America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. SheenFulton J. Sheen, the leading American Catholic of the twentieth century, became familiar to a generation of Americans as the radiant figure in full bishop's robes who held the nation spellbound during the 1950s on his television show, 'Life Is Worth Living'. The American Catholic Church's most charismatic presence over several decades, Sheen was also its chief evangelist. Among his thousands of converts were celebrities such as Clare Booth Luce and Henry Ford II, and former communists Louis Budenz and Elizabeth Bentley. Reeves discusses these conversions and Sheen's close friendship with J. Edgar Hoover, and details for the first time the struggle between Sheen and his chief rival, Francis Cardinal Spellman, a battle of ecclesiastical titans that led all the way to the Pope and to Sheen's final humiliation and exile. The result of interviews with dozens of Sheen's friends, family members and church colleagues and the unearthing of important new material at the Sheen Archives in Rochester, New York, this is an in depth portrait of this flamboyant churchman and intellectual, and a social history of Catholicism in America during the twentieth century. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
ONE A Successor of the Apostles | 9 |
TWO The Taste of Champagne | 39 |
Copyright | |
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American Catholic April Archbishop asked audience Bishop Sheen Bishop Sheen Story Cahill called campus Cardinal Spellman Story Catholic Hour Catholic University Catholicism Christ Christian Clare Boothe Luce Communist Conniff converts Copy December declared Diocese of Rochester Edgar Hoover Edythe Brownett Eileen Sheen Khouw faith Father FBI file February Francis Spellman Fulton Sheen Hogan Holy Huntington Ibid January Joan Cunningham interview John Cardinal O'Connor Joseph June letter Living Loretta Young March Marlene Brownett Mary Mass McCarthy McNamara Monsignor National never O'Meara October official parish Passion of Fulton Patrick's Cathedral Paul Peoria philosophy Pius XII Pope prayer preached Press priests Protestant radio religion religious Rome Second Vatican Council seminary sermon Sheen Archives Sheen later Sheen told Sheen wrote soul Soviet spoke Sunday Visitor talk television thought tion Treasure in Clay United University of America Vatican II York young