New Anthology from Ven. Fulton Sheen: A ‘Prophetic Piece of History,’ Relevant for our Times

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. War and Peace. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2022. Paperback $19.95. Ebook $9.99. Available from the publisher.

“The means of life no longer minister to peace and order because we have perverted and forgotten the true ends of life. … We live and act as if God had never made us,” relates Ven. Fulton J. Sheen in his landmark anthology “War and Peace.”

This accessible, definitive volume features five of Archbishop Sheen’s bestselling books: “For God and Country,” “God and War,” “The Divine Verdict,” “Philosophies of War,” and “Seven Pillars of Peace.” The first three works are comprised of short essays, collected from Sheen’s Catholic Radio Hour addresses during World War II, and heard by millions. The latter two present a “divine point of view” regarding reasons for war, and chart the course for a new world with solutions for achieving peace.

Sheen’s predictions on the disastrous effects of Communism are relevant in our plight today. He emphasizes the need to unite for personal rights, such as freedom of conscience, why it is crucial to be intolerant of evil and embrace a Divine solution, and how America must choose to repent in order to overcome our crisis.

Many times, throughout his life, Sheen called upon the faithful to spend a daily Holy Hour in Eucharistic Adoration. “Each time we make an Hour we scratch off some of that debt, we draw the world farther away from hate and closer to the mercy of God.” He underscores that, in order to cease calling down the judgment of God, we need repentance.

Furthermore, Sheen exposes the spirit of the Anti-Christ at work in modern education and society. In his preaching, Sheen repeatedly cautioned, “And we drop violence, discipline, commitment to the Cross, and the world picks it up…That’s why there’s no stopping the violence of this country. We just have to…hire more police guards, build more hospitals for the addicts. Why? Because there’s no moral reason on the inside why they should stop.”

Reviewers of this compendium enthused that Sheen’s work is “As applicable today as it was sixty years ago,” and called it “A prophetic piece of history.”

Regardless of one’s vocation, the anointed words of this ‘American prophet’ impart challenge, inspiration, and comfort.

Despite persecution, Sheen emphasized that our outlook is not gloomy, “it is a picture of the Church in the midst of increasing opposition from the world. And, therefore, live your lives in the full consciousness of this hour of testing, and rally close to the heart of Christ.”

Members of the media may send an email to Sophia Institute Press’ Director of Publicity, Sarah Lemieux at slemieux@SophiaInstitute.com to receive a physical or digital copy of War and Peace, and/or to schedule an interview.