VIDEO: "Quo vadis America?" - Ven. Fulton J. Sheen on patriotism

Ed. here. When he read yesterday's post on the secret of life, Agent 3 was reminded (he writes) of  the Life Is Worth Living telecasts by +Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, which were popular in the `50s. We have posted a couple of them in times past, but Agent 3 has send us the link to this one. The prelate asks a timeless and timely question, "Where is America going?"

 

Please pray, especially to St. John Vianney, for the remnant of faithful bishops and priests who hold and teach the One True Faith of our fathers.

Further viewing: "BREAKING BOMBSHELL REPORT: Benedict XVI: Most Catholic Bishops Are Enemies Of The Church", on Return to Tradition, 23/1/23. 

VIDEO: Patrick Coffin names and shames those who put the kibosh on beatification of Ven. Fulton Sheen

As if the sad news of the "postponement" of the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, which was scheduled for Peoria on December 21st, wasn't bad enough, comes now an announcement that the beatification has been postponed "indefinitely". Which is Catholic Churchspeak for "not going to happen." In this short(ish) video, Patrick Coffin names those responsible for throwing a spanner in the works, and explains why there's a silver lining to the liberal cloud.



Mr Coffin asserts (and Walt concurs) that Fulton J. Sheen is clean. He says the screeching halt to his Cause was orchestrated by Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester, abetted by liberal modernist Cardinals Cupich of Chicago and Dolan of New York. Walt predicted that the name of Cardinal Cupich would be mentioned at some point. Lifetime pct .979.

Mr Coffin asks if the silence of Cardinal Dolan, in particular, has anything to do with the fact that he lost four different legal appeals trying to keep Archbishop Sheen's earthly remains in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the faithful of New York.
And, he asks, will no US bishops stand up in defence of their brother bishop and sainthood candidate?

In the end, though, traditional Catholics should be glad the Cause was halted. In in this video, Mr Coffin explains why. He concludes thus: Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, ora pro nobis.

Liberal Catholics stall beatification of Ven. Abp. Sheen

Traditional Catholics who read WWW rejoiced in the news that the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen was to be beatified, at last, on December 21st in Peoria IL. Archbishop Sheen, the greatest Catholic evangelist of the 20th century, did leave the mainstream church following the disaster that was Vatican II.

Towards the end of his life, though, Archbishop Sheen is said to have expressed regret at the dubious "reforms", particularly the suppression of the Mass of All Time. Thus he made himself the enemy of the "reformers", particularly the liberal bishops of the United States.

They and their powerful friends in the Vatican held up the cause for Abp Sheen's beatification for centuries, through such devices as a very unseemly wrangle in the courts over where the prelate's earthly remains should be buried. All this has been reported in WWW, passim; enter "Archbishop Sheen" in the search window at top right to check past posts.

Now, it seems, Archbishop Sheen's enemies have succeeded in delaying his beatification yet again. The Catholic Post, the newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria, published a press release dated December 3rd, excerpted here:

With deep regret, Bishop Daniel Jenky, C.S.C., Bishop of Peoria, announces that he has been informed by the Holy See that the Beatification of Fulton Sheen will be postponed. On November 18, 2019, the Diocese of Peoria received formal notification that Pope Francis had approved the Beatification of Fulton Sheen to take place on December 21st of this year. However, on December 2nd, the Holy See decided to postpone the date of Beatification, at the request of a few members of the Bishops' Conference who have asked for further consideration.

In our current climate, it is important for the faithful to know that there has never been, nor is there now, any allegation against Sheen involving the abuse of a minor. The Diocese of Peoria observes that the life of Fulton Sheen has been thoroughly and meticulously investigated. At every stage, it has been demonstrated definitively that he was an exemplary model of Christian conduct and a model of leadership in the Church. At no time has his life of virtue ever been called into question....

This development is unfortunate especially because there continue to be many miracles reported through Sheen’s intercession. Several have even been reported since the announcement of the Beatification date two weeks ago. It is undoubtedly further proof for those who truly believe in this Cause that these miracles will be credited to the intercession of the Venerable Fulton Sheen in the future.

Bishop Jenky is deeply saddened by this decision. In particular, Bishop Jenky is even more concerned for the many faithful who are devoted to Sheen and who will be affected by this news. He is firmly convinced of the great holiness of the Venerable Servant of God and remains confident that Sheen will be beatified. Bishop Jenky has every intention of continuing the Cause, but no further date for Beatification has been discussed. The Diocese of Peoria will offer no further comment at this time.

Walt wonders who were the "few members" of the USCCB who requested "further consideration". And what prompted them to intervene? In keeping with the culture of secrecy which pervades the hierarchy and affairs of the Roman Catholic Church, the USCCB has declined to provide any details or any comment of any kind. But the truth will out, one of these days. And don't be surprised if the name of Cardinal Blase Cupich, ninth Archbishop of Chicago, is mentioned. Lifetime pct .977.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to be beatified in Peoria December 21st

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria IL announced on Monday that the Vatican has approved plans for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The ceremony will take place at 1000 EST at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.

"This is the same cathedral where (Archbishop) Sheen was ordained a priest 100 years ago, on Sept. 20, 1919," said a Peoria diocesan news release. "It seems entirely fitting that the beatification will take place at the end of this 100-year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood."

The beatification was scheduled just weeks after the conclusion of a lengthy legal battle between the Peoria diocese and the Archdiocese of New York over the final resting place of the late prelate's remains. His remains are presently entombed in a marble vault in the Peoria cathedral, next to the altar where he was ordained.

Walt has mentioned or written about Archbishop Sheen several times over the years. The most popular of these post is "Venerable Fulton J. Sheen interviewed by Wm. F. Buckley Jr.", WWW 14/7/19, which features a 53-minute video of the prelate's appearance on William F. Buckley's Firing Line TV programme. Although the interview is almost half a century old, it still provides many insights which are relevant to a world... and a Church... which has become much worse in the intervening years.

Ven. Fulton J.Sheen asks: Who will save the Catholic Church?

Worth reading: "Bishop Strickland to Fellow Bishops: Wake Up and Smell the Apostasy", by Chris Ferrara, on the Fatima Center website, 25/7/19.

Another thought from Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Walt is out of town. Ed.

VIDEO: Venerable Fulton J. Sheen interviewed by Wm. F. Buckley Jr.

We have a long (53:20) and serious video for you, suitable for a Sunday when one should spend at least some time reflecting on higher matters. This is Episode 186 of Firing Line with William F. Buckley, Jr., recorded on 6 January 1970. Mr. Buckley's guest is Archbishop Fulton J.Sheen, whose earthly remains have recently been returned to the Diocese of Peoria and whose cause for beatification is now proceeding. Although the interview is almost half a century old, it still provides many insights which are relevant to a world which has become much worse in the intervening years.

Thought for the day from Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

We last visited the cause for the canonization of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, officially opened in 2002, in November of 2013. See "Cause for beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to proceed", WWW 19/11/16. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that the prelate had "lived a life of heroic virtues" -- a major step towards beatification -- and was thus to be referred to as "Venerable."

There was then a dispute between the Diocese of Peoria, which was Abp. Sheen's home, and the Archdiocese of New York, where his earthly remains were interred at St Patrick's Cathedral. On June 7th, the final appeal by the Archdiocese of New York was rejected yet again by the New York Court of Appeals. With that definitive ruling, the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Peoria cooperated in making arrangements for the transfer of the body to Peoria, according to Church and civil law.

And so, early in the morning of June 27th, the earthly remains of Archbishop Sheen were returned at last to the Diocese of Peoria and the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where he will be interred in a shrine prepared and waiting for him. Most Rev Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria, announced that the cause for beatification had resumed. And on July 5th, Pope Francis approved a miracle that occurred through the intercession of Archbishop Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification.

A modest suggestion: the Christian Republic of America!

Since the rise of the Taliban, al-Qaeda and ISIS, and the beginning of the Gulf Wars, American presidents have routinely told the sheeple that the jihadis are trying to kill us because they hate us. Why so? Democratic presidents say it's because the USA has freedom and democracy and equal rights for wimmin and gays and vizmins, yada yada yada. Republicans say it's because the camel jockeys are jealous of America's wealth, high standard of living, freedom and democracy, yada yada yada.

There is some truth in all of that, but the real reason why the Islamic terrorists are so devout, so strong in their Muslim faith that they're willing to die for it -- never mind about the 72 virgins -- goes deeper than that. It has to do with Islamic values, in which they believe, as contrasted with Christian values, which we say we believe, but really don't.

I was thinking about that on Sunday when Father Duffy was preaching a good Lenten homily about turning away from sin and turning back to the Gospel. (That's what priests in the mainstream Church say nowadays when they make the Sign of the Cross on your forehead with ashes. What ever happened to "Remember man ["person"? Ed.] that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return!" But I digress...)

I confess that my mind wandered a bit from what the good Father was saying to a passage I read in The State of Africa, by Martin Meredith (rev. 2011, Simon & Schuster), a worthwhile analysis of how the Dark Continent (including, in this case, the Arab north) came to be in its present parlous state. In Chapter 25 [It's not a short book. Ed.], "In the Name of the Prophet", the author introduces readers to Sayyid Qutb, "an Egyptian intellectual-activist whose writings influenced generations of radical Islamists.

"Once an admirer of the West and Western literature, he...turned into a formidable critic as a result of a two-year stay in the United States in the late 1940s, appalled by what he saw as its moral decadence, its materialism, racism and sexual depravity. Returning to Egypt in 1951, he became a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood...."

"Moral decadence, materialism, racism and sexual depravity." Indeed. And that was in the 1940s! Before the hippy-dippy `60s, when, IMHO, our Western society really began to fall apart. Those things -- particularly moral decadence and sexual depravity -- are all contrary to the values and principles of life taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ and enjoined by His Church. Yet today, those are hallmarks of our so-called Christian society.

Sayyid Qutb became one of the leading voices of the Islamic revolution, calling for the establishment, by force if necessary, of a pan-Arab theocratic state -- an Islamic republic -- in which the evils of Western society would be rejected and a society established which would be run according to the strict Islamic principles of Sharia law.

A theocratic state, like today's Islamic Republic of Iran, in which the Seven Deadly Sins are punished not just in the next world but here on earth. What would it be like, I thought, if the Ten Commandments were strictly followed in Western society. If, say, people had their  hands cut off for stealing or were stoned to death for adultery, as they sometimes are under Sharia Law.

The thought made me cringe. Here in the "Christian West" we can do what we want. We can make all the graven images we want. Or commit "serial monogamy", which is really just adultery licensed by the state. Or kill millions of innocent children and be paid by the state for doing it. Or perform every kind of what used to be called "unnatural acts".

The state doesn't care. The mainstream Church herself has pretty much stopped preaching against these sins, because... well... "everybody's doing it". Those bemoaning the fact that our Western society has "lost its moral compass" might well consider the alternative presented by Islam -- a theocracy, a confessional state with a state religion and strict laws against all those things which we know are wrong but tolerate in ourselves and others because we don't want to appear old-fashioned and (horror of horrors) religious!

How about establishing "the Christian Republic of America"? That's my brilliant idea for a better society:"One nation under God." Oh... wait... Really??? But I didn't think it would look like this!

Recommended reading: Freedom Under God, by Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, republished 2013 by Economic Justice Media. For "Communism", against which Msgr. Sheen was arguing, substitute "Islamism". Click here to read the Goodreads review. Key thought: Individual life as well as marriage and the family are also in grave danger as the State continues to expand its power to fill the vacuum left by the growing powerlessness of ordinary people.

The connection between Our Lady of Fatima and Islam

May 13th will the 100th anniversary of the first Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the three seers, Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco and Sister Lucia dos Santos*.

Of all the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, those of Our Lady of Fatima are among the most famous. On 13 May 1917, the seers took their sheep to graze near the Portuguese farming town of Fatima when they saw a figure of a woman dressed in white, holding a rosary. After this first appearance, the Blessed Virgin returned on the 13th of every month from May until October, with a message calling the faithful to repentance, reparation and prayer, and a warning of dire consequences should the requests of Heaven not be heeded.

In 1930, Holy Mother Church proclaimed the supernatural character of the Apparitions and a shrine was erected at Fatima. It was visited by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and millions of lesser personages including Walt and a number of his agents.

Many years ago, Ven. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen devoted one of his famous TV talks to the Fatima Apparitions. (The program includes clips from the 1952 Warner Bros. movie, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima. Click here to see the trailer for the movie.) He pointed out that everything God does, including the Apparitions, is done for a reason. So we may ask ourselves, why Fatima, and whether the Message of Fatima has any relevance for us, nearly a century later.

Readers with some knowledge of Islam will recognize "Fatima" as the name of the youngest daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam. She is the object of the veneration, love, and respect of all Muslims. During the Islamic occupation of the Iberian peninsula (711-1492 AD), a Muslim chieftain who ruled the region named an obscure village in what is today northern Portugal after his daughter, who in turned was named after Mohammed's daughter.

Why would the Blessed Virgin choose to appear in such a place, "the middle of nowhere"? Why not Lisbon, or Madrid, or Rome? The answer may well be that She chose to appear at Fatima as a sign that Islam will one day be converted. That's what Ven. Bishop Sheen believed, and since the Message of Fatima is about the conversion and salvation of souls, that's what we should believe and pray for. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

* Footnote: The cause for the beatification of Sister Lucia dos Santos is nearing success. The Catholic News Agency reported last month that 15,000 pages of evidence have been collected, over the course of eight years, and will soon be sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints for approval.

Cause for beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to proceed

Two and a half years ago, Walt was saddened to report that the cause for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen had stalled, because of a dispute between the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Peoria over the location of his remains.

Before a beatification can be finalized, the remains of the deceased must be inspected and first-class relics prepared. This would normally be done in the place where the person to be beatified was buried. Archbishop Sheen is buried in the crypt of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, but the cause for beatification is being led by the Diocese of Peoria, where Archbishop Sheen was born and raised, and began his priesthood. Hence the conflict.

This week, New York Judge (((Arlene Bluth))) ruled that Archbishop Sheen's remains should be transferred from New York to Peoria, as requested by the late prelate's family, who showed that in his will the archbishop had indicated a desire to be buried in a cemetery in Queens, New York -- a wish the archdiocese had apparently ignored. The judge said that it was "understandable and important" that the family now wished to have Archbishop Sheen buried in Peoria, since the move would resolve the ecclesiastical conflict that has blocked the cause for the archbishop's beatification.

Cause for beatification of Abp. Sheen stalled by fight over his corpse

Walt has been following the cause for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who could be called the first (and only) Catholic televangelist. Walt hesitates to use that word, though, as it calls to mind a negative stereotype. Abp. Sheen was was not the "hallelujah-send-me-your-love-offerings" type. Rather, in his Life Is Worth Living TV series, he brought understanding of the Faith and hope for salvation to millions in America and around the world.

In January 2011, Walt posted "Cause for beatification of Archbishop Sheen revived". 18 months later we read "Archbishop Sheen a step closer to being beatified". And this past June came the good news "Vatican experts verify authenticity of miracle attributed to intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen".

The miracle referred to was the revival -- bringing back to life -- of Bonnie Engstrom's stillborn baby, after she prayed for Archbishop Sheen's intercession. That miracle should fulfill the last formal requirement for the prelate's beatification, but, as Andrea Tornielli reports in his Vatican Insider blog, there's been a hitch.

Earlier this week, Most Rev. Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria, announced "with immense sadness" that the Vatican has decided to suspend the cause for Archbishop Sheen's beatification, after failing to reach an agreement with the Archdiocese of New York about the transfer of Archbishop Sheen's remains.

The problem is that, before a beatification can be finalized, the remains of the deceased must be inspected and first-class relics prepared. This would normally be done in the place where the person to be beatified was buried. Archbishop Sheen is buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, as the Archdiocese insists was his wish, but the cause for beatification is being led by the Diocese of Peoria, where Archbishop Sheen was born and raised, and began his priesthood. Hence the conflict.

Bishop Jenky said that he had been "personally assured on several occasions" that the New York archdiocese would cooperate in the transfer, but New York officials later withdrew their support and Vatican officials were unable to negotiate an agreement. Rev. Joseph Zwilling, speaking for the Archdiocese of New York, said on the day following Bishop Jenky's announcement that the archdiocese had not received any order from the Vatican for removal of Archbishop Sheen's remains. And, he added, the Sheen family does not wish the archbishop's remains to be moved.

It all seems rather unseemly, doesn't it. The word "unchristian" springs to mind. Mrs. Engstrom told a Catholic newspaper that her family was "incredibly saddened and confused" by the news that the cause had stalled, but she would continue to pray for an end to the impasse. As should all good Catholics.

Vatican experts verify authenticity of miracle attributed to intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Catholics praying for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen may well offer a prayer of thanks, as a panel of theologians has approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation announced that the Vatican experts had verified the authenticity of the miracle, which involved the revival of an infant who had appeared to be stillborn. In March, a panel of physicians had found that there was no medical explanation for the child's recovery.

The miracle still requires formal approval from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. If the Pope Francis then authorizes the release of a decree certifying the miracle, all requirements would be fulfilled for the beatification of Archbishop Sheen. Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria IL, Archbishop Sheen's hometown, said that there is "no timeline" for the final Vatican approval of the miracle, or the scheduling of a beatification ceremony. He did say, however, that the beatification would be held in Peoria.

According to Catholic tradition, beatification is the first step on the road to sainthood. Normally -- although it's hard to say what is "normal" at the Vatican these days -- a second miracle is required for canonization.

Desperate Catholic Church now offering sainthood to anyone who attends Mass regularly

Earlier today (see preceding post) Walt mentioned the long and complex process involved in canonizing someone -- making them a saint of the One True Church. I was talking about Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who died in 1979 and has only now been credited with the first of two miracles necessary to canonization.

Too bad that Archbishop Sheen wasn't alive today, as the Church seems about to relax the rules a little. Agent 36 alerts us to this report from the Onion.

VATICAN CITY—Alerting faithful around the world to changes regarding its process of beatification and canonization, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi announced today that the Roman Catholic Church will now bestow sainthood on any man or woman who attends weekly mass on a regular basis.

"After careful deliberation and prayer, the Church has elected to enter any believer into the Canon of Saints so long as he or she is pure of heart and shows up to mass once a week, or even three out of four times a month," Lombardi wrote in a statement distributed to all dioceses worldwide, noting that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will promptly begin taking up the cases of any parishioner who arrives on time and stays for the whole thing.

"We are also waiving the requirement that individuals be dead before attaining sainthood. As long as you take Communion and stick around for a few minutes after the service, you're pretty much in. You can be patron saint of anything you want—good health, food, music, whatever—as long as you're sitting in that pew."

Lombardi said that in addition to revising canonization procedures, the Vatican would now allow anyone who attends mass to put on the priest's vestments at the end of the service and play the church's organ if they want.

It's satire, right?! But like all good satire, it's based on the truth. A new Pew Research Center survey has found that indeed, Holy Mother Church is having trouble putting posteriors in the pews -- this in spite of the rock star popularity of Francis the Party Pope.

According to the survey, 85% of American Catholics have a favourable view of the second of two living popes. That's up from 79% in September. The first of the two, Benedict XVI, was viewed favourably by 67% to 83% in the past. JPII got higher ratings than both of them, ranging from 91% to 93% in past surveys.

Dear Catholic readers, what lesson do we learn from this? Just about anyone who sits on the Throne of Peter is bound to be viewed in a positive light by the majority of Catholics, no matter who he is or what he does.

But will the same majority pay attention to his teachings? Errr, no. According to the same survey, 63% of Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly -- the candidates for sainthood mentioned above -- want the Church to change Her teaching on birth control. 72% want to allow priests to get married. 68% support women’s ordination to the priesthood. And 50% support same-sex "marriage".

The percentages are even higher among Catholics who attend Mass less than once a week. That whirring noise you hear underneath you would be the sound of real saints spinning in their graves.

Cause for beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen makes progress

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was the first Catholic TV star. (OK, there was Ed Sullivan, but we're talking about a Catholic clergyman!) His programme, Life Is Worth Living, began in 1951 and attracted millions of viewers in prime time. At one time the most popular programme on American TV, it can still be seen in reruns and on YouTube.

In October of 1979, two months before the prelate's death, Pope John Paul II visited St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and embraced him, saying, "You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church." And so he was.

In due course a cause for Archbishop Sheen's canonization was opened. Yesterday the President of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, Most Rev. Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria, announced that a team of medical experts has verified the authenticity of a miracle attributed to Archbishop Sheen's intercession. This moves the beloved preacher a step closer to beatification.

The panel of experts, appointed by the Vatican, found no medical explanation for the case of a child who was restored to life after being stillborn. Medical personnel had tried for an hour to revive the child, without success, while the parents prayed for the intercession of Archbishop Sheen. The child, born in September 2010, is now a healthy 3-year-old.

The reported miracle will now be examined by a team of theologians. If they approve, it will then be submitted to the entire Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The final approval of the miracle would fulfill the last requirement for the beatification of Cardinal Sheen, who was proclaimed “Venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2012.

Click here to visit a website which includes links to 48 audio files (MP3) of Archbishop Sheen's teachings on Life is Worth Living. Younger Catholics raised on the wishy-washy catechism which followed Vatican II should hear these clear and powerful statements of the True Faith, the traditional Faith of Our Fathers.

Finally, Walt offers one -- just one -- of the many talks by Archbishop Sheen which you can find on YouTube. This is one of the later ones, not a recording of the TV show, although there are plenty of those too. Since we are just beginning Lent, it will do us good -- you and me -- to listen to this reflection on sin, guilt and the Sacrament of Confession. (There's no such sacrament in the modern Church. Now they call it "reconciliation" and nobody talks about it much because it makes us feel... well... you know... kind of guilty.)

Archbishop Sheen a step closer to being beatified

Some good news (for a change) out of the Vatican. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has been declared “venerable” and may now be beatified if a miracle is attributed to his intercession.

On June 28th, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints announced the new honour as one of a series of decrees regarding candidates for beatification and canonization. The Congregation's statement says that Archbishop Sheen, whose television preaching made him one of America’s best-known public figures in the 1960s, had lived a life of “heroic virtue” and thus qualified for the title “venerable”.

As reported here almost 18 months ago, progress towards Archbishop Sheen's beatification had been slowed by a conflict between the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Peoria, with each claiming responsibility for the cause. The Peoria diocese finally completed a dossier on the prelate’s life and submitted it to the Vatican last year.

Walt has searched YouTube and came up with a talk by Archbishop Sheen on a subject dear to my heart: the Church's condemnation of Communism and the Message of Our Lady of Fatima. Here's the first of three parts.



And here's Part II.



The last part of Archbishop Sheen's talk contains an excerpt from the MGM movie "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima". If you haven't time to watch all three clips, this is the one you must see!



Archbishop Sheen was silenced by death. We can say that God was merciful to him, not allowing him to see how, in the wake of the "reforms" of Vatican II, the Church has not just forgotten about Fatima, but -- led by Cardinals Sodano and now Bertone -- has tried to suppress Our Lady's Message.

Is Benedict XVI himself part of the conspiracy? Is that the terrible secret Bertone is using to cling to power in the Vatican? Walt feels we are in the last times of which Our Lady spoke. She told us that in the end Her Immaculate Heart would prevail. We need to keep praying "So let it be."

Click here to see the complete MGM movie "The Miracle of Fatima" on YouTube. It's in colour, by the way; the only reason it's shown in black and white in the clip above is that Archbishop Sheen's TV show was in black and white.

Cause for beatification of Archbishop Sheen revived

Do you remember Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen? Half a century ago, I was informed, educated and motivated by his then-popular TV show, "Life is Worth Living". I can still remember Bishop Sheen, as he then was, walking over to a chalk-board, writing "JMJ" at the top of it, and proceeding to preach clearly and plainly The Gospel of God's love for us.

Fulton John Sheen was born on May 8,1895 in El Paso, Illinois. He was baptized "Peter John", but soon became known by his mother’s maiden name, "Fulton". The family moved to Peoria where the young Sheen attended school and served as an altar boy at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Turning down a scholarship for graduate school, he followed his desire to become a priest and entered St. Paul’s Seminary in Minnesota.

He was ordained a priest on September 20, 1919 in the Peoria Cathedral. Father Sheen went on to become Archbishop Fulton John Sheen, a universally popular evangelist, radio/TV personality, writer and missionary. He is best known for his television series, which had a viewing audience of over 30 million.

On October 3, 1979 Archbishop Sheen had an audience with Pope John Paul II at which the Pope embraced Sheen and gave a perfect summary of his life and work: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You have been a loyal son of the Church!” He died on December 9, 1979 in his private chapel in his Manhattan apartment.

In 2002, Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC, of the Diocese of Peoria, officially opened the cause for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification and canonization. Work on the cause was suspended last November out of frustration with the failure of the Archdiocese of New York to transfer the archbishop's remains to his home town. While that dispute remains unresolved, Bishop Jenky has received encouragement from many other American prelates to continue work on the cause.

The Archbishop Sheen Foundation, established to promote the cause, has announced that Bishop Jenky is again actively pursuing the inquiry and is “hopeful that the cause will advance quickly.” Click here to read the Foundation's news release. Please support their work through your prayers and donations.

Pray too for vocations. The Church -- and the world -- needs many good and holy priests and bishops like Fulton J. Sheen to preach the True Faith.