Posted by Moe's Tavern on October 03, 2010 at 12:54:10:
The American Catholic Church returned to the television airwaves today with the premiere of a national broadcast on WGN America hosted by a prominent Chicago priest.
The Rev. Robert Barron, a theologian at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, will anchor Word on Fire, a program financed by private foundations and donors. The show will be the first hosted by a Catholic priest on a commercial network since Archbishop Fulton Sheen four decades ago.
Sheen is best known as the celebrity bishop from Peoria who related current events, sports and humor to church teachings as he stood beside a statue he dubbed "Our Lady of Television." He won a 1952 Emmy Award for "Most Outstanding Television Personality." His show broke ground for a number of televangelists who followed.
Just like Sheen's program helped introduce and integrate Catholics into the public arena, Barron's program aims to lift a dark cloud hanging over the church brought on by the clergy sex abuse scandal by promoting the church's message of affirmation, he said. It is part of a series of programs focused on worship and humanitarian efforts that air every Sunday morning on WGN America.