The Venerable Archbishop Sheen, soon to be known as Blessed Fulton Sheen, was a man of many gifts. We should add, however, that his gifts were lavish and reflected a most generous God. He was a clear-headed philosopher, a brilliant essayist, and possessed an illuminating way with words. He was not quite the philosopher that St. Thomas Aquinas was. As an essayist, he tipped his cap to G. K. Chesterton. And as a writer, he knelt before Shakespeare. He was skilled at telling jokes, but he was indebted to those who coined them. He bowed his head before his four favorite writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He may not have been the world’s most accomplished polyglot, but he did have proficiency, in addition to his native tongue, in Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and German. In his rules for speaking, he suggested that the speaker tell a story in which he comes out second—that a display of humility is essential. Despite his many gifts, Sheen was not so much proud of his gifts as thankful to a beneficent God. His gratitude far exceeded whatever vestige of pride he had.
Sheen came in second, even a far distant second, from stalwarts who preceded him, but there was one gift he had that no doubt would have topped Aquinas, Chesterton, and Shakespeare. And that was his voice. That resonant voice was first heard in a room above his father’s hardware store on May 8, 1895. His uncle would say that “You could hear him crying for three blocks.”
That voice, transmitted over radio and television, imprinted on tapes, and heard from the pulpit was needed to render with beautiful clarity the richness of his message. God did not shortchange him. Archbishop Sheen was not only “America’s Bishop”—an identity that Thomas C. Reeves chose to title his biography—he was the “Voice of the Catholic Church.”
Concerning his voice, one writer had this to say:
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen’s voice was famous for its rich, theatrical, and commanding tone. He had a rapid-fire yet deeply articulate speaking style, characterized by a booming oratorical resonance, dramatic pauses, and a slight Midwestern-tinged American accent that made his Catholic radio and TV broadcasts incredibly magnetic.
Sheen was considered a master of the “pregnant pause,” using a moment of silence to allow the point he was making to sink in before he delivered the punch line. He had a great voice, but he also knew how to use it to achieve the best results.
He was dubbed “God’s microphone.” This is an amusing hyperbole that Sheen would not have accepted, though it seemed to suit him. John Facenda achieved national fame as a narrator for NFL films. His voice was so well suited for conveying the power and glory of national league football games that he was known to his fans as “The Voice of God.” The human voice has the power to mesmerize, as delivered by male crooners. It also has the ability to thrill and inspire, as in grand opera.
Sheen audio tapes are being advertised as “The voice that brought the faith to millions.” Sheen would have pointed out that it was not his voice that brought faith to his listeners, but the grace of God. Nonetheless, just as a church, as well as priests’ vestments, should be beautiful, it is fitting that the voice of the homilist should also be beautiful.
While it is reasonable to state that Archbishop Sheen was “The voice of the Catholic Church” during his time, there was another “voice” from which Sheen distanced himself. That was the Voice of America. In 1949, he wrote an article that was published in the New York Times criticizing the Voice of America broadcasts to the Soviet Union that emphasized material glories while ignoring spiritual and moral values. People tuned into the Voice of America “are not sighing for a day,” Sheen wrote, “when they will have our business men selling them our tractors, but rather they are sighing for the churches and monasteries which can be rebuilt when Russia once again becomes holy.”
We do not know what the voice of God is like. The Bible informs us that God spoke to Moses at the “burning bush” and identified Himself with words of profound significance: “I Am Who Am.” The sound of the real voice of God is unknown to us, yet it confirms the fact that the “voice” is of such intense importance that it is an aspect of the divinity.
What we listen to is of vital importance. Truth and falsehood are equally comfortable in the ear. The mind must discern which voice we should follow. Bishop Sheen’s voice will not fall into silence. Technology that was not available at the time of the burning bush will prevent Sheen’s voice from slipping into oblivion. We can trust the voice of Bishop Sheen. It is linked with the Word of God.
Sheen taught that the voice is a crucial instrument of divine communication. He emphasized that the voice should blend truth with love. He stated that a person’s ultimate “voice” is how well he lived. He also believed that it is through the voice, more than through any other medium, that the Gospel message is communicated. Christ Himself did not write a single word. His mission was largely by word of mouth.
We ask Blessed Fulton J. Sheen to raise his voice on our behalf before the throne of God.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
