A Few Things Fulton Sheen Taught Me About Growing Older

In a few months, I will celebrate my 65^th birthday.

On that day, I will officially become a “senior citizen” and will be entitled to a few more discounts at the local shopping mall. I will also receive my first Old Age Security check. And it has already been earmarked by my ten-year-old grandson, for some candy and trips to McDonald’s for himself and his four brothers.

Reflecting on this fast-approaching milestone, I recall that about fifteen years ago, I intentionally decided to stop counting birthdays and instead start counting blessings. And it was none other than Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen who taught me this holy habit.

As a cradle Catholic, I suppose I was “late to the game,” having found Fulton Sheen’s legacy only a little more than fifteen years ago. I first discovered Fulton Sheen when I read his New York Times best-selling book, Peace of Soul, where he wrote in the first line, “Unless souls are saved, nothing is saved.” From that moment on, I was a fan.

For the next three years, I read most of his books. In my fifties, I would say that I admired Fulton Sheen’s brilliance and clarity of teaching. But now in my sixties, what I admire most is the example he gave of a peace-filled life in his later years.

But where did Fulton Sheen find that peace? We can discover the answer in the timeless lessons he taught about growing older.

Retiring or Re-treading?

On October 6, 1969, upon resigning as the Bishop of Rochester, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen memorably stated, “I am not retiring, only re-treading.”

Hearing this, I thought to myself, What a marvelous way to speak about retiring! While society was perennially teaching us to ask, “When can I stop working?”, Sheen was encouraging us to ask, “What mission has God reserved for me now?”

Reading Sheen, I learned that retirement is not the end of usefulness but may very well be the beginning of another important work. I have since met many retirees who become active grandparents, mentors, volunteers, evangelists, prayer warriors, and caregivers. They discover that while their careers may have ended, their vocation to serve with charity never does.

Perhaps growing older does entail slowing down. But as we change gears, we can ask God, “What would you have me do next?”

I was fifty-three years old in the fall of 2014, and having spent thirty years in the trades, first as a plumber and later as a business owner, I found that it had taken a toll on my health. Working sixteen-hour days had been both physically and mentally taxing. I was sensing that the time was approaching to hand over the reins to my son Michael, who had been working faithfully at my side in the family business for ten years. 

Two years earlier, in 2012, I was invited to share the works of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on my local radio station by hosting a one-hour program each week. To my surprise, this show was very well received, and within two years, it was picked up by two other radio stations as a syndicated program.

In the spring of 2013, I was inspired to visit my local diocesan seminary to give a talk to fifty seminarians and priests about the writings of Archbishop Sheen. The seminary welcomed me, but I was nervous as I stood before the seminarians and priests. Then I thought to myself that if Jesus had used fishermen, tax collectors, and tentmakers to do his work, He could certainly use a plumber from a small town in Canada to do the same.

This first presentation at my local seminary turned into five more, as every major seminary in Canada asked me to come and speak to their seminarians. Over a few months, I travelled coast to coast (in my plumbing truck!), visiting seminaries in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Following upon these experiences with radio work and seminary presentations, the idea of “re-treading rather than retiring” looked possible. So, in the summer of 2014, I trusted in God, handed the family business to my son, put down my set of pipe wrenches, traded them for a laptop and a microphone, and began sharing the wisdom of Fulton Sheen across North America and around the world.

This decision to “re-tread instead of retire” has given me some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. For me, re-treading has become a different assignment: working in the vineyard of the Lord, establishing friendships with seminarians and priests, and sharing the gospel through podcasts, presentations, and books.

You Are Made for Eternity—Get Used to It

While learning about Fulton Sheen’s appreciation for the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux, another important lesson came into focus. He recounted the story of St. Thérèse, sitting beside her father, gazing up at the evening stars. As she did so, she saw them forming the first letter of her name. In the wonder of that moment, she exclaimed, “Papa! I know that God loves me and that I will be in heaven with Him one day forever. My name is written in heaven!”

St. Thérèse grasped something which we spend a lifetime trying to understand: we are all made for eternity. Peace comes from knowing these three things:

• We are made by God for God.
• We came from God and are returning to God.
• Heaven is not wishful thinking—it is our homeland.

I remember in the year 2000 being diagnosed with cancer and having to undergo surgery and months of treatments. It was the first time I confronted the reality of death. It felt like the right time to sit down with my children and talk to them about the possibility of dying. To my surprise, our youngest daughter, Louisa, who was eight years old at the time, said to me, “Dad, remember what St. Therese taught us. We are made for eternity, and God loves us. It is going to be OK.” She gave me the reality check I needed, and a few hours later, as further encouragement, she presented me with a handwritten note that read “One Way Ticket to Heaven.” This little memento of hers still sits on my desk to remind me where my true home lies.

Thank you, Louisa, and thank you, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. God love you.

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Author’s Note: One lesser-known aspect of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s spiritual life is that he became a Third Order Carmelite in 1948, drawing great inspiration from Carmelite saints such as St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Her spirituality of childlike trust, abandonment to Divine Providence, and union with Christ profoundly shaped his preaching and writing throughout the remainder of his life.

Readers will also discover an introduction to these same Carmelite themes in my forthcoming Sophia Institute Press retreat book, The Soul of a Disciple, where Archbishop Sheen’s reflections on St. Thérèse, the Holy Face of Jesus, and the interior life are woven into a guided spiritual journey designed to draw readers closer to Christ.

Image from Wikimedia Commons