The Influence of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen - Essay Example

The Influence of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Born in 1895, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen showed signs of being a priest and preacher starting when he was a young boy. One day, when he was altar serving, he slipped and dropped the wine cruet. After the Mass, the Bishop that officiated the Mass, said to him that Sheen would go to Leuven University and that he would become a Bishop, just like he was. The Bishop’s prediction was right. As Sheen said and experiences, “God is constantly remolding that clay, giving it a second and third, and even seventy times seven chances.” Through his television programs, books, and preachings, Fulton Sheen was one of the most influential people during the second half of the 20th century. When Sheen got into television, he had to compete with the big stars of the 1950ss, such as Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra. He started his first television show, Life is Worth Living, in 1952. He based his talks on his book also called Life is Worth Living. Sheen had to fight for his airtime because most people wanted to watch the big stars, until Sheen came on air. Sheen’s show was very popular and he was doing better than the big television start. People would make an extra effort every Tuesday evening to watch him and take in his works. Sheen’s words got into people’s hearts and helped people strengthen their faith. He had millions of viewers and he drew as many as 10 million a week. Eventually he became more popular than everyone else on television. At the 1952 Emmy Awards, Sheen defeated Edward R. Murrow, Lucille Ball, and Arthur Godfrey for the title of Most Outstanding Television Personality. When he accepted his award, he said, “I wish to thank my four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” Sheen’s programs appeared on 123 ABC television stations and over 300 ABC radio stations. It has been said that the secret to Sheen’s popularity was the simplicity of his message, and its contrast to the comedy and slapstick on other channels. Sheen was calm, but was also dramatic when he spoke. He had a different speaking style developed by many years of practice and elocution lessons he took at St. Viator College. His show, Life is Worth Living, was another part of his job as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which was the chief Vatican fundraiser for overseas missions. He never asked for money or donations, but they poured in anyway. On a normal week, the donations added up to $16,500 from viewers and sponsors. Sheen himself made $26,000 a night and he donated every penny to charity. Besides being on television one night a week, he was also the start of a weekly national radio show, The Catholic Hour, which already had millions of followers. Sheen retired from television in the fall of 1957 and it is widely believed that Cardinal Francis Spellman drove him off the air because Sheen left during the height of his popularity. After he did so, he was not welcome for a while in the churches of New York. Cardinal Spellman cancelled Sheen’s annual Good Friday sermon and he discouraged people from befriending the bishop. Sheen was never angry at the bishop, as he said, “Love even those who ridicule us.” Sheen went so far to praise the bishop in his autobiography. Fulton Sheen first got the idea to write when he left for Louvain in September of 1921. Sheen wrote seventy-three books in all starting in 1925 and finishing on his death bed in 1979. His first book, God and Intelligence in Modern Philosophy, was written while he was studying at Louvain. The work was a success and inspired him to write three other books, all on the subject of philosophy. He continued to write throughout his life, even when he was a full time parish priest. Sheen’s books were so popular that they frequently sold out and companies could not keep up with the demand. The most popuar of Sheen’s books are The Life of Christ and Treasure in Clay, his autobiography. The Life of Christ is considered to be the greatest work ever done on Christ’s life. It is also considered the most eloquent of Sheen’s works. It was the first book after Sheen had retired from television and because a big hit with people everywhere. Stores could not keep the book in stock because it was so popular. It was also very popular because people wanted Sheen’s message because they missed him on television. Treasure in Clay, Sheen’s autobiography, was finished in 1979, when Sheen was on his deathbed. In the last couple of chapters, a sense of urgency to finish the work can be felt. Sheen could not even move off his bed to write so he had to have someone write for him. He was determined to finish the work and it was finished shortly before his death. “I can never remember a time in my life when I did not want to be a priest.” Fulton Sheen always wanted to be a good priest and he felt that he had a vocation to the priesthood from a very young age. He became a very good preacher and he was considered one of, it not the greatest preacher of the 20th century. He is considered the most influential preacher of his time. Wherever he went people would stop him on the street corners and he would preach there. Sheen was quite determined, with a little help from Father William J. Bergan, to become a priest. Sheen even tore up a full scholarship to any university so he could enter the seminary. When he was first ordained, people were not too sure about the quality of Sheen’s preaching, since he was only 24. Sheen did receive a lot of opposition, but he never let it get to him as he said, “All speakers and preachers will be ridiculed.” As he preached more, people would come from all over just to hear him preach. In fact, it was quite common to hear someone say, “I wish he had talked longer.” Sheen said in one of his sermons, “At least a dozen times in history, the world has buried the Church and each time she had come to life again.” This is especially true when talking about Sheen’s conversions. Sheen said that converting people could be a hard task, but if the right approach is taken, it can be very simple. He converted hundreds, if not thousands to the faith through his sermons. Sheen converted celebrities, including Claire Boothe Luce, a famous politician and actress, Louis F. Budenz, a Communist writer, and Fritz Kreisler, a famous violinist. Sheen’s sermons were very powerful, especially with the way he spoke. He never wrote any notes for his sermons, he just went and spoke without anything written in fron of him. He never forgot any of the words he wanted to say because he prepared so much. For just a half hour, he would prepare himself for thirty hours before preaching. Sheen said that “All priests should be like God’s servants” and he felt that preparing himself was the best thing he could do to get ready to preach. Sheen was famous for his sermons that he did over Holy Week and Easter weekend. People would travel from all over just to hear him preach over that week. When Cardinal Spellman cancelled Sheen’s Good Friday sermons permanently in 1950, people were very upset with Spellman and sided with Sheen. They did not want Sheen to be off television and not preaching as well. Sheen was a people’s priest and he wanted to help the people more than anything else. In conclusion, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was one of the most influential people of the 20th century through his television programs, his books, and his sermons. He converted many people, including celebrities, to the Catholic faith and he helped many more renew their faith. Sheen said, “Prayer is our life, could we not spend one hour in prayer a day?” He certainly did, as he died praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in his private chapel, living the model life of a Catholic in the 20th century. Read More