Famous televangelist and Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is one step closer to becoming a full-blown saint in the Catholic Church after the Vatican approved him for beatification. For those unfamiliar with the sainthood process, this means the late bishop will soon be declared “blessed,” according to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois.
Sheen stands as one of the modern-day heroes of the faith. My own walk with Christ has benefitted greatly from his teaching and writing, as millions of other Catholics will also likely attest. The impact he had on spreading Catholicism and preserving Church Tradition is impossible to overstate.
In a statement released on February 10, Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Sheen’s home diocese, announced that Church officials had officially approved him for beatification and that a ceremony is forthcoming. Church authorities first approved the beatification in 2019. However, the Diocese of Rochester, New York, delayed the process as a precaution due to sex abuse allegations leveled against that diocese. No one ever accused the late bishop of abuse or a cover-up.
While some may take issue with the delay given Sheen’s solid reputation as a godly man, exercising caution remains the wiser course. The Catholic Church has endured deep wounds from past cases of sexual abuse and institutional cover-ups. And believe me, the public has not forgotten or moved on, despite efforts to hold priests and Church leaders accountable for their actions.
“The Holy See has informed me that the Cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to Beatification,” Bishop Tylka said in the statement. “The next step in the process is the celebration of the Beatification, in which Fulton Sheen would be declared ‘Blessed.’”
In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI declared Sheen “venerable,” formally recognizing that he lived a life marked by heroic virtue.
“Beatification, the first major step toward canonization, means the sovereign pontiff has declared that the individual not only lived a holy life but is in Heaven, and it requires one miracle attributed to their intercession. In 2019, Pope Francis recognized the miraculous healing of a stillborn child credited to the late archbishop’s intercession,” LifeSite News explained.
Sheen remains best known as a wildly popular teacher, radio host, and television personality during the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. His program, Life Is Worth Living, reached millions of viewers from a wide range of faith backgrounds. He also authored more than 50 books. Two that every Catholic should read—though every single one is a banger—are The Life of Christ and The World’s First Love, his reflection on the Blessed Mother, both of which are truly life-changing.
“Archbishop Fulton Sheen was one of the greatest voices of evangelization in the Church and the world in the 20th century,” Bishop Tylka added in the announcement. “I have long admired his lifelong commitment to serve the Church as a priest, rooted in his deep devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist. As he journeyed through the different stages of his life, his ability to share the Gospel and truly relate to people drew countless souls into an encounter with Jesus—one that transformed not only his life, but more importantly, the lives of those he touched.”
Sheen also served as the Bishop of Rochester from 1966 to 1969. One of his most important addresses focused on the sacrament of confession. In that talk, the future saint spoke candidly about sin and how the weight of guilt can devastate a person’s health, including his warning that abortion would harm women’s mental health following the infamous—and now overturned—Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.
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