Fulton J. Sheen

      The front page of  July 8  Catholic Post, the newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria, has an article about Pope Bendedict naming hometown priest, Fulton J. Sheen - he was born in El Paso, Il. but grew up in St. Mary's parish on the northside and attended Spalding  Institute for high school -  as "venerable", the second of four key steps in the canonization process. (beatification and canonization are next).  In the early 1950s, Archbishop Sheen had a half hour national television program called "Life is Worth Living", where each week he would speak on living a closer life  with Our Lord.  His show was very popular.  So popular that for many years, the comedian,  Milton Berle had the number one television show until he aired against Archbishop Sheen.  His message was given with humor and in a down-to-earth style that won  him an Emmy and he was named Time Magazine's 'Man of the Year' in 1952.  He was the author of many books.  If he is canonized, he would be the first Male American-born saint.
       He was ordained at St. Marys Cathedral but studied in Europe.  He was a brilliant man and the Church expected big things of him.  In the middle of all this European study, Archbishop Schlarman, then the Bishop of Peoria, called him back home to serve as an assistant at St. Patricks Parish on Peoria's southside.  He served there for less than two years.  And it was the only time in his career that he assisted in a parish setting.  St. Patricks was my family's home parish.   The people at St. Patricks were mostly poor Irishman and Lebanese families.  It was not uncommon for those older black hatted and head scarved women who spent the morning in Church, first at Mass and then in front of the Blessed Mother statue saying the Rosary to talk about "Young Father Sheen".   And as he became more famous because of television and his work with the Catholic missions, whenever he came back to Peoria, he was feted everywhere but he always stayed at St. Patricks rectory.  When the children were young, Mother and I would often go to early Mass - this was before I learned to drive -  and if he was in town he would say the early Eucharistic Celebration.    I remember him saying that he never used notes for his homily because "if he couldn't remember what he was going to say, how could he expect the congregation to remember".

       Once when we were in the eighth grade, this would be 1949/50,  the word got around the neighborhood that he was saying early Mass.  The eighth grade class was singing at the Mass and we were sitting up in the choir loft.  We moved from the pews to stand and sing in front of the keyboard and massive pipes - probably to be closer to Sister Mary Francis who was playing the organ -  to sing some part of the Mass - probably the Kyrie  -  and when we went to go back to our pews, they were filled with spectators because the Nave was full and the overflow came upstairs.  So I remember that we knelt in between people during the readings and homily.  At that time, the kneelers in the main Church were padded but the kneelers in the choir loft were wood.  I don't remember what he said that day only that my knees hurt!!

        One year, at the St. Patricks Spaghetti Dinner, LaVonne (Sis) Raineri and I were selling dinner tickets from the ticket window in the vestibule of the gym.  The Archbishop was in town and Father Tom Henseler brought him to the window and introduced him to us.  We shook hands and I remember that he had deep set smiling eyes that looked like he could see into your soul.  I have always thought that Jesus must have had eyes like that.  We chatted only for a moment but what a good memory.   Somewhere I have - unless I gave it to one of the daughters -  a 78 record of him in that distinctive rich voice of his, saying The Hail Mary and the poem, Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue.  I remember this much of that poem:
 "Lovely Lady dressed in Blue
  Teach me how to pray.
  God was just your little Boy                               
  Tell me what to say.  (there's more to the poem, it's very sweet and we all learned it)

       He was lauded around the world and headed the Propagation of the Faith, which was the Mission branch of the Church.  But what has always impressed me the most about him was that every day he spent at least an hour, quietly, on his knees in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  His message was that life is worth living because God loves us here, now and forever and that, dear friend,  is something worthwhile to remember.