Fulton J. Sheen | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sheen on the set of his showLife Is Worth Living | |||||||||||||||||
| Church | Catholic Church | ||||||||||||||||
| See | Rochester | ||||||||||||||||
| Appointed | October 21, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||
| Term ended | October 6, 1969 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | James Edward Kearney | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Joseph Lloyd Hogan | ||||||||||||||||
| Other posts | Titular Archbishop of Neoportus (Latin:Newport, Wales; 1969–1979) | ||||||||||||||||
| Previous posts |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Orders | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordination | September 20, 1919 by Edmund M. Dunne | ||||||||||||||||
| Consecration | June 11, 1951 by Adeodato Giovanni Piazza | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | Peter John Sheen (1895-05-08)May 8, 1895[1] El Paso, Illinois, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | December 9, 1979(1979-12-09) (aged 84) New York City, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Buried | St. Patrick's Cathedral,New York City (1979–2019) St. Mary's Cathedral,Peoria, Illinois (since 2019) | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||||
| Motto | Da per matrem me venire (English: "Grant that I may come [to You] through the mother [Mary]") | ||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||
| Coat of arms | |||||||||||||||||
| Sainthood | |||||||||||||||||
| Shrines | Tomb (St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, Illinois) Birthplace museum in El Paso, Illinois Fulton Sheen Museum, Peoria | ||||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Styles of Fulton J. Sheen | |
|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Your Excellency |
| Posthumous style | Venerable |
Fulton John Sheen (bornPeter John Sheen; May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was anAmerican Catholic prelate who served asBishop of Rochester from 1966 to 1969. He was known for his preaching, especially on television and radio.
Ordained a priest of theDiocese of Peoria in Illinois, in 1919,[1] Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning theCardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923. He went on to teach theology and philosophy at theCatholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and served as a parish priest before he was appointed an auxiliary bishop for theArchdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was madeBishop of Rochester. He resigned in 1969 as his 75th birthday approached and was made archbishop of thetitular see ofNewport (a diocese inWales).[2]
For 20 years as "Father Sheen", latermonsignor, he hosted the night-time radio programThe Catholic Hour onNBC (1930–1950) before he moved to television and presentedLife Is Worth Living (1952–1957). Sheen's final presenting role was on the syndicatedThe Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968) with a format that was very similar to that of the earlierLife Is Worth Living show. For that work, Sheen won anEmmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on thecover ofTime magazine.[3] Starting in 2009, his shows were being re-broadcast on theEWTN and theTrinity Broadcasting Network'sChurch Channel cable networks.[4] His contribution to televised preaching resulted in Sheen often being called one of the firsttelevangelists.[5]
The cause for hiscanonization was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012,Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from theCongregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues," a major step towardsbeatification, and he is now referred to asvenerable.[6][7] On July 5, 2019,Pope Francis approved a reputed miracle that occurred through the intercession of Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification.[8] Sheen was scheduled to be beatified in Peoria on December 21, 2019, but this was postponed after BishopSalvatore Matano of Rochester expressed concern that Sheen's alleged assignment of a priest who had been the subject of a 1963sexual misconduct case might be cited unfavorably in a forthcoming report from theNew York Attorney General. The Diocese of Peoria countered that the priest had been assigned not by Sheen but by his successor, and that Sheen had been "exonerated" following thorough examination of the matter, having "never put children in harm's way."[9] In February 2026, it was announced that his beatification will continue, but no date has been announced;.[10] it was reported as likely to take place in 2026.[11]
Fulton Sheen was born on May 8, 1895, inEl Paso, Illinois, the oldest of four sons of Newton and Delia Sheen. His parents were ofIrish descent, and their own parents were fromCroghan, County Roscommon,Connacht. He was known as "Fulton", his mother's maiden name, but he was baptized as "Peter John Sheen".[1][12] As an infant, Sheen contractedtuberculosis.[13]
After the family had moved to nearbyPeoria, Illinois, Sheen's first role in the Catholic Church was as analtar boy atCathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.[1][12]
Sheen graduated in 1913 from high school atSpalding Institute in Peoria with valedictorian honors. He then enteredSt. Viator College in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Deciding to become a priest, he started his studies atSaint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sheen was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria at the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Peoria on September 20, 1919 by BishopEdmund Dunne.[1] After his 1919 ordination, Sheen continued his studies at theCatholic University of America in Washington, D.C..[12][14] He celebrated his first Christmas Mass at St. Mark Parish in Peoria.[15] His youthful appearance was still evident on one occasion when a local priest, unaware of his identity, asked Sheen to assist asaltar boy during the celebration of the Mass.[12]
After finishing his studies at Catholic University of America, he entered theCatholic University of Leuven inBelgium, earning aDoctor of Philosophy degree in 1923.[14][16] His doctoral thesis was titled "The Spirit of Contemporary Philosophy and the Finite God".[17] AtLeuven, he became the first American to win theCardinal Mercier Prize for the best philosophical treatise.[12] In 1924, Sheen went to Rome to attend thePontificium Collegium Internationale Angelicum, where he was awarded aDoctor of Sacred Theology degree.[18][19]
After Sheen returned to Peoria in 1926, Bishop Dunne assigned him as curate at St. Patrick's, a poor parish in Peoria. At that time, bothColumbia University in New York andOxford University in England wanted Sheen to teach philosophy. However, Sheen took the assignment at St. Patrick's without any complaints and later said that he enjoyed his time there. Nine months later, Dunne summoned Sheen to his office. Dunne told him:
I promised you toCatholic University over a year ago. They told me that with all your traipsing around Europe, you'd be sohigh hat you couldn't take orders. But Father Cullen says you've been a good boy at St. Patrick's. So run along to Washington.[20]
However, instead of Catholic University of America, Sheen chose to teach theology atSt. Edmund's College in Ware, England, where he met ReverendRonald Knox. He also assisted the pastor atSt. Patrick's Parish in the Soho section ofLondon. In 1928, Sheen finally returned to Catholic University of America, where he would teach philosophy until 1950.[21][12]
In 1929, Sheen delivered a speech at a meeting of theNational Catholic Educational Association in which he encouraged teachers to "educate for a Catholic Renaissance" in the United States. Sheen was hoping that American Catholics would become more influential through education, which would help attract others to Catholicism. He believed that Catholics should "integrate" their faith into the rest of their daily life.[22]
In 1950, Sheen became the national director of theSociety for the Propagation of the Faith. During his 16 years as director, Sheen raised millions of dollars for missionary efforts worldwide. He also donated $10 million that he earned from his later television programs.[1]

On May 28, 1951,Pope Pius XII appointed Sheen as an auxiliary bishop for New York. He was consecrated in Rome at the Basilica ofSanti Giovanni e Paulo on June 11, 1951.[2] The principal consecrator was CardinalAdeodato Giovanni Piazza. The co-consecrators were ArchbishopLeone Giovanni Battista Nigris and ArchbishopMartin John O'Connor.[2]
On October 21, 1966, Pope Paul VI named Sheen as bishop of Rochester.[2] While serving in Rochester, Sheen created the Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation. He also spent some of his energy on political activities such as his denunciation of American involvement in theVietnam War in late July 1967.[23] OnAsh Wednesday in 1967, Sheen decided to give St. Bridget's Parish building to the federalHousing and Urban Development program. Sheen wanted to let the government use it forblack Americans. There was a protest since Sheen acted on his own accord. The pastor disagreed by saying, "There is enough empty property around without taking down the church and the school." The deal fell through.[24]
On October 6, 1969, Sheen resigned as bishop of Rochester.[2] Paul VI then named him as archbishop of thetitular see ofNewport, Wales.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Sheen made notable efforts to seek common ground with Christians from non-Catholic churches, bothEastern Orthodox and Protestant. He occasionally celebrated the ByzantineDivine Liturgy, with papal permission awarding him certainbi-ritual faculties.[25] He often commended the Protestant devotion to Bible study:
"The first subject of all to be studied is Scripture, and this demands not only the reading of it but the study of commentaries. ... Protestant commentaries, I discovered, were also particularly interesting because Protestants have spent more time on Scripture than most of us."[26]: 79
Sheen's autobiography summarized his ecumenical outlook:
"The combination of travel, the study of world religions and personal encounter with different nationalities and peoples made me see that the fullness of truth is like a complete circle of 360 degrees. Every religion in the world has a segment of that truth."[26]: 148
In 1930, Sheen began a weekly NBC Sunday-night radio broadcast,The Catholic Hour.[14] During one broadcast, Sheen termedWorld War II as not just a political struggle but also a "theological one". He referred to German ChancellorAdolf Hitler as an example of the "Anti-Christ".[27]Time Magazine referred to Sheen in 1946 as "the golden-voiced Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen, U.S. Catholicism's famed proselytizer", and reported that his radio broadcast received 3,000 to 6,000 letters weekly from listeners. By 1950,The Catholic Hour had a weekly audience of four million listeners.[28]
At the Catholic University of America, Sheen in 1940 providedvoice-over commentary for anEaster Sunday Mass. Broadcast on the experimental stationW2XBS, it was one of the first televised religious services in the United States. During the sermon, Sheen remarked,
"This is the first religious television in the history of the world. Let, therefore, its first message be a tribute of thanks to God for giving the minds of our day the inspiration to unravel the secrets of the universe."[29][30]
On February 12, 1952, Sheen began a weekly television program on theDuMont Television Network calledLife Is Worth Living.[31] Filmed at theAdelphi Theatre in New York City, the program consisted of Sheen speaking extemporaneously before a live audience. The show did not have a script orcue cards, although Sheen occasionally used achalkboard. He was not paid for the program.Life is Worth Living was scheduled in aprime time slot on Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. Its competition was theTexaco Star Theater onNBC, a variety show starring comedianMilton Berle and theFrank Sinatra Show, anothervariety program onCBS.[32]
Defying all expectations,Life is Worth Living became very popular. TheFrank Sinatra Show was canceled in April 1952, leading to speculation that it was due to the success of Sheen's show.[32]Berle, known as "Uncle Miltie", frequently used oldvaudeville material on his show. Joking about Sheen, he said. "He uses old material, too." Berle also observed, "If I'm going to be eased off the top by anyone, it's better that I lose to the One for whom Bishop Sheen is speaking."[12] Sheen responded to Berle, saying that perhaps people should start calling him "Uncle Fultie".[33]
Life andTime magazines ran feature stories on Sheen. The number of stations carryingLife Is Worth Living jumped from three to fifteen in less than two months. The show started receiving 8,500 letters per week. The show received four times as many requests for studio tickets as could be fulfilled. The sponsorAdmiral, a manufacturer of TVs and appliances, paid the production costs in return for a one-minute commercial at the show's opening and another minute at its close.[33]
In 1952, Sheen won anEmmy Award for Most Outstanding personality.[34][35] In accepting his Emmy, Sheen, "I feel it is time I pay tribute to my four writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John." At that time, Berle quipped, "We both work for 'Sky Chief'", a reference to God and Berle's sponsor,Texaco.Time called Sheen "the first 'televangelist'" and the Archdiocese of New York could not meet the demand for tickets.[12] Sheen received a second Emmy nomination in 1953.[35]
One of Sheen's best-remembered presentations came in February 1953, when he forcefully denounced theSoviet Union. Sheen gave a dramatic reading of the burial scene from Shakespeare'sJulius Caesar. He substituted the names of Soviet leaders (Stalin,Lavrenty Beria, Georgy Malenkov, andAndrey Vyshinsky) for those of characters in the play (Julius Caesar,Gaius Cassius Longinus, Marc Antony andMarcus Junius Brutus). Sheen concluded the presentation by saying, "Stalin must one day meet his judgment." Days later, Stalin suffered a stroke and died within the week.[36]
Sheen was often quick to rebuke what he considered wrongful conduct. For example, in his televised sermon "False Compassion", he shouted:
"There are sob sisters; there are the social slobberers who insist on compassion being shown to the muggers, to the dope fiends, to the throat slashers, to the beatniks, to the prostitutes, to the homosexuals, to the punks, so that today the decent man is practically off the reservation."
Sheen then told his viewers to "hate the sin ... and love the sinner."[37]
Life Is Worth Living ran until 1957, drawing as many as 30 million people weekly, mostly non-Catholics.[38] He received his third Emmy nomination in 1957.
Sheen returned to television in 1961 with a nationally-syndicated series,The Fulton Sheen Program. Running until to 1968, it was broadcast first in black-and-white and later in color. The format of the series was essentially the same asLife Is Worth Living.
In September 1974, Auxiliary BishopThomas William Lyons of Washington asked Sheen to speak at aretreat fordiocesan priests at the Loyola Retreat House inFaulkner, Maryland. Sheen's talks were recorded onreel-to-reel tape.[39]
Sheen requested for the recorded talks to be produced for distribution. This was the first production of a worldwidecassette tape ministry called Ministr-O-Media, a nonprofit company that operated on the grounds of St. Joseph's Parish inPomfret, Maryland. The retreat album wasRenewal and Reconciliation and included nine 60-minute audiotapes.[39]
According to a 1952 article inTime Magazine, Sheen was responsible for converting to Catholicism the writerHeywood Broun, the politicianClare Boothe Luce, the automakerHenry Ford II, the writerLouis F. Budenz, the union organizerBella Dodd, the theatrical designerJo Mielziner and the violinist and composerFritz Kreisler.[40] Each conversion process took an average of 25 hours of lessons, and reportedly more than 95% of his students in private instruction were baptized.[12]

In the foreword of the 2008 edition of Sheen's autobiography,Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen, the journalistRaymond Arroyo explains why Sheen endedLife Is Worth Living.[41] Arroyo wrote that "It is widely believed that CardinalFrancis Spellman drove Sheen off the air."[41]
"In the late 1950s, the government donated millions of dollars' worth of powdered milk to the New York Archdiocese. In turn, Cardinal Spellman handed that milk over to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith to distribute to the poor of the world. On at least one occasion, he demanded that the director of the Society, Bishop Sheen,pay the Archdiocese for the donated milk. He wanted millions of dollars. Despite Cardinal Spellman's considerable powers of persuasion and influence in Rome, Sheen refused. These were funds donated by the public to the missions, funds Sheen himself had personally contributed to and raised over the airwaves. He felt an obligation to protect them, even from the itchy fingers of his own Cardinal."[41]
Spellman pleaded his case about the funds directly toPope Pius XII, who sided with him. Spellman later confronted Sheen and stated, "I will get even with you. It may take six months or ten years, but everyone will know what you are like."[41] Besides being pressured to leave television, Sheen also "found himself unwelcome in the churches of New York City. Spellman canceled Sheen's annual Good Friday sermons atSt. Patrick's Cathedral and discouraged clergy from socializing with him."[41] In 1966, Spellman allegedly persuaded Pope Paul VI to appoint Sheen as bishop of Rochester and terminate his leadership at the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.[41] On December 2, 1967, Spellman died in New York City.
Sheen never talked about the quarrel with Spellman, making only vague references to his "trials both inside and outside the Church".[41] In his autobiography, Sheen even went so far as to praise Spellman.[41]
On October 15, 1969, one month after celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest, Sheen resigned as bishop of Rochester. Pope Paul VI then appointed him asarchbishop of thetitular see ofNewport, Wales. The ceremonial position allowed Sheen to devote more time to his extensive writing. During his lifetime, Sheen wrote 73 books and numerous articles and columns.[34]
On October 2, 1979, two months before Sheen's death,Pope John Paul II visited St. Patrick's Cathedral during his papal visit to the United States. During the ceremony, the pope embraced Sheen and said, "You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church."[42]
Beginning in 1977, Sheen "underwent a series of surgeries that sapped his strength and even made preaching difficult".[41] Throughout that time, he continued to work on his autobiography, parts of which "were recited from his sickbed as he clutched a crucifix."[41] Soon after that, Sheen underwentopen-heart surgery atLenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.[34]
Sheen died on December 9, 1979, in his private chapel while praying before theBlessed Sacrament.[3] He was interred in the crypt ofSt. Patrick's Cathedral near the deceasedarchbishops of New York. In 2019, after a long legal battle, the archdiocese transferred Sheen's remains to the Diocese of Peoria, which re-interred them in the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria.[43]
The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation was formed in 1998 by Gregory J. Ladd and Lawrence F. Hickey to spread information about Sheen's life. The foundation approached CardinalJohn O'Connor of the Archdiocese of New York for permission to commence the process of his cause, which was under the authority of theDiocese of Peoria.[4] In 2002, Sheen'scause for canonization was officially opened by BishopDaniel R. Jenky of Peoria. From then on, Sheen was referred to as a "Servant of God". On February 2, 2008, Sheen's archives were sealed at a ceremony during a specialMass at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.[34] In 2009, the diocesan phase of the investigation ended and the records were sent to theCongregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican.
On June 28, 2012, the Vatican announced that it had recognized Sheen's life as one of "heroic virtue",[53] a major step towards eventual beatification.[52] From then on, Sheen has been styled "Venerable Servant of God". According to theCatholic News Service andThe Catholic Post (the official newspaper of the Peoria Diocese), the case of a newborn boy who had no discernible pulse for 61 minutes, who was about to be declared dead atOSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois, as a stillborn infant, and yet lived to be healthy without physical or mental impairment was in the preliminary stages of being investigated as the possible miracle needed for Sheen's potential beatification. If the miracle is approved at the diocesan level and then by theCongregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican by being both medically unexplainable and directly attributable theologically to Sheen's intercession according to expert panels in both subject areas, beatification may proceed. Another such miracle would be required for him to be considered for canonization.
On September 7, 2011, a tribunal of inquiry was sworn in to investigate the alleged healing. During a special Mass on December 11, 2011, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, the documentation gathered by the tribunal over nearly three months was boxed and sealed. It was then shipped to the Vatican for consideration by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, concluding the diocesan tribunal's work.[54]
On Sunday, September 9, 2012, a Mass of Thanksgiving and banquet was held at St. Mary's Cathedral and the Spalding Pastoral Center in celebration of the advancement of Sheen's cause. Attendees included Bishop Jenky, and his predecessor as Bishop of Peoria, ArchbishopJohn J. Myers along with many clergy and religious from around the country. Copies of thepositio, the book detailing the documentation behind his cause, were presented to Myers and other attendees. According to statements made at the service, the medical and theological study of the possible miracles needed for his beatification and canonization was well underway. At least one miracle was being seriously considered. New procedures underPope Benedict XVI stated that beatification should ideally occur in the candidate's home diocese. Therefore, Sheen's beatification would likely take place in Peoria, where it would be the first.[55][56][57]

In September 2014, it was announced that the canonization cause would be suspended because of a disagreement with the Archdiocese of New York concerning the return of Sheen's remains to the Diocese of Peoria.[58][59] In a press release on June 14, 2016, it was announced that Sheen's surviving family petitioned theNew York Supreme Court to allow the transfer of Sheen's remains to Peoria. The press release stated that "on several occasions, the Archdiocese [of New York] has declared its desire to cooperate with the wishes of the family."[60]
In an action brought inNew York Supreme Court on November 16, 2016, Justice Arlene P. Bluth ordered the Archdiocese of New York to grant permission to disinter Sheen's body. The court ruled that the archdiocese's objection that Sheen would not want the disinterment was without factual basis. Given that his elevation to sainthood was being blocked, the court found the family had sufficient justification for moving his body.[61]
However, on February 6, 2018, theNew York State Appellate Division overturned Bluth's decision and ordered anevidentiary hearing be held as to whether moving Sheen's body would be consistent with his wishes.[62] The court noted that,
"it is unclear if Archbishop Sheen's direction in his will to be buried in 'Calvary Cemetery, the official cemetery of the Archdiocese of New York' evinces an express intention to remain buried in the Archdiocese of New York, or was merely a descriptive term for Calvary Cemetery."
However, after re-examining the case and holding the evidentiary hearing on June 9, 2018, Bluth affirmed her earlier ruling. The archdiocese allowed Peoria to begin the work on his cause for canonization, which eventually would have required at the least a collection of his relics.[63]
The archdiocese announced on June 9, 2019 that it was officially giving up the fight to keep Sheen's remains at St. Patrick's Cathedral.[64] On June 27, 2019, the remains were transferred to St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria.[43]
On July 6, 2019, theCongregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated the decree approving Sheen's miracle needed for beatification. The miracle involved the unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the town ofGoodfield, near Peoria. Engstrom's parents prayed for the intercession of Sheen for their son's recovery. Pope Francis approved the miracle, and Sheen was scheduled for beatification on December 21, 2019, at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria.[65][66]
On December 3, 2019, the Diocese of Peoria announced that the Vatican had postponed Sheen's beatification.[67]Salvatore Matano, the bishop of Rochester, had expressed concern that Sheen's alleged posting of a priest who had been named in a 1963 sexual misconduct case might be cited unfavorably in a report from New York State Attorney GeneralLetitia James. The Diocese of Peoria countered that the priest had been assigned not by Sheen but by his successor, and that Sheen's involvement in the matter had already been "thoroughly examined" and that he had been "exonerated" and "never put children in harm's way."[9]
In February 2026, it was announced that his beatification will continue, but no date has been announced.[68]
Sheen intends to continue tomorrow a tradition begun in 1927.
For many years the church hosted his famous broadcasts. His last Good Friday homily was preached at the church in 1979.
It was at Saint Agnes Church that his sermons were carried throughout the world.
October 7, 1980: Mayor Edward Koch proclaimed East 43rd Street between Lexington & Third Aves. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Place
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title Titular see erected | — TITULAR — Archbishop of Newport, Wales 1969–1979 | Succeeded by Howard G. Tripp |
| Preceded by | Archbishop-Bishop of Rochester 1966–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by – | Auxiliary Bishop of New York 1951–1966 | Succeeded by – |
| New title Titular see erected | — TITULAR — Bishop of Caesariana 1951–1966 | Succeeded by |