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“My greatest love has always been the missions of the Church.” Worldwide celebrations in memory of Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, former National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
New York (Agenzia Fides) – This December 9, 2009, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York will celebrate a special memorial Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, former National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the United States, from 1950-1966. Agenzia Fides has learned of the event from a statement released by the Pontifical Mission Societies in the USA. The Mass in New York City will take place at 5:30pm and will be aired live on the Catholic channel EWTN. However, this Mass will also be joined by over 200 other Masses, on the same day and with the same intention, celebrated in dioceses across the United States and in over 35 countries worldwide, including Nigeria, Pakistan, Czech Republic, and others.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Archbishop Sheen’s death, the Pontifical Mission Societies of the USA have produced “Faithful Witness,” an audio/radio documentary on Sheen to be aired on Catholic radio. The production also includes testimonies from those who knew of his great love for the Church, for family, and for the Missions.
Archbishop Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois (USA) on May 8, 1895 and ordained a priest on September 20, 1919 in the Cathedral of Peoria, Illinois. In 1950, he was appointed National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, where he served until 1966. During this time he became most well-known for his television series, “Life is Worth Living,” which had a viewing audience of over 30 million people and even won an Emmy Award for “Most Outstanding Television Personality,” in his first year on the air. In a radio address in February of 1951, he also inaugurated the World Mission Rosary, saying: “We must pray, and not for ourselves, but for the world. To this end, I have designed the Worl
d Mission Rosary.”
Professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of Washington, Archbishop Sheen was considered one of America's greatest preachers. He spoke mainly on television to audiences of an average of 35 million, of all religions, Catholics, Jews, Protestants. Besides being passionately involved in education, Sheen also started “Worldmission” magazine and wrote 300 books.
On October 3, 1979, Archbishop Sheen had an audience with Pope John Paul II, in which the Pope told him: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You have been a loyal son of the Church!” Archbishop Sheen died on December 9, 1979, before the Blessed Sacrament in his private chapel in New York. Shortly before his death, he had declared: “My greatest love has always been the missions of the Church.” In 2002, his cause for beatification and canonization was officially opened on a diocesan level and on April 15, 2008, it was officially opened in Rome with a ceremony at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. (AR) (Agenzia Fides 5/12/2009)
Links:
Archbishop Fulton John Sheen Foundation
www.archbishopsheencause.org
PMS in the US
www.onefamilyinmission.org
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