Fulton Sheen's Cause for Sainthood & Louis Budenz

A few days ago I read an article by CNA (Catholic News Agency) on the prospects of the canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979). If you're over 60 you probably remember the archbishop's TV show, Life is Worth Living, which was quit the hit -- it actually won an Emmy -- during the 1950s, first on the old DuMont Network and later on ABC. A lot of folks, not just Catholics, watched his show. I certainly remember watching it every week with my family and being almost mesmerized by the Archbishop's words which were delivered in a powerful voice and in dramatic style. As I recall, a later syndicated version of the show aired during the 1960s in color. And for those of you who long ago passed your sixtieth birthday, you might remember listening to the archbishop's radio show, The Catholic Hour, from 1928 to 1952. (DVDs of many of his shows and talks are available online; for example, on Amazon.)

Anyway, according to the CNA article, Pope Benedict was presented with a Positio on the archbishop's cause. The Positio, which can be quite extensive, is an outline of the cause of canonization and includes a summary of the life and holiness of the person being proposed for sainthood. Along with the Positio the pope was given many letters from bishops across the globe who support the cause. And Pope Benedict himself stated that he had fond memories of Archbishop Sheen since they had worked together on various commissions and in support of missionary work. The Positio is an initial but major step in Archbishop Sheen's cause which now moves to a group of theologians and cardinals who will further examine his life for "heroic virtue" and this is just the beginning. The Church's approach to canonization is no simple process, but is carried out with great deliberation and care.

Here's a short (2-minute) video addressing Archbishop Sheen and the cause for canonization.

On the website devoted to Archbishop Sheen's cause, Father Andrew Apostoli, a Franciscan and the vice postulator for the cause, stated that “America is in need of a Saint like Archbishop Sheen. He brought so many people closer to Christ during his life here on earth and continues to do so even today through his many writings, television and radio shows.” I know this certainly applies to me. I have hours and hours of tapes and videos of the archbishop's shows and other talks and still enjoy listening to and watching them. And I must have a half-dozen of his books, all filled with good, common-sense Christian teaching. If you never watched his show, here's a brief (about 8 minutes long) video excerpt from one of his shows from the 1950s. The subject was "The Three Greatest Confessions of History":

If you would like to view parts two and three of the show, go to these links:


Confessions Part 2

Confessions Part 3

 

I actually met Archbishop Sheen back in the mid-1970s, just a few years before he died. At the time I was teaching at the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Diane and I read in our church bulletin that the archbishop was coming to preach at the Naval Academy Chapel. He would preach first at the Sunday Catholic Mass and then at the later non-denominational Protestant service. He was absolutely wonderful. A friend who attended the Protestant service told me that an elderly woman, a retired admiral's wife seated neat to him, remarked, "My! One certainly doesn't hear preaching like that anymore!"

After the two services we had the chance to meet the archbishop at a reception hosted by the Naval Academy's Catholic Chaplain, a Navy Captain named Father John O'Connor, who later became Cardinal John O'Connor, Archbishop of New York. (That's a whole other story.) Upon meeting Archbishop Sheen I must admit I was surprised that he was so short. I suppose TV distorts and I had just assumed he was taller. Meeting him, one could not help but be drawn to his eyes, probably the most intense I had ever encountered. We shook hands, he asked about my Navy career and where I was from, we chatted about New York for a minute or two and shared thoughts about a couple of mutual acquaintances. He then gave me his blessing. It was a brief meeting, maybe five or six minutes.

Louis Budenz testifying before a Senate Sub-committee

One of those mutual acquaintances, someone I met many years earlier, was a gentleman named Louis Budenz (1891-1972). I actually met him in our living room in Larchmont, NY in the late 1950s when I was still in my early teens. Budenz was an acquaintance of my father who had invited him to dine with our family. He was a rather remarkable man. Born in Indiana and radicalized early in life, he became a communist, and eventually rose to membership on the National Committee of the Communist Party USA and editorship of the party's newspaper, The Daily Worker. But that wasn't all. Budenz also became a spy, an agent of the Soviet Union. Indeed, he was the head of the notorious Buben group of spies.

But in 1945 Budenz came to reject communism, had a conversion experience, and returned to his Catholic roots, re-entering the Church under the tutelage of, you guessed it, Bishop Fulton Sheen. Louis Budenz then became a strong anti-communist and prolific author, eventually taking a position as a professor at the Jesuit's Fordham University.

I still remember his visit to our home, largely because my father allowed me to stay up late and listen in and even take part in the conversation. I was captivated by Budenz' life story and how he came to reject communism and accept Jesus Christ and His Church. His autobiography, This Is My Story, is out of print now but well worth reading, if you can find a copy. (The link I've included is to a rather expensive used copy.) My evening with Louis Budenz was another of those memorable experiences that influenced my own thinking and continues to do so.

Blessings...