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Views from the Choir Loft

Fulton J. Sheen • World’s Most Progressive Bishop?

Jeff Ostrowski · May 4, 2017

620 DRAFTS EARS AGO, I knew a seminarian named Mario Portella, who was later ordained a priest and now resides in Florence. In the 1990s, he gave me a VHS cassette—the current generation won’t know what that is—containing a video produced in 1941. The film location was Our Lady of Sorrows, on the west side of Chicago. You’ll notice this film was helpful in assembling drafts for the Campion Hymnal when you click on the upper right image.

The narrator was MONSIGNOR FULTON J. SHEEN, who would be consecrated a bishop ten years later. (He was already a huge radio star by 1941.) If you think about it, this was quite a progressive thing to do. 1

Consider what America was like in 1941. The Second World War was raging, and America would soon begin fighting. Moreover, very few people had television in those days! Only after WW2 did television become popular in America. For whom was this film intended? Was it played in theaters? I doubt that; yet the production is masterful. 2

In the following excerpt, notice how the commentary fits perfectly, multiple camera angles are used, the ceremonies are done with precision, and they even include “text” shots:


The ancient Mass was discovered by a new generation in the 1990s, and has taken off in a way nobody expected. That’s why I included some film from 2017 toward the end of that excerpt.

197 Fulton J Sheen Fulton J. Sheen might also be considered “progressive” in that he took political stances. His entire life, he fought communism. The following excerpt by Sheen is interesting, because which of us can waltz into the President’s office?

HE SUBJECT OF COMMUNISM became intense during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. One incident of that period is worth recalling. The foreign policy of the United States was considering lifting the embargo against sending arms to the Communists in Spain. In order to combat this movement, a meeting was held in Constitution Hall, Washington. The speakers were three: a former Spanish ambassador, a young woman who had been in Spain and had fought against the Communists, and myself. Thousands were turned away from Constitution Hall. It is very likely that this meeting had something to do with the breaking down of the movement to send arms to the Communists.

The day after that meeting in Constitution Hall, I had a meeting with President Roosevelt. Its purpose really was to ask for an assignment to the Housing Committee for a friend of mine who was defeated for a second term in Congress. I was always opposed to asking any favor from a politician, but because this man had been a good friend of mine for years, I broke my resolution.

When I went in to see President Roosevelt he was angry. I thought he was angry with the Secretary of War, who had just left the office. I soon learned that he was angry with me. He had the Washington Post laid upright before him on the desk. When I came in, he began: “There is one thing that I will not tolerate in this country, and that is giving speeches such as you gave last night in Constitution Hall.” I asked: “What was said, Mr. President, that offended you?” He read a line from the paper. I knew no such statement had been made. I then asked: “Mr. President, let me see the paper.” Recognizing that he was not quoting from the speeches at Constitution Hall, but from another meeting in Washington, he quickly rumpled up the paper and threw it into the wastebasket: “You must take my word when I say anything.” “I can take your word,” I assured him, “unless it is not true.”

President Roosevelt said: “You think you know a great deal about the Church’s attitude toward communism, don’t you? I want to tell you that I am in touch with a great authority who tells me the Church wants the Communists to win in Spain.” I said: “Mr. President, I am not the least bit impressed with your authority.” He said: “I did not tell you who it was.” I said: “You are referring to Cardinal Mundelein, and I know that Cardinal Mundelein never made the statement that you have attributed to him.”

He then changed the subject, and began attacking the Archbishop of Baltimore. He said: “Imagine, that man who is seated on the chair that was once occupied by a cousin of mine called the Ambassador from Spain to the United States a ‘liar.’ I will have no dealings with any man who cannot contain himself and uses words of this kind to destroy public servants.” And he went on: “Another thing, one of my bodyguards went over to St. Augustine’s Church last Sunday. He said that the priest asked parishioners to join a protest against Roosevelt, who is in favor of sending arms to the Communists in Spain.” The President then shouted: “That man is a liar.” Recognizing that he was using the word he had condemned in the mouth of Archbishop Curley, he laughingly said: “You know how it is, we men in public life become a little excited now and then.”

Seeing that we were getting nowhere, I said: “Mr. President, I came to see you about a position in Housing.” He said: “Oh, Eddie voted for everything I wanted in Congress. He wants to be in Housing, does he not?” “Yes.” So he wrote on a pad his name and said: “The moment you leave this office I will call Mrs. So-and-So [he mentioned the name of a woman who was in charge of Housing] and you call Eddie and tell him he has the job.”

When I left the White House I called Eddie and said: “Eddie, I saw the President. I am sorry, you do not get the job.” He said: “Is that what the President said after all I did for him?” I said: “No, he said you would have it.” My friend never received the job.

That story is from Sheen’s marvelous autobiography, Treasure in Clay, which you should purchase immediately if you don’t own it. As always, please buy through Amazon Smile so CCWatershed will get a portion of the proceeds. Thank you!

 


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   When I use that word, I am not speaking about the mealy-mouthed “progressive” Catholics who reject the holy doctrines of our Church yet never plainly admit it—and think themselves very clever. The less said about such people, the better.

2   According to Chicago Tribune, this 1941 film (whose official title is The Eternal Gift) played for two days at the Chicago Civic Opera House from 31 March 1941 through 1 April 1941. The entire video can be viewed on YouTube.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Bishop Fulton J Sheen Last Updated: May 12, 2021

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Polyphonic Extension” (Kevin Allen) for Gloria III
    EVIN ALLEN was commissioned by Sacred Music Symposium 2025 to compose a polyphonic ‘middle section’ for the GLORIA from Mass III, often denoted by its trope name: Missa Kyrie Deus sempiterne. This year, I’m traveling from Singapore to serve on the symposium faculty. I will be conducting Palestrina’s ‘Ave Maria’ as well as teaching plainsong to the men. A few days ago, I was asked to record rehearsal videos for this beautiful polyphonic extension. (See below.) This polyphonic composition fits ‘inside’ GLORIA III. That is, the congregation sings for the beginning and end, but the choir alone adds polyphony to the middle. The easiest way to understand how everything fits together is by examining this congregational insert. You may download the score, generously made available to the whole world—free of charge—by CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED:
    *  PDF Download • Gloria III ‘Middle Section’ (Kevin Allen)
    Free rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #24366. Related News • My colleague, Jeff Ostrowski, composed an organ accompaniment for this same GLORIA a few months ago. Obviously, the organist should drop out when the polyphony is being sung.
    —Corrinne May
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Yahweh” in church songs?
    My pastor asked me to write a weekly column for our parish bulletin. The one scheduled to run on 22 June 2025 is called “Three Words in a Psalm” and speaks of translating the TETRAGRAMMATON. You can read the article at this column repository. All of them are quite brief because I was asked to keep within a certain word limit.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

There is a lack of that kind of organization which favors mature judgment. Move on, move on, get it out. Schemata are multiplied without ever arriving at a considered form. The system of discussion is bad … Often the schemata arrive just before the discussions. Sometimes, and in important matters, such as the new anaphoras, the schema was distributed the evening before the discussion was to take place … Father Bugnini has only one interest: press ahead and finish.

— Cardinal Antonelli (Peritus during the Second Vatican Council)

Recent Posts

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  • “Yahweh” in church songs?
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