Illinois bishop reflects on Fulton Sheen’s enduring message for America at 250

As America marks its 250th anniversary, the bishop of the Illinois diocese where Ven. Fulton Sheen was ordained is urging the nation to look to the late archbishop’s example, saying his message of faith, patriotism, and national renewal remains as relevant as ever.

In a July 2 reflection in Real Clear Religion, Bishop Louis Tylka echoed Ven. Fulton Sheen's question, "Quo Vadis, America?" or "Where are you going, America?," writing that amid a culture increasingly shaped by division, Ven. Sheen still offers answers "rooted not in politics, but in the Gospel."

“Sheen understood that every age faces its own challenges,” Bishop Tylka wrote, “and he never believed those challenges were beyond God's grace.” 

The conversion of hearts, the bishop wrote, is what Ven. Sheen believed was key to such a renewal. 

Bishop Tylka said one of Ven. Sheen's enduring messages was his understanding of patriotism, describing it as the love of God, love of neighbor, and love of country. He said Ven. Sheen believed America's founding conviction that rights come from the Creator is "the moral foundation upon which authentic freedom rests," adding that when societies lose sight of God, they also lose regard for the dignity of the human person.

>> Prescient prelate: Fulton Sheen’s words on patriotism ring true as US celebrates 250th anniversary <<

Bishop Tylka said the nation needs voices that uphold such convictions by calling people toward truth, charity, and hope — virtues he said Ven. Sheen embodied throughout his life and that continue to inspire new generations.

“Decades after his death,” Bishop Tylka wrote, “people who never had the opportunity to hear him speak in person are still finding Christ through his words.”

Concluding, Bishop Tylka invited the faithful to reflect on Ven. Sheen’s witness ahead of his Sept. 24 beatification, adding that its coinciding with the nation's 250th anniversary offers Americans an opportunity to “remember where they have come from, give thanks for God's blessings, and consider where they are going.”