I did not know Sheen was bi-ritual.
Yes, he did have bi-ritual faculties. He was taught how to celebrate the Divine Liturgy by Father George Chegin, a priest of the Eparchy of Passaic.
Source. [
eparchyofphoenix.org]
As to the questions of who gave him faculties, why he received faculties, and how often he celebrated Divine Liturgy, you can read the answers from a post at the CAF:
Link. [
forums.catholic.com]
Here are some links to photos of him in Byzantine vestments:
Photo 1. [
1.bp.blogspot.com]
Photo 2. [
i3.photobucket.com]
Photo 3. [
post-gazette.com]
There is a photo of him in Byzantine vestments in his autobiography,
Treasure in Clay, celebrating a Divine Liturgy at Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston, November 11, 1956 with Rev. George Chegin and Very Rev. Daniel P. Maczkov, V.F., and,
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: A Man for All Media , which includes two photographs. (You can see the photographs of the latter book if you go over to Google Books.)
In 2011, the Bishop Emil J. Mihalik Museum hosted a multimedia exhibit to promote the cause for the canonization of Archbishop Sheen entitled, "A Voice Crying Out on the Airwaves: A Prophet for Our Time".
There is a
Youtube video [
youtube.com] on this exhibit.
If you pause at minute 1:47, you can read this:
"The Western Church desperately needs some of the spirit of sacrifice that permeates the entire Eastern Rite liturgy"
The Byzantine Sheen
During the annual Labor Day Weekeend Outpust (pilgrimage)in 1955 at Mount Saint Macrina in Uniontown, PA Archbishop Sheen served a Hierarchical Byzantine Divine Liturgy (Pontifical mass) for a crowd of more than 120,000.
Sheen awed the crowd with his captivating homily. The Liturgy marked the first of its kind-the first public Hierarchical Divine Liturgy ever sung in English and the first Byzantine Rite Liturgy ever celebrated by a Latin Bishop with special Vatican permission. The Liturgy touched the faithful present at the pilgrimage as well as the tens of thousands of radio listeners nationwide. Voice of America radio and several other stations broadcast the Liturgy live. Through the airwaves, Archbishop Sheen brought the Byzantine Catholic Church to people who otherwise may never experience its spiritual treasury. Experience the full audio of that Divine Liturgy in our AV room
I would like to listen to that audio if it is still available.
On the Wikipedia article on
Archbishop Joseph Raya [
en.wikipedia.org], it states the following:
Raya created a controversy when he invited Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, the famous television Catholic personality, to celebrate the Pontifical Byzantine Divine Liturgy in English in 1958 at the Melkite National Convention. Bishop Sheen celebrated the Liturgy in English on television, inspiring some Catholics to renew calls for widespread use of the vernacular but raising the ire of traditionalists.
There is a
thread from 2010 about an audio recording of Venerable Sheen's address to the 1967 Melkite Convention, but the link to the audio recording no longer works. Would be nice to hear it.
I discovered via
WorldCat [
worldcat.org] that there is a sound recording (i.e. vinyl record) titled, "Holy and divine liturgy of St. John Chrysostom : Bishop Fulton J. Sheen explains the liturgy and reads selection of prayers."
Contents include:
Side 1. 1 Great synapte or recognition of God as Master and King of the Universe. 2. First and second Antiphon and hymn of the incarnation. 3. Little entrance and trisagion. 4. Ektene and hymn of the Cherubim. Side 2. 1. Blessing of the trinity. 2. Consecration. 3. Hirmes or hymn to the mother of God. 4. Conclusion of the cannon and prayers for the union of faith. 5. Kinonikon or hymn for holy communion. 6. Holy communion.
I am going to try and borrow that through inter-library loan.
Finally, Archbishop Fulton Sheen at St. Elias Byzantine Catholic Church, Carteret NJ (August 1955)
Link. [
livingforgoodtimes.tumblr.com]
