15 Fun Facts from Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s FBI file

cna ^ | September 23, 2014 | Mary Rezac

[NYer]

Enjoy, ping!

[pleasenotcalifornia]

Thanks for the post. Are there still reruns of his TV shows on EWTN?

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

I’m not Catholic, but have run across his old show on EWTN. He was quite a character! Great story.

[ConservativeMind]

Another fun fact:

He was from El Paso, IL in Woodford county, perhaps the most conservative, yet most historical county in Illinois.

Abe Lincoln practiced law in the town of Metamora and Eureka is where Ronald Reagan attended college and where he gave his famous START Treaty speech.

[mlizzy]

Fun facts! It’s cool he loved tennis too. Thanks!

[SevenofNine]

I see his show on TBN Church Channel

I expect dirty little secrets on Bishop Sheen BOY he is tame

[lowbridge]

Why did the fbi have a file on this man to begin with? A waste of fbi time and money.

[john drake]

I believe he said listening to the confessions of nuns was like
“being pelted with popcorn.” Now there, is a witty man (of God).

[loungitude]

There were a very few years ago. That’s how I discovered FS, flipping around the channels in a hotel. What a guy!

[LadyDoc]

You can find lots of his videos on youtube.also check

http://www.proecclesia.com/page_free%20talks.htm

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

I spent this past Sunday morning downloading everything of his that I could get a hold of, converting the files to MP3 and loading them onto my phone. He’s a treasure.

[Ann Archy]

We can all “Glean From Sheen”!!! He was awesome!!

[Ann Archy]

Ping for later review!!!! THANKS!!!

[Gamecock]

Would he approve of this guy? Or perhaps the shirt is a bit too loud.

[Coleus]

yes, i’ve seen them on saturday night around 6:30 pm.

[Coleus]

his first name is not fulton.

[Rodamala]

I recall some Freeper in a thread sometime in the past year or two saying he had been Baptized by Bishop Sheen.

[imardmd1]

As a paperboy for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, I would hear snatches of Bp. Sheen's voice playing on my customers' radios or TVs while I was out collecting from door to door on Fridays and Saturdays. That, or the monotonous repetition of the Rosary on other programs.

Brings back lots of nostalgic memories of the early 1950s. I was a conservative without knowing it even then -- having no concept, as a small-town kid, of any other way of thinking or living -- doggone!

[NYer]

As a paperboy for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, I would hear snatches of Bp. Sheen's voice playing on my customers' radios or TVs while I was out collecting from door to door on Fridays and Saturdays. That, or the monotonous repetition of the Rosary on other programs.

In 1952 Milton Berle owned Tuesday night television with his 8 p.m. show, Texaco Star Theatre. The small DuMont network decided to put Sheen on the air opposite Berle as something of a sacrificial lamb, thinking a program with no potential may as well be on in a time slot with no chance. Initially, Life is Worth Living aired on only three stations nationwide. The show proved popular with audiences, however, and immediately began cutting into the ratings of Berle and Frank Sinatra, who had a Tuesday night show on CBS. Within two months Sheen's show was seen on 15 stations, and the bishop was overwhelmed with fan mail and requests to sit in the studio audience. NBC even tried to lure him away from DuMont at one point, but loyalty bid the bishop decline. At the 1952 Emmy Awards, Sheen defeated Edward R. Murrow, Lucille Ball and Arthur Godfrey for the title of Most Outstanding Television Personality. Upon accepting his award, he said, "I wish to thank my four writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

Brings back lots of nostalgic memories of the early 1950s. I was a conservative without knowing it even then -- having no concept, as a small-town kid, of any other way of thinking or living -- doggone!

We were most fortunate to have grown up during that period in US history. As you may recall, stores were closed on Sunday which was truly a day of worship followed by family dinner.. As kids, we played outside all day. And the games were simple - tag, cops & robbers, roller skates, riding bikes and, as you pointed out, applying entrepreneurial skills to earn a few extra dollars. We interacted with neighbors, offering to carry a grocery bag or open a door. Doors were not locked. Life was simpler.

Contrast that with today's youth who spend hours each day in front of a tv, interacting with electronic games, txting, tweeting, and hanging out at the mall. Home cooked family meal? Fast food for all. Sunday worship has been replaced with sports and shopping (not enough time in the week for God).

Pendulums swing. We have witnessed how far it has swung from conservative to liberal. There is only one other direction it can move and that is back to the right. Let's hope and pray that we have an opportunity to witness that.

Thanks for the ping, post and memories. Enjoyed them very much.