Fulton Sheen’s Moment Arrives: Legendary Catholic Broadcaster to Be Beatified

One of the greatest evangelists and theologians the modern Catholic Church has ever produced, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, an American, will finally receive the honor he's due when Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presides over his beatification Mass on September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri, according to information the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints recently released.

Sheen was an incredible man and a blessing not only to the Church but the whole world. Not only did he have a successful radio and television program, but he wrote a ton of amazing books, every single one of them worth reading. I'm currently reading through two of his works myself, The World's First Love and The Life of Christ. You can listen to a ton of his teachings and radio broadcasts in podcast form on Spotify and Apple.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI recognized Sheen's heroic virtue. Several years later, in 2019, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to his intercession. The archbishop will receive the title of "Blessed" following his beatification.

With the world in shambles, Sheen's teachings have never been more important. Much of his work has proven prophetic in nature. He rightly predicted that women who get abortions would ultimately suffer from severe mental illnesses like depression after the Roe v. Wade decision in the 1970s. That's just one example. He kept his thumb on the pulse of modern culture and knew the practical steps necessary to turn the ship in the right direction.

Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 to an Irish family. When he was 24 years old, Sheen discovered his call to the priesthood. The Church ordained him in 1919. He went on to attend the Catholic University of America, the Catholic University of Leuven, located in Belgium, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

In 1926, Sheen came home to the United States and started his teaching career at the Catholic University of America. He held that position until 1950. He also served as the Bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1951 to 1969. The Vatican appointed him Titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales, in 1969.

The archbishop really hit his stride in 1930 when he started participating in the popular Sunday radio program, The Catholic Hour, which had an audience of four million people. Years later, in 1951, the gifted teacher hosted a weekly television series called Life Is Worth Living, speaking on matters of faith and pulling in an audience of 30 million viewers.

Can you imagine a Christian-based teaching program on TV reaching an audience of millions like that? It boggles the modern mind. It also demonstrates just how far from our Christian roots the country has wandered over the decades. If only someone had the ability to bridge the gap that keeps modern Americans divided the way Sheen could.

Sheen passed away in New York at the age of 84, on December 9, 1979. However, his work still lives on through the many Catholics new and old alike who discover his teachings and the grace of God that pours through them. Hopefully, after his beatification, more young folks will find him and drink deeply from his rich teachings on Scripture and Church tradition.

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