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The World's First Love: Mary, Mother of God

fulton j. sheen andrew apostoli

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Fulton J. Sheen tells the story of Mary and examines Marian beliefs ranging from the Immaculate Conception to the miracle of Fatima, from the angel's announcement that Mary was to be the mother of Jesus to the time of her assumption into heaven.

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1952

This edition

Format
276 pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 1996 by Ignatius Press
ISBN
9780898705973
ASIN
0898705975
Language
English

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About the author

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fulton j. sheen

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Fulton John Sheen was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, in 1919, Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923. He went on to teach theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and served as a parish priest before he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was made bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in New York. He resigned as bishop of Rochester in 1969 as his 75th birthday approached and was made archbishop of the titular see of Newport, Wales.
For 20 years as "Father Sheen", later monsignor, he hosted the night-time radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930–1950) before he moved to television and presented Life Is Worth Living (1952–1957). Sheen's final presenting role was on the syndicated The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968) with a format that was very similar to that of the earlier Life Is Worth Living show. For that work, Sheen twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Starting in 2009, his shows were being re-broadcast on the EWTN and the Trinity Broadcasting Network's Church Channel cable networks. His contribution to televised preaching resulted in Sheen often being called one of the first televangelists.
The cause for his canonization was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues," a major step towards beatification, and he is now referred to as venerable. On July 5, 2019, Pope Francis approved a reputed miracle that occurred through the intercession of Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification. Sheen was scheduled to be beatified in Peoria on December 21, 2019, but his beatification was postponed after Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester expressed concern that Sheen's handling of a 1963 sexual misconduct case against a priest might be cited unfavorably in a forthcoming report from the New York Attorney General. The Diocese of Peoria countered that Sheen's handling of the case had already been "thoroughly examined" and "exonerated" and that Sheen had "never put children in harm's way".

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
32(32%)
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BG_Comedimet
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This book is amazing! Especially as Lenten reading to deepen my knowledge and appreciation of Our Blessed Mother. So many great quotes in this book too. One of my favorites, and a great response to anyone who thinks devotion to Mary somehow takes away from devotion to Jesus (it is actually the exact opposite), "If the only charge Our Lord has against us on Judgment day is that we loved His Mother then we shall be very happy!"
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checkmate_19
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This is the first book by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen I've read. There are others that I've thought about reading but never committed to it. I found this one and let me say I was absolutely blown away by it. I've seen old episodes of his television show from the 50s and 60s (I'm not so old that I was around when it was on air) so I know how he thinks and speaks-very eloquent with a flair for the dramatic (at least on TV). The book is written so anyone can understand it. He gives great examples to compare Mary and the love she had for Jesus and the world. I learned so much from this book! I think I'm going to have to reread it to get everything out of it and to pick out the great comparisons and imagery he put throughout the book. Anyone who is interested in theology, Marian theology (which is much deeper than I originally thought) and Catholic Christianity will absolutely love this book. 5 stars isn't enough to rate this book.
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koraszan
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Always enjoy the way Fulton Sheen has of explaining things to make them understandable.
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StandOnBabylon
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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“The World’s First Love” is a collection of Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s writings on the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this book, as on his television programs, the Archbishop Sheen weaves together scripture, theology and human experience with his own unique insights. His chapters deal with Love, that begins as a dream, the relationship of love and freedom , the origins of belief in the virgin birth, Mary as compared to all mothers, the marriage of Mary and Joseph, the role of the Marriage Feast at Cana in the advancement of Jesus’ ministry and on from there.

“The World’s First Love” offers the reader guidance in the contemplation of the mystery of the Mother of God. Although it is old, it is definitely worth the time to read and meditate.
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EvilOrso
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This was the best book I have read on Mary - in that the book deepened my spirituality to the Mother of God and because Sheen so thoroughly delves into how devotion to Mary is rooted in Scripture and follows the devotion Christ had for His Mother. Sheen also writes beautifully about motherhood so that a person can better relate to Mary through her humanity. One quote I especially liked - Sheen quotes National Hawthorne - "I have always envied the Catholics that sweet, sacred Virgin Mother who stands between them and the Deity, intercepting somewhat His awful splendor, but permitting His love to stream on the worshipper more intelligibly to human comprehension through the medium of a woman's tenderness."
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nuclearstudent
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Woah! I don’t even know where to begin. My daughter recommended this book to me about six weeks ago and I slowly ploughing through it. It’s a deep, intellectual and spiritual read that will change the way I revere Mary, the Mother of God, for the rest of my life. Fulton Sheen introduces parts of Mary’s life and suffering I never before considered and likewise aspects of the feminine existence I never considered. This is a book I will recommend to Catholic friends and will read again myself.
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whyamihere101
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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So much harder to read than I thought it would be! I have seen a single excerpt of an episode of his TV show and it was so easy to follow. I figured his writing would be the same
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