Fulton John Sheen (May 8, 1895-December 9, 1979) was an American Catholic Bishop whose powerful communication style and pioneer use of the television helped shape the conscience of the nation during his lifetime.
He was professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of America, 1927-50; bishop of Rochester, New York, 1966-69; and in 1952 won an Emmy for outstanding male personality on television. His works include:
Peace of Soul, Lift Up Your Heart; Three to Get Married; Life is Worth Living; and The Life of Christ. Named as one of the ten most important Americans in 1953, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen described true Americanism as:
<....the belief in the freedom of man as a divine derivative. For that reason if we wish to keep pure Americanism we must keep our religion...Dictatorships, such as the Communists, regard man only as a stomach to be fed by the state, or as a tool to amass wealth for the state. Put men on that level and they need no religion, any more than animals need religion, or a monkey needs liturgy.
Democracy has to rely not on force but on freedom and liberty. But freedom and liberty are inseparable from responsibility, and responsibility is inseparable from conscience, and conscience is inseparable from religion.> 1895FS001
In commenting on Communism, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote:
<One may hate Communism as an evil system, but still love the Communists as creatures made to the image and likeness of God and capable of Divine Redemption.> 1895FS002
On December 24, 1954, Bishop Fulton Sheen's comment upon receiving a Look award for his television addresses was quoted in Faye Emerson's column of the New York World-Telegram & Sun:
<I feel it is time that I also pay tribute to my four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.> 1895FS003
On December 14, 1955, in Look magazine, Bishop Fulton Sheen stated:
<An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support.> 1895FS004
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote in Moral Convictions, 1962:
<The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision. It is a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.> 1895FS005
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
1895FS001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Fulton John Sheen. Jessie Clayton Adams, More Than Money (San Antonio, TX: The Naylor Company, 1953), p. 68. Courtesy of the personal library of Mike Gross.
1895FS002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Fulton John Sheen. Jessie Clayton Adams, More Than Money (San Antonio, TX: The Naylor Company, 1953), p. 69. Courtesy of the personal library of Mike Gross.
1895FS003. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Fulton John Sheen, December 24, 1954, comment upon receiving a Look award for his television addresses, quoted in Faye Emerson's column of the New York World-Telegram & Sun. James Beasely Simpson, Best Quotes of '54, '55, '56 (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1957), p. 86.
1895FS004. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Fulton John Sheen, December 14, 1955, statement, Look Magazine. James Beasely Simpson, Best Quotes of '54, '55, '56 (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1957), p. 143.
1895FS005. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Fulton John Sheen, Moral Convictions, 1962