Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a Catholic bishop and television personality who gained prominence through his radio and television programs, is being beatified on Thursday at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. The beatification marks a significant milestone in Sheen’s path toward canonization as a saint within the Catholic Church. The Vatican determined that Sheen lived a life of heroic virtue and that his intercession was responsible for a miracle, with one additional miracle required before he can be declared a saint.
Sheen was born in 1895 and ordained a priest in 1919. He taught theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of America before beginning his broadcasting career. In 1930, he launched “The Catholic Hour,” a Sunday night radio program on NBC Radio Network that attracted approximately 4 million weekly listeners. After becoming an auxiliary bishop in New York, he began hosting the television program “Life Is Worth Living” in 1951, where he explained theological concepts while using a blackboard as a visual aid. His media presence was so influential that he won an Emmy Award in 1953, famously defeating Lucille Ball of “I Love Lucy” for the honor.
Sheen’s legacy extends beyond his broadcasting work. He was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1966 and became an archbishop in 1969. Among his spiritual contributions, he popularized the practice of the Holy Hour, a devotion involving an hour of daily prayer before the Eucharist. Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka, who promotes Sheen’s canonization cause, emphasized that Sheen’s enduring impact centers on his example of deepening one’s friendship with Jesus through prayer.
The beatification ceremony is presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and will be broadcast by Catholic media organization EWTN and livestreamed by the Diocese of Peoria, where Sheen was ordained. Organizers anticipate approximately 50,000 attendees, including individuals whose lives Sheen touched through his programming and spiritual influence. Among the attendees will be the Engstrom family, whose son James is attributed with a miraculous recovery following birth complications in 2010, which led to his parents’ invocation of Sheen’s intercession.
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