Blessed Fulton Sheen and Baltimore in the Roaring Twenties

Sheen’s first appearance in the Baltimore Sun appears to be related to the fifteenth annual convention of the Maryland Chapter, International Federation of Catholic Alumnae. Archbishop Curley had opened the October 27, 1928 event. The other speakers were notable names in their own day: Msgr. Edward A. Pace, the first native Floridian who was ordained a priest of the relatively new Diocese of Saint Augustine, he was professor of psychology and founding dean of the School of Philosophy, in addition to being a leading editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia which we still know and love today due to its easy accessibility online. Another speaker was Baltimore priest Peter Leo Ireton, at the time pastor of Saint Anne’s parish, in 1935 he was consecrated a bishop after being appointed coadjutor and administrator of the Diocese of Richmond. Msgr. Pace was the IFCA director ex officio presumably as CUA vice rector. What the Rev. Dr. Fulton J. Sheen spoke of at this event could potentially be reconstructed from the extensive archives (38 boxes) at the Catholic University on the IFCA. The Hotel Emerson was demolished decades ago. It sat at the northwest corner of Calvert and Baltimore streets and today the building would be identified as the Truist (formerly SunTrust) building.

In 1928 and 1928 Sheen appears to already be doing preached missions, which seem to have been broadcast on the radio. These appear in the Baltimore Sun, even when Sheen was in New York, apparently because the Sun (which must have had a very wide circulation) would print the radio programs for various cities around the whole country. I am not documenting these as they are outside the scope of my “Sheen in Baltimore” investigation.

On April 28, 1929 the Pontifical Mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption, with Archbishop Curley pontificating and a variety of other clergy assisting (their names and histories not investigated for now), included the Rev. Dr. Fulton J. Sheen preaching.

In September of 1929, WCAO (at AM 600 and a local CBS affiliate) was in process of expanding its programming and added a “Catholic radio hour.” After an opening week’s address from Baltimore auxiliary Bishop McNamara, the first week of major programming (and the next two) included—you guessed it—Rev. Fulton J. Sheen. After three weeks of Sheen (October 13, 20, and 27), the Rev. Ignatius Smith was scheduled and then “the Jesuit professors” (presumably of Loyola College?) were scheduled to continue. The Catholic radio hours included music under the direction of Roman Steiner of the Cathedral choir. Presumably they had to do everything live. Did Sheen have to come to Baltimore for the broadcast? Would he have been able to record his talks? It would seem that perhaps was coming up to Baltimore and going to the radio station itself, which at the time seems to have been located at 844 North Howard Street. (Later it was at the “Upton Mansion,” but perhaps not yet in September of 1929.) Today that location on Howard Street is a large brick building associated with the University of Maryland Medical Center.

On October 12, the Sun reported that the broadcast to come the following day on what they were also calling the “Knights of Columbus radio hour” from Dr. Sheen at 6 PM would be titled “Religion in General.” The news brief reports that “Dr. Sheen, who will speak on the remaining Sunday evenings of October, has won a reputation as a speaker both in the United States and England. Last summer he gave a special course of lectures at Westminster Cathedral. He was invited to England by Cardinal Bourne. Dr. Sheen was one of the three principal speakers at the Pax Romana Congress in 1927 in England, which was attended by Catholics from all parts of Europe. The other speakers were Gilbert K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. The Rev. C. Carroll Kerr will be chairman of the radio hour. There will be selections by the Knights of Columbus Orchestra and vocal numbers by Constance Navakoska Hejda.” Again, while the talk was almost certainly live, it is not clear from where Sheen himself was broadcasting.

More details on this fascinating 1927 conference can be found in the Chronicle of the Catholic Historical Review on JSTOR. That Chronicle reports that the London Universe was already calling Sheen “the new Catholic philosopher of the age.” The Chronicle reports Sheen as stating: “Sooner or later […] philosophy must return to its Father's house, which is Wisdom and Truth. ... A Godless philosophy cannot exist, for it cannot bear the sorrow of not knowing its cause; nor can a Godless humanity exist, for it cannot bear the burden of its own heart.” Many prominent names from all over the world were at that 1927 conference of the international union of Catholic universities (the first since 1912, it seems?), including, for example, later-Cardinal Tisserant.

On October 14, the Baltimore Sun reported that after speaking on “Religion in General,” Sheen “last night condemned the influence of religion on the suffrage and the talking of politics in the church in answer to questions submitted since the inauguration last Sunday of a weekly Knights of Columbus radio hour over station WCAO” which are chaired by Rev. C. Carroll Kerr. Next Sunday, October 20, Sheen was scheduled to speak on “The intolerance of Truth.” It is unclear (to me) what Sheen exactly said.

On October 19, the Baltimore Sun again advertises the upcoming talk for October 20 and October 27. It seems that thirty talks were planned out at this point, with Sheen speaking on the opening three on “Religion” (the titles of the first two are clear above). Presumably after beginning on “Religion in general” the talks would progress through Catholic doctrine. “Questions pertaining to the teachings of the Catholic Church and the church’s stand on various questions will be answered at each of these radio hours. These questions are put by listeners in. There will be a number of musical features.” It also notes that “the talks are broadcast from the Knights of Columbus Home, via Station WCAO.” Was this the Alcazar Ballroom and Hotel which had opened in 1924? Or was there another “Knights of Columbus Home” somewhere in the city? That seems to be where Sheen went (and the Knights of Columbus Orchestra followed him!)

My ProQuest search of the Baltimore Sun archives for keywords turns up nothing after the October 20 talk nor in relation to the October 27 talk. Perhaps the events of October 24, 1929 (and all that followed) overshadowed Sheen’s October 27 talk. To be continued, picking up after the Great Crash of 1929, with Sheen’s next Baltimore appearance in the Year of Our Lord 1930.