One of the fundamental tasks of the Christian faith is to communicate well.
The early disciples were invited to go and tell The Good News. I’m inspired by the life of Bishop Fulton Sheen.
A life, where he wholeheartedly communicated with passion and creativity a simple message, that God loves us, as we are.
Sheen had a warmth and empathy that made him an attractive communicator and one of the most celebrated Catholic bishops of all time.
The Holy See is expected to announce in the coming weeks a date for the beatification of Ven.
Fulton Sheen, the Emmy-winning archbishop whose television and radio ministry made him one of the most prominent Catholic voices in mid-20th-century America. Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, born Peter John Sheen; May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979, was one of the most influential American Catholic figures of the 20th century.
A brilliant theologian, prolific author, gifted orator, and pioneer of religious broadcasting on radio and television.
Often called “America’s Bishop,” he reached tens of millions with his clear, engaging explanations of the Catholic faith, earning him comparisons to the first televangelists.
Fulton Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, the eldest of four sons to Newton and Delia Sheen, an Irish-American farming family. As an infant, he contracted tuberculosis but recovered.
The family soon moved to nearby Peoria, Illinois, where he served as an altar boy at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception. His mother dedicated him to the Blessed Virgin Mary at baptism, a devotion he renewed at his First Communion and maintained lifelong.
Sheen was an excellent student with little interest in farm work or sports, preferring intellectual pursuits. He graduated valedictorian from Spalding Institute in Peoria in 1913 and attended St. Viator College, where he honed his debating and speaking skills. He began priestly studies at Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota.
Ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on September 20, 1919, Sheen celebrated his first Christmas Mass at St. Mark Parish in Peoria.
Despite his youthful appearance, he pursued advanced studies: a doctorate in philosophy at The Catholic University of America, followed by further doctorates at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 1923, where he became the first American to win the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy and the Pontificum Collegium Internationale Angelicum in Rome (Doctor of Sacred Theology, 1924).
Returning to the U.S., he served briefly as a curate in a poor parish before joining the faculty of The Catholic University of America in 1928, teaching philosophy and theology until 1950. He also assisted in parishes in England and met influential figures like Ronald Knox.
In 1930, Sheen launched “The Catholic Hour” on NBC radio, a weekly program that ran for 20 years and drew up to 4 million listeners. He addressed major issues, framing World War II as a theological struggle and denouncing Hitler as an “Anti-Christ.”
His greatest fame came with television. In 1952, he debuted “Life Is Worth Living” on the DuMont Network, speaking extemporaneously (no script or cue cards) in a studio set resembling a study, often using a chalkboard.
Airing Tuesday nights against stars like Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra, it attracted up to 30 million viewers weekly, mostly non-Catholics and won Sheen an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality in 1952 (he jokingly thanked the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The show ran until 1957. He returned with the similar syndicated “The Fulton Sheen Program” (1961–1968).
From 1950 to 1966, as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, he raised millions (including donating his TV earnings) for global Catholic missions.
He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951 by Pope Pius XII; Sheen was consecrated in Rome. In 1966, Pope Paul VI named him Bishop of Rochester, where he focused on social issues, ecumenism, and even attempted to donate a parish building for housing (though it failed).
He resigned in 1969 (approaching age 75) and was made titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales, allowing him to continue preaching and writing.
Sheen attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and worked with future Pope Benedict XVI.
A strong anti-Communist, he influenced many conversions (including Clare Boothe Luce, Henry Ford II, and others) through personal instruction. On October 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II embraced Sheen at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, saying: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church!”
Two months later, on December 9, 1979, Sheen died in his private chapel in New York City during his daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament — a practice he kept faithfully since ordination. Sheen authored over 70 books (including Treasure in Clay, his autobiography) and touched countless lives. His shows continue to air on networks like EWTN.
The cause for his canonization opened in 2002 in the Diocese of Peoria. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared him Venerable for his heroic virtues.
A miracle attributed to his intercession (the 2010 recovery of stillborn baby James Fulton Engstrom) was approved by Pope Francis in 2019, clearing the path for beatification.
The Holy See will soon announce a date for his beatification possibly in September 2026. Fulton Sheen’s life exemplified using modern media to proclaim timeless truths, always pointing people to Christ with clarity, charity, and wit. His famous daily Holy Hour remained the foundation of his extraordinary ministry.
“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action,
rather it is “timing”
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
― Fulton J. Sheen
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