Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: Convert Maker

Beskrivelse

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen was one of the greatest spiritual
leaders—and entertainers—in America’s tumultuous twentieth century. His
television shows, for which he eventually won an Emmy Award, reached
millions of viewers, and in the 1950s and ‘60s, “Fulton Sheen” was a
household name. 

But his greatest gift was in finding lost sheep.
Through his thought, wit, and compassion, many thousands of people
likely entered the Church, from all walks of life. Among them were jazz
legend Ada “Bricktop” Smith, journalist Heywood Broun, Communist
activist Louis Budenz, U.S. Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce, spy
Elizabeth Bentley, composer Fritz Kreisler, Communist Bella Dodd, and
Hollywood starlet Virginia Mayo. 

This in-depth work by historian
Cheryl C. D. Hughes lets readers inhabit the postwar America where
Bishop Fulton Sheen thrived, in order to reveal what made him such a
magnetic figure in his own era. It peers into the complex lives of the
celebrities and fallen stars who saw in the warm, brilliant bishop a
sign of God’s grace, and it offers a study in the inner dynamics of
conversion. 

Sheen was far more than a speaker and a scholar. A
priest and shepherd foremost, he firmly believed that the Church needed
to be poor to serve the poor, personally donating all the money he ever
earned—over $200 million—to mission services. He was also an active
participant at the Second Vatican Council, where he befriended the young
bishop of Kraków, Karol Wojtyla, who had learned English, at least
partially, from listening to recordings of Sheen. Pope John Paul II
would later embrace Archbishop Sheen and say, “You have written and
spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church.” 

While
Sheen influenced countless conversions, he was always clear that it was
the Holy Spirit, not the man, who makes the convert. By examining this
bishop’s ministry in action, we can catch a glimpse of how God works in
the human heart, and in a fallen world.

Tilleggsinformasjon