Beatification of Fulton Sheen: from television to the altars

Long held back by bureaucratic obstacles and legal reviews, the cause of the celebrated American bishop has received final approval. The beatification rite is scheduled for September 24, 2026, in Saint Louis. For the occasion, Editrice Shalom is enriching its catalog with a work dedicated to his spiritual legacy.

The beatification of Fulton Sheen, scheduled for September 24, 2026, in Saint Louis, represents a significant moment for the Catholic Church and for the history of one of the great figures in twentieth-century communications. Archbishop, radio and television pioneer, bestselling author, and Emmy Award winner, Fulton John Sheen will be proclaimed blessed.

The event concludes a long and complex process, also marked by bureaucratic obstacles, and brings renewed attention to one of the best-known figures in twentieth-century Catholicism.

In brief

Fulton John Sheen will be proclaimed blessed on September 24, 2026, in Saint Louis, Missouri. A priest since 1919, a bishop, and a leading figure in American radio and television, Sheen knew how to use the communication media of his time to convey the Christian message to millions of people.

Who was Fulton Sheen?

Born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 and ordained a priest in 1919, Fulton J. Sheen combined a solid theological and philosophical education with extraordinary communication skills. His pastoral and media work developed through several key stages:

• The radio phenomenon: before moving to the small screen, he captured the attention of millions of American listeners with the historic program The Catholic Hour, broadcast from 1930 to 1950.
• The television revolution: with the celebrated show Life Is Worth Living ("Life Is Worth Living", 1952-1957) and later The Fulton Sheen Program, he entered the homes of thirty million viewers every week. He came to compete with the major figures of television entertainment and won a prestigious Emmy Award as the best television personality.
• His unmistakable style: with his characteristic cape, theatrical yet measured gestures, reassuring smile, and direct style, Sheen knew how to speak to believers and nonbelievers alike, placing divine mercy and the truth of the Gospel at the center.

Alongside his media work, he carried out intense service to the Church: he headed the national office of the Pontifical Missionary Work from 1950 to 1966, served as auxiliary bishop of New York, and later became bishop of Rochester.

What miracle led to Fulton Sheen's beatification?

Fulton Sheen's beatification cause was officially opened in 2002 by the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. The process required years of theological and canonical analysis:

• 2012: Pope Benedict XVI recognized his heroic virtues, declaring him Venerable.
• 2019: Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to his intercession, paving the way for beatification. The case concerns James Fulton Engstrom, an infant who showed no signs of life for more than an hour in 2010 and subsequently recovered.

Why is Fulton Sheen a model of communication for the digital Church?

Fulton Sheen's example shows how communication media can be placed at the service of evangelization. For him, radio and television were tools through which he could reach a vast audience with direct and accessible language.

Sheen, however, was not simply a priest who was famous on television or a skilled speaker. Above all, he was a man of profound prayer, devoted to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. Before his broadcasts, he would spend hours kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, convinced that modern communication media were tools to be used for one great purpose: leading souls to Christ.

His example therefore remains particularly relevant in this age of global communication and social media, in which digital presence and online language have assumed an important role in evangelization.

Learn more about the spirituality of the new blessed

To rediscover the depth of this master of the spiritual life and draw inspiration from his teachings, Editrice Shalom invites you to discover the new publication dedicated to Fulton Sheen.

A book designed to accompany readers as they discover his insights and understand the relevance of a message that, today as yesterday, continues to remind us that "life is worth living".