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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with Fulton J Sheen: Daily Scripture and Prayers Together With Sheen's Own Words
Beginning with the first day of Advent and continuing through the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, these selections from the immortal pen of Fulton J. Sheen encourage readers to explore the essence and promise of the season. Those looking to grow in their prayer life and become more attuned to the joy of Advent and Christmas will find a wonderful guide in this spiritual companion. Paperback
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Fulton J. Sheen
522 books742 followersFulton 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".
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".
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 27, 2025
Read each day for Advent - excellent book - may read yearly -
January 6, 2024
Beautiful- a fresh perspective, will probably read yearly.
January 15, 2024
3.5 stars
December 31, 2024
Beautiful book!
January 6, 2026
Rich in wisdom and grounded in prayer. A truly lovely read for Advent and Christmas.
January 12, 2015
Most years, I let Advent get away from me because I am focusing too much on the stuff of Christmas rather than preparing for the coming of the Christ. At the suggestion of my spiritual director, this year I sought the assistance of the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, and it made all the difference.
Advent and Christmas with Fulton J. Sheen edited by Judy Bauer is a collection of wisdom from Sheen’s books formatted as a devotional. Bauer breaks up the book in three parts: readings for Advent, readings for Christmas, and a format for night prayer and reading.
In the Readings for Advent, there are 28 days, since that is the longest Advent can be. Each day includes a Scripture passage taken from or related to the daily readings, a passage from one of Sheen’s books, and a prayer — I presume — written by Bauer. It is on two facing pages so it requires only a few moments each day.
Readings for Christmas follow the same format but there are of course only 12 days.
In the last part — Format for Night Prayer — Bauer presents the outline for using this book with the Liturgy of the Hours – Night Prayer.
I found Bauer’s format to be easy to use and her selections of Sheen’s work to be excellent is helping me to consider the many mysteries that are presented during Advent and Christmas. For those who have never read any of Sheen’s work, this book gives a good introduction to his style and approach. I am looking forward to using this book again next Advent, and I would encourage you to consider it as well.
Advent and Christmas with Fulton J. Sheen edited by Judy Bauer is a collection of wisdom from Sheen’s books formatted as a devotional. Bauer breaks up the book in three parts: readings for Advent, readings for Christmas, and a format for night prayer and reading.
In the Readings for Advent, there are 28 days, since that is the longest Advent can be. Each day includes a Scripture passage taken from or related to the daily readings, a passage from one of Sheen’s books, and a prayer — I presume — written by Bauer. It is on two facing pages so it requires only a few moments each day.
Readings for Christmas follow the same format but there are of course only 12 days.
In the last part — Format for Night Prayer — Bauer presents the outline for using this book with the Liturgy of the Hours – Night Prayer.
I found Bauer’s format to be easy to use and her selections of Sheen’s work to be excellent is helping me to consider the many mysteries that are presented during Advent and Christmas. For those who have never read any of Sheen’s work, this book gives a good introduction to his style and approach. I am looking forward to using this book again next Advent, and I would encourage you to consider it as well.
January 6, 2021
A wonderful companion through the seasons of advent and christmas. This will be my go to guide in the years to come.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews