Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

Fulton J. Sheen was born on May 8, 1895 in El Paso, Illinois, USA as Peter John Sheen. He is known for his work on The Eternal Gift (1941), The Holy Year at the Vatican (1950) and The Perry Como Show (1948). He died on December 9, 1979 in Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.



Trivia (16)

Awarded an Emmy in 1952 for being chosen as television's "Most Oustanding Personality".



Ordained to the priesthood for the Peoria, Illinois, diocese (20 September 1919).



Refused to answer to his given name almost as soon as he could talk, preferring to be called Fulton, his mother's maiden name.



The eldest of 4 sons. He had a half-sister from his father's first marriage, who was raised by Sheen's uncle after her mother's death.



National director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Catholic Church's principal mission organization (1950 - 1966)



First American to win the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy.



In a 1930 article entitled "A Plea for Intolerance," he held that the United States was not plagued by bigotry so much as it was plagued by the "weird fungus of broadmindedness": "A bigoted man is one who refuses to accept a reason for anything; a broadminded man is one who will accept anything for a reason, providing it is not a good reason.".



Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theology and Canon Law, Catholic University (1920); Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD), University of Louvain, Belgium (1923); Doctorate in Theology (DD), Angelicum University, Rome (1924).



In July 1967, he called for an end to the Vietnam War, asking President Lyndon B. Johnson to announce, "In the name of God, who bade us love our neighbor with our whole heart and soul and mind, for the sake of reconciliation I shall withdraw our forces immediately from Southern Vietnam.".



In an incident which damaged his standing in the eyes of many, he announced that he was giving away a parish to the U.S. government, then four days later, after a storm of protests, took back the gift (1968).



Born above his father's hardware store.



Among his more than 50 books: "God and Intelligence in Modern Philosophy" (1925); "Communism and the Conscience of the West" (1948); "Peace of Soul" (1949); the 5 volumn series "Life is Worth Living" (1953 - 1957); "The Priest is Not His Own" (1963).



Ironically, for a man whose words ultimately reached millions, he was dismissed from his high school debate team for being a poor public speaker.



Upon his death, his remains were interred at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in New York City. His location plot is Crypt under the altar.



The cause for his canonization as a Saint was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a Decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues" - a major step towards beatification - so he is now referred to as Venerable.



His nickname "Uncle Fultie" derives from the fact that he was the first television performer to beat television pioneer Milton Berle in the ratings. Berle's nickname was Uncle Miltie.



Personal Quotes (5)

It used to be that the Catholics were the only ones to believe in the Immaculate Conception. Now everyone believes he is the immaculately conceived.



The Rabbis and Priests and Ministers stopped talking about sin. The Jurists picked it up and turned sin into a crime, and finally Psychiatrists converted it into a complex. The result is that no one is a sinner.



[on flattery] Baloney is flattery laid on so thick it cannot be true, and blarney is flattery so thin we love it.



I feel it is time I also pay tribute to my four writers - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.



A bigoted man is one who refuses to accept a reason for anything; a broadminded man is one who will accept anything for a reason, providing it is not a good reason.

