A newly unearthed letter from Venerable Fulton J. Sheen offers a glimpse into the renowned Catholic preacher’s understanding of marriage years before he became one of the Church’s most recognizable voices in America.
Dated Oct. 9, 1940, the letter was written to Helen D. Mosier, a TWA stewardess whom Sheen had met while traveling from Chicago to San Francisco, according to LifeSiteNews. Mosier was engaged to be married and was receiving instruction in the Catholic faith at the time.
The decades-old letter was recently shared in a video published by Saint Joseph’s Battalion.
Although much of Sheen’s correspondence with Mosier was lighthearted, his message turned serious when he learned that she was continuing her instruction in the faith.
“But seriously, I am thrilled to know you are taking instructions,” Sheen wrote. “Your ‘intended’ must be a very fine character to have influenced you in the direction of the faith.”
Sheen then offered advice that captured what he believed was essential for a truly happy Catholic marriage.
“Happiness in married life is conditioned upon common denominations, and none is more basic than the faith,” he wrote. “It really takes three to make love: Two human hearts and the Sacred Heart who draws them together.”
The words anticipate a theme that would become closely associated with Sheen’s later teaching on marriage: the relationship between husband and wife cannot be understood completely apart from their relationship with God.
According to LifeSiteNews, Mosier had met Sheen aboard a TWA flight as he traveled to California to visit actress Irene Dunne and her husband, Dr. Francis Griffin. Sheen mentioned Mosier during his visit with the couple and recounted some of their playful conversation in his letter.
But his closing words returned to faith and prayer.
“Be assured of my daily prayers,” Sheen wrote. “May Our Lady throw her mantle about you, and may you and Mr. Burke be happy in the service of Him Who is Our Peace and Our Life.”
At the time the letter was written, Sheen had not yet become a bishop. He would be elevated to the episcopacy about a decade later and eventually become an archbishop in 1969, according to LifeSiteNews.
The newly surfaced correspondence provides an early example of a message Sheen would continue to emphasize throughout his public ministry: Christian marriage involves more than the love shared by two people. For Sheen, lasting marital love ultimately depended upon both spouses being drawn toward God.
His memorable words to a young bride-to-be in 1940 summarized that conviction simply: “It really takes three to make love: Two human hearts and the Sacred Heart who draws them together.”
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