Newsletter Issue Number 59 Autumn, 2012
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THE MARIAN LIBRARY International Marian Research Institute Newsletter Issue Number 59 Autumn, 2012 ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN —“Venerable Servant of God” n June 28, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI promoted winning an Emmy Award in 1953, the only time an theO decree recognizing the “heroic virtue” of Arch- Emmy award was given to a religious program in bishop Fulton J. Sheen, which is a significant step prime-time television. He wrote ninety-six books, on the road to being a saint of the Catholic Church. with Peace of Soul (1949), and Life is Worth Living At this stage, Archbishop Sheen’s title is “Vener- (1953) as the most popular. Among the notable able Servant of God.” The cause for canonization converts to Catholicism whom he influenced were was first opened in New York by Cardinal John Heywood Broun, Louis Budenz, Clare Boothe Luce. O’Connor. In 2002, Bishop David R. Jenky, CSC, of The televangelist Robert Schuler of the Crystal Peoria, Illinois, the birthplace and home diocese of Cathedral had a bronze stature of Bishop Sheen Bishop Sheen, began the official diocesan inquiry. included among his great American preachers. Examination of testimony from acquaintances and Bishop Sheen’s programs, always concluding with his writings produced 10,000 pages that were then “Good-bye now, and God loves you,” attracted summarized in two volumes called Positio stating people of all faiths. the reasons that Fulton Sheen should be recognized by the Church as a saint. These volumes were The Marian Library of studied by theologians, bishops, and scholars from the University of Day- the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. The ton was happy to honor process continues, and the reported miraculous him as the first recipient healing of a stillborn baby through the Venerable of the Marian Library Bishop Sheen’s intercession is now being studied. Medal. On June 10, 1953, Fr. Lawrence Mon- Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) was among the most well- heim, S.M., at the time known churchmen of the twentieth century. He director of the Marian was born in El Paso, Illinois; he attended St. Mary’s Library, presented the School, Spalding Institute, Peoria, Illinois (at the award to him in New time staffed by the Brothers of Mary), St. Viator’s York City for his book College and Seminary in Bourbannais, Illinois, Fr. Lawrence Monheim, S.M., pre- The World’s First Love, St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Catholic senting the Marian Library Medal a work which revealed University of America and the Catholic University to Sheen in 1953 the bishop’s love of and of Louvain in Belgium. He was ordained to the devotion to the Blessed Mother, as well as his posi- priesthood in St. Mary’s Cathedral for the diocese tive approach to religious questions. of Peoria, in 1919. Shortly thereafter, he became a teacher of philosophy at Catholic University in “Everyone,” he wrote, Washington, DC. In 1950, he became the national “wants something to live director of the Society for the Propagation of the for; everyone is seeking Faith (which he described as “the greatest philan- God through the pursuit of thropic and charitable organization in the world”), life, knowledge, and love.” then Auxiliary Bishop of New York, and finally Similarly, when speaking Archbishop of Rochester (1966-1969). He died in about Our Blessed Mother, New York in 1979. he began by saying “Ev- eryone carries within his An extraordinary communicator, he began in 1932 heart a blueprint of the one the “Catholic Hour” radio programs (broadcast on he loves.” Mary is “what Sunday afternoon and continuing for twenty-two God wanted us all to be.... years). From 1951 to 1957, he hosted the highly she speaks of herself as acclaimed television series “Life is Worth Living,” the ‘eternal blueprint in the Mind of God,’ the one whom God loved before she was a creature.” “Everyone carries within The first part ofThe World’s First Love is devoted to the two pivotal doctrines of the Immaculate Con- his heart a ception and the Assumption. The opening chapter speaks of God’s love for Mary: “Everyone is in love blueprint of with an ideal love. That ideal love is . the same ideal that God had in his heart from all eternity the one he – the Lady whom he called ‘Mother.’” The Assump- tion corresponds to the two fundamental human loves.” desires – love and life. God’s love for Mary lifted her; it exerted a gravitational pull. The Assump- tion affirms the beauty of all life, including the life that continues after death. The second part of The World’s First Love deals with humanity’s love of quently concluded his Marian programs reciting Mary: “The Woman the World Loves.” The seven the poem “Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue.” recorded words of Mary are related to the “Seven Laws of Love.” The final chapter, “The Madonna of His autobiography Treasure in Clay is an honest the World,” describes how the peoples of the world account acknowledging his successes along with – including the ancient civilizations, Muslims, the his weaknesses. He speaks of sufferings coming Chinese – have sought the Eternal Feminine, most from others and also of tensions between members clearly exemplified in the Virgin Mary. of the Church. Although, he said, the media would love a chapter on the Church people with whom he When his television competitors asked him who his had difficulties, “better,” he said, “to leave judge- writers were, he replied “Matthew, Mark, Luke, ment to God.” and John.” Along with Scripture, his “intellectual larder” included classical philosophy and litera- With this broad spirit, he recalled some of his ture, poetry, while he always searched for some experiences from his high-school years at Spald- opening to the human heart. At the bishop’s death, ing Institute, Peoria. He recalled that in his senior the Jesuit periodical America stated that the secret year he was the class valedictorian, “although the of his power was the joining of “an educated and Brothers were never very well pleased with me as thinking head with a generous and feeling heart, ” a valedictorian.” He also remembered how he lost calling him “the greatest evangelizer in the history the trigonometry award because he did not listen to of the Catholic Church in the United States.” the instructions to the very end: His life gives witness to many practices which A trigonometry medal was given at the end of were part of the Catholic life. On his blackboard on the year for the highest mark in that subject. television he began by writing JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Ralph Buechel and I were tied, each with 100 Joseph), a practice he he learned from a Sister percent for the year. To work off the tie, three in grade school. The “daily three Hail Mary’s” he problems in trigonometry were given to us in remembered from the Brothers of Mary in high a special examination. The third problem I school. At his ordination, he resolved to spend one recalled from the trigonometry book; as soon as hour every day in prayer before the Blessed Sacra- the Brother started reading it, I worked it out ment, and to celebrate Mass every Saturday in from memory. When the papers were examined, honor of the Blessed Mother. He made over thirty I received 66 and 2/3 percent; Ralph received pilgrimages to Lourdes and ten to Fatima. He fre- 100 percent and the medal. I said to the Brother afterward: I think that third problem of mine was right because I remember it from the manual.” “Oh,” he said, “yes, it was right according to the book, but you were not listening to me; so I changed the angle of the flagpole and that is the reason you lost the medal.” Nevertheless, he had graciously stated that the Brothers of Mary were “excellent teachers, given TIME Magazine cover, to discipline, yet much beloved.” n April 14, 1952 2 HOLY CARDS: An Enduring and Endearing Catholic Tradition atholics are familiar with holyC cards: small, religious images on paper that have long been distributed to children in Catholic school, during catechisms and given as remembrances of bap- countless other aspects. The Marian tisms, First Communions, Library houses tens of thousands of or bereavements. They are holy cards with collections that repre- often carried privately in the sent a comprehensive range of Marian pocket or wallet, or slipped topics, artistic styles, techniques (in- into the pages of a Bible or cluding delicate paper lace and cards prayerbook; serving as simple handpainted with exquisite detail), and personal reminders of a as well as historical, rare, and unique significant religious event or cards, in addition to current printings. devotion. A well-represented era in the Library’s The earliest known holy cards collections is the late 19th century, were handmade in European monasteries using particularly cards of French origin. Parisian pub- xylography, a woodcut printing technique. These lishers like Bouasse Lebel, Charles Letaille, and early images were often printed onto parch- others began printing holy cards on paper “lace.” ment (a material made from animal skin), dating This quite popular and exquisite feature, surpris- back to the 15th century. With the invention of ingly, was not originally intended to create a pat- the printing press as well as the spread of paper tern of lacelike designs, yet was a happy accident production in Europe around 1500, cards began of the embossing process. The accidental lace was to be produced more abundantly. As production quickly adopted as a technique and is quite repre- broadened outside of the monastic communities, sentative of holy cards of this provenance.