Another
model for the Year of Faith is Archbishop Fulton John Sheen (1895-1979),
recently proclaimed “Venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in the process for his
canonization. Venerable Fulton Sheen’s
message for us is a call to a daily period of personal prayer. As a seminarian he decided that he would
observe a daily holy hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and he was
faithful to that pledge during his entire life.
While
not all may be able to spend an hour of prayer each day before the Blessed
Sacrament, each of us can definitely make the effort to spend a small period of
time daily in conversation with God. The
current Year of Faith calls us to a daily period of prayer, because prayer is
the faith prayed.
Archbishop
Sheen had determined that his daily holy hour was essential to his life as a
priest, and likened it to “an oxygen tank that revived the breath of the Holy
Spirit.”
Born
and educated in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, Venerable Fulton Sheen went on
to study for the priesthood and earned a doctorate in philosophy at the
University of Louvain in Belgium. After
a brief term as a parish priest, he became a noted professor of philosophy at
The Catholic University of America for a quarter century. God blessed him with a special gift of
preaching, a talent which he used most effectively to evangelize on radio’s The Catholic Hour for 25 years and on
television’s Life Is Worth Living for
five seasons. Some credit him as the
originator of television evangelism. After
becoming head of the Propagation of the Faith he was made a bishop and served
with distinction in raising the consciousness of American Catholics regarding
the material and spiritual needs of the Church’s missions. Over the years he authored a number of
popular books, and directed countless retreats, especially for priests. His reputation for leading converts, many of
whom were prominent citizens, into the Church was exceptional. After his death he was buried in the crypt of
New York City’s St. Patrick Cathedral, where he had frequently preached.
How
was Archbishop Sheen able to succeed in his pastoral ministry? He attributed his achievements to the power
of prayer, to “the hour that makes my day.”
In his autobiography he explains that “We become like that which we gaze
upon. Looking into a sunset the face
takes on a golden glow. Looking at the
Eucharistic Lord…transforms the heart in a mysterious way.”
Venerable
Fulton John Sheen encouraged the practice of a daily period of prayer – before
the Blessed Sacrament when possible.
That heritage endures today in the lives of many and in parishes that
have introduced adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Spirit, the teacher of prayer, is
clearly present in the prayer life of the Church. Prayer is the faith prayed.
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