At 8pm on February 12th, 1952, a strangely clad figure walked across the stage of the Adelphia Theater in New York City and into thousands of American livingrooms.

Dressed in full episcopal regalia, complete with a purple cape, a zucchetto skullcap, and a pectoral cross given to him by the pope, Bishop Fulton Sheen proceeded to hold forth extemporaneously for the next half-hour.

Behind him, conspicuously placed within the camera shot, was a statue of the Virgin Mary that would soon be known as “Our Lady of Television”.

Sheen’s show, Life is Worth Living, featured a one-way conversation in which the host cited ancient philosophers and medieval intellectuals to assuage the fears of contemporary American listeners.

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Whether addressing the threat of Stalinist communism or home-grown concerns about the rise of “teen culture”, the charismatic Sheen offered the reaffirming message encapsulated in his programme’s title.

Despite being assigned to the daunting Tuesday-night slot in direct competition against “Mr........

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