Fulton Sheen, New Evangelization, and Grace

Brandon Vogt cites a man with a plan.  Excerpts:

Who was the greatest Catholic evangelist of the twentieth century? To me it’s no contest: Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. Some might argue for Pope John Paul II, who had a bigger impact on the world. Others might claim Mother Teresa, whose smile and sari were certainly more recognizable. But in terms of evangelization, I don’t think anyone drew more people into the Church than Sheen.

His success was due in large part to his mastery of new media, which in his day meant radio and television...


The show also generated more than 20,000 personal letters written daily to Sheen, many of which he answered himself.

Through his mail correspondence and personal instruction, he helped thousands of people enter the Church and countless others further into it. In fact, my own spiritual director is one of them. He’s an 89-year-old, self-described “Sheen-fiend” who credits Sheen with inspiring him to become a priest.

What made Sheen so successful? He of course had charisma, wit, and intelligence, but what strategies did he use to draw people to Christ?

One of Sheen’s most powerful methods was to carefully determine a person’s real resistance to faith.

For example, whenever he met someone who disagreed with the Church, he would always hear them out fully before responding. And even after that he would ask follow-up questions, just to make sure he understood the real objection at hand...