Shortly before the Sept. 24 beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in St. Louis, the White House issued a presidential message marking the occasion.
“Melania and I join all those celebrating the life and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen – the Catholic priest who pioneered the use of media to speak the truth, preach the Gospel, and bring many souls closer to Christ,” the Sept. 24 message issued by President Donald Trump said. “Today, Archbishop Sheen will become the first-ever American-born bishop to be beatified by the Catholic Church.”
Noting soon-to-be Blessed Fulton J. Sheen’s legacy of communicating the Gospel to millions on his television programs, Trump said, “For years, his sharp wit and piercing intellect filled millions of American living rooms and converted thousands – including national politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and communist leaders – to the Catholic faith.”
“His program attracted an estimated 30 million weekly viewers, ultimately becoming one of the most watched religious programs in the history of television,” Trump said. “Through it all, Archbishop Sheen used his platform not for his own sake but to strengthen our Nation with the good news of the Gospel.”
Archbishop Sheen’s legacy, he continued, “endures in homes, churches, and communities all across our country.”
“Countless Americans still watch recordings of his broadcasts and read his books. The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Museum in his native Illinois attracts thousands of visitors every year,” the message said. “And today, as thousands of Americans gather in St. Louis, Missouri, for his Beatification Mass, we pray that Archbishop Sheen’s heroic commitment to nourishing the soul of our country will inspire others to follow his example and lift our Nation upward and ever higher to God.”
The grandson of Irish immigrants, Archbishop Sheen was born in 1895 and ordained in 1919 as a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. He taught philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington and rose to fame first through his radio show “The Catholic Hour” and then TV show “Life is Worth Living.”
He meanwhile served as national director for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, an arm of the Holy See now part of the Pontifical Mission Societies, supporting the Church’s evangelization and humanitarian relief efforts around the world.
He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York before serving as bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1966 to 1969. Upon his retirement, St. Paul VI gave him the title “archbishop.” He continued to preach and give retreats, and died at age 84 in 1979.
The Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, opened Archbishop Sheen’s cause for canonization in 2002. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI recognized the archbishop’s heroic virtue, declaring him “venerable.”
