It's nice to show highlights from Sheen's work, but honestly the answer is that there would be no "viral" Fulton Sheen today for the same reason there can be no Elvis today. The fractalization of media via the internet ensures audiences can get whatever infinitely niche content will maximize engagement, but limits the overall reach--unless you have exceptionally broad appeal, stellar management, and capital to burn like jet fuel (Taylor Swift is the only example that comes to mind, and she got her start in the earliest days of social media, before algorithms funneled everyone into their own little rabbit holes). And even within the Christian-friendly or even the explicitly Catholic media sphere you now have a dizzying amount of content "subgenres" (traditionalist! charismatic! leftcath! byzcath! distributist! communio! lifeteen! neocat!) and "influencers". And this is not to mention the ghettoization of all faith-related and "conservative" media from Big Tech, on top of the default cultural apathy.
I would argue Fr. Mike Schmitz, while probably not as theologically erudite as PhD-educated Sheen, is on par with him purely in terms of audience reach and edification. If Sheen were in ministry today, he would basically be what Fr. Mike is. And of course the virtues of Fr. Mike's life are unknown to us, unlike the long-deceased and vetted Sheen... which is why anyone who listens to Fr. Mike should pray for him---as the soon-to-be-Blessed Sheen surely is!
"The Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement for Interview/Discussion Programming" at the 2017 Chicago Midwest Emmy Awards (part of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) went to an interview with Fr. Donald called "Poster Child of Divine Mercy: The Testimony of Fr. Donald Calloway." Produced by Spirit Juice Studios, this six-minute interview is part of a larger documentary film narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, called "The Face of Mercy."
"The editing needs work."
- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
It's nice to show highlights from Sheen's work, but honestly the answer is that there would be no "viral" Fulton Sheen today for the same reason there can be no Elvis today. The fractalization of media via the internet ensures audiences can get whatever infinitely niche content will maximize engagement, but limits the overall reach--unless you have exceptionally broad appeal, stellar management, and capital to burn like jet fuel (Taylor Swift is the only example that comes to mind, and she got her start in the earliest days of social media, before algorithms funneled everyone into their own little rabbit holes). And even within the Christian-friendly or even the explicitly Catholic media sphere you now have a dizzying amount of content "subgenres" (traditionalist! charismatic! leftcath! byzcath! distributist! communio! lifeteen! neocat!) and "influencers". And this is not to mention the ghettoization of all faith-related and "conservative" media from Big Tech, on top of the default cultural apathy.
I would argue Fr. Mike Schmitz, while probably not as theologically erudite as PhD-educated Sheen, is on par with him purely in terms of audience reach and edification. If Sheen were in ministry today, he would basically be what Fr. Mike is. And of course the virtues of Fr. Mike's life are unknown to us, unlike the long-deceased and vetted Sheen... which is why anyone who listens to Fr. Mike should pray for him---as the soon-to-be-Blessed Sheen surely is!
Ahem.
"The Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement for Interview/Discussion Programming" at the 2017 Chicago Midwest Emmy Awards (part of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) went to an interview with Fr. Donald called "Poster Child of Divine Mercy: The Testimony of Fr. Donald Calloway." Produced by Spirit Juice Studios, this six-minute interview is part of a larger documentary film narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, called "The Face of Mercy."
https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/maybe-youve-seen-him-film