has remained a guidepost for me through life. I'm glad his books and TV shows are so widely available today.

[Jacquie Stricklind]

The reader can read in this book how much Joan loved her uncle Bishop Sheen, she also showed that even though he was a famous radio and TV star, he was a humble man. He donated his full salary to the missionary work he was involved with, according to his niece, he was always giving away his personal possessions and money, and medals to people that he would meet in his daily life. He had a strong devotion to Mary, and believed very strongly in his faith. We need more Bishop Sheens in the world today!

[Annette]

This was a refreshingly easy to read book about the life of Bishop Fulton Sheen as seen through the eyes of the niece he helped raise and guide through life. It is a loving portrait of a beloved uncle and why he was so special. In reading this book I was struck several times by certain stories or explanations that helped me understand my faith better and develop a deeper appreciation for it. My only criticism would be that it is a little rambling with Fulton Sheen's niece describing her interactions with her Uncle and then the co-author inserting some additional history. The way this took place did not always seem to mesh. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable and insightful read and I look forward to hearing about the Beautification Ceremony of Bishop Sheen.

[Bernie Tomasso]

I personally met Bishop Sheen when he was in Rochester and the author paints a very true picture of the person that I met. It is not only a biography but also contains commentary to accompany her memoirs by another writer.

[Esther C.Williams]

Recommend Read!!!

I recommend this book for all age groups! The life of this holy man was an example of humility, devotion to God and his fellow man. Bishop Sheen, a multi -gifted man gave his all to God and consequently showed the world what it is to serve humanity.

[Catholic Mom and Daughter]

This was a fun read- short and inspiring. We learned so much about Ven. Fulton Sheen: his deep love for family; his generous nature; his dedicated work ethic. It was neat to learn things about this future saint that we hadn't known.

[Mike Bishop]

Good book. He was quite a remarkable man. A pioneer of television and truly a holy man.

[Lili]

Short read, but a great introduction into who Fulton Sheen was.

[Stephanie Suhr]

As delightful as I thought it would be!

[Marie Zahnle]

Loving portrait of remarkable man

[Tone Montone]

It was a pleasant account of what it was like to not only be part of his family, but to be under his direct tutelage and care.

[Allan Thach]

An insightful book on the life of Blessed Fulton J Sheen.