I recently pounced on a dinnertime opportunity to introduce my seven sons to the late, great Archbishop Fulton Sheen who will be beatified Sept. 24. I first became acquainted with the legendary 1950s TV evangelist when I was coming into communion with the Catholic Church 20 years ago.
Back then, I read many of Sheen’s best-selling books, such as “Life of Christ” and “Way to Happiness.” I also watched countless clips from his groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning TV show “Life is Worth Living.” I think the thing that captivated me most about the articulate, insightful bishop (with the brightest blue eyes) was how relevant and emergent he was — he seemed to leap off the page and the black and white screen to meet me exactly where I was, to talk about things that really mattered.
I’ll never forget Sheen’s remedy for my age-old problem of anxiety. No one else had ever told me to counteract it with community service. While community service hasn’t taken the place of professional help, Sheen’s advice at the time was, and still is, mind-blowing.
This is just one of many examples where Sheen has guided my life in a profound yet practical way — a way that endeared him to the hearts and minds of millions all around the world over the last half of the 20th century and beyond.
Sheen in the kitchen
So, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled on Sheen’s meatloaf recipe on his museum’s Facebook page, along with an article about how this particular meal was introduced to the public during a 1970s radio interview on “The Mike Douglas Show.” As a mother of seven growing sons, I always need new dinner ideas; here was one that would spark a great conversation.
“Over 70,000 people called in to ask for this recipe after Fulton Sheen talked about it on the radio,” I bragged as I set down the steaming hot meatloaf on the table. “Text and email didn’t exist back then. They had to dial old-fashioned rotary phones. Fulton Sheen was truly the world’s first Catholic Influencer.”
My teens were impressed. My younger kids just liked the way the meatloaf tasted.
“Yum,” my youngest son smacked his lips. “It reminds me of hamburgers and apple pie.”
That’s because I not only used Sheen’s recommended cup of applesauce, I threw in a couple tablespoons of apple butter and a hefty shake of cinnamon too. I then coated the top of the meatloaf with extra ketchup, brown sugar and a little more apple butter. I baked the dish as directed and finished it under the broiler for a few minutes — watching it closely while the apple butter and ketchup bubbled into a dark, sweet crust. The result was an amazingly savory, appley sauce.
A learning opportunity
While my husband and kids helped themselves to seconds, I peppered them with more fun facts about Fulton Sheen.
“His real name was Peter John. ‘Fulton’ was his mom’s maiden name — and would you believe he credited his spiritual strength to his devotion to the Blessed Mother and his daily Holy Hour — something he did every single morning for over 60 years?”
My husband chimed in, as he’s a huge Sheen fan, too.
“The miracle that moved forward his cause for sainthood, taking him from ‘venerable’ to ‘blessed’ happened in 2010. A stillborn baby in Sheen’s home diocese of Peoria, Illinois, didn’t have a heartbeat for a full hour. His parents sought Sheen’s intercession the entire time, and the baby — whose middle name is Fulton — survived. His heart miraculously started beating on the 61st minute of prayer. He’s still alive today.”
I told them about Sheen’s 1953 Emmy Award. “He drew an audience of over 30 million viewers each week, and when he accepted his award, he thanked his writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”
“OK, OK!” My oldest son smiled as he packed some leftover meatloaf for work the next day. “We’ll watch Fulton Sheen’s beatification Mass with you!”
EWTN will be streaming the beatification Mass live Sept. 24 starting at 2 p.m. I highly recommend popping Sheen’s appley meatloaf in the oven ahead of time, so you’ll have a sweet and savory feast afterward.
Soon-to-be Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!
Sarah Robsdottir is a Catholic convert and homeschooling mom to seven sons. Her latest novel, “Joan of Arkansas,” was released by Voyage Publishing earlier this year. Visit Sarah at www.sarahrobsdottir.com.
