The cover of "Fulton J. Sheen" by Alexis Walkenstein. (CNS)

By Brian T. Olszewski / Catholic News Service

“Fulton J. Sheen” by Alexis Walkenstein. Pauline Books & Media (Boston, 2018). 124 pp, $12.95.

Like St. Teresa of Kolkata, Father Henri Nouwen and Father Thomas Merton, the life of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and his writing continue to inspire. Having read the archbishop’s “Three to Get Married,” Alexis Walkenstein was inspired to learn more about the television legend with whom she claims a “spiritual friendship.”

Her 12-page introduction indicates she has a spiritual love affair with Archbishop Sheen as she explains how she came to know him through his writings and his family members. She serves on the advisory board for the canonization cause for Archbishop Sheen, a priest of the Diocese of Peoria who has been declared “venerable,” which is a step in the cause recognizing his heroic virtues.

The result is a volume of selections from “Three to Get Married” and six other Archbishop Sheen books. What Walkenstein provides is a buffet of the archbishop’s work, covering topics as diverse as “Invasion of Divinity” and “The Mystery of Sex.” It will not take readers long — especially those who have only heard their grandparents talk about watching him on TV in the 1950s — to understand why he is a venerated prelate.

Walkenstein concludes with a chapter titled “Continuing in the School of Fulton J. Sheen,” in which she provides readers with six questions about what they have read. The questions are helpful for those wanting to use his words as a source for prayer, meditation and how to live their lives.