Sheen wanted American Catholics to deepen their faith, infusing more soul into the remarkable infrastructure they had built. If they could do that, he believed, the American Catholic Church could have a transformative impact on both the nation and the global church. His Greatest LessonsThough he loved the American church deeply, Sheen always insisted that its greatest weaknesses were spiritual. American Catholics had shown striking fortitude in building up a rich network of parishes, schools, hospitals and other institutions without the help of the state. As they contemplate the road ahead, American Catholics should seriously revisit this critique.