From Father Ken – 25 Facts About Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

It could be said that in the history of American Catholicism, few figures shine as brightly as Fulton John Sheen. He was a priest, an intellectual, a bishop, a pioneer televangelist and now a saint in making thanks to his extraordinary faith, tireless evangelization, endearing humor, and deep devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother Mary. In a historic celebration for the Church in the United States, the Beatification Mass of Archbishop Fulton Sheen will take place this September 24 at 2 p.m. in the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Here are 25 interesting facts about this fascinating personality:

1. He was born Peter John Sheen on May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois to Newton Morris Sheen and Delia (Fulton) Sheen. He adopted his mother’s maiden name, Fulton, which he used permanently.
2. He was baptized at St. Mary’s Church in El Paso four days after birth.
3. His mother dedicated him to the Blessed Virgin Mary as an infant.
4. In 1913, he graduated from high school with valedictorian honors at Spalding Institute in Peoria. The building is now being transformed into Fulton Sheen Museum.
5. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria on September 20, 1919 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception where he used to be an altar boy and is now entombed.
6. His doctoral thesis earned him the prestigious Cardinal Mercier Prize in Belgium in 1923, becoming the first American to win the international prize.
7. He read the entire works of St. Thomas Aquinas in Latin.
8. He taught philosophy and theology at The Catholic University of America for about 25 years.
9. For 16 years, he was the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith starting from 1950.
10. He authored nearly 70 books and numerous articles and columns over his lifetime, with an introduction to his first book written by G.K. Chesterton.
11. He hosted The Catholic Hour on NBC Radio from 1930 to 1950, drawing a massive national audience.
12. He is best known during his lifetime with his iconic television show ‘Life Is Worth Living’ launched on February 12, 1952 and running through 1957.
13. He won an Emmy Award in 1952 for the Most Outstanding Personality.
14. He utilized a chalkboard on television to visually explain complex theological and philosophical ideas.
15. He reached an estimated 30 million weekly viewers at the peak of his broadcast career.
16. He conversed with and instructed high-profile converts to Catholicism, including writer Clare Boothe Luce and communist-turned-activist Louis Budenz.
17. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951.
18. He attended all sessions of the historic Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965.
19. He became the Bishop of Rochester, New York, in October 1966.
20. He was appointed an Archbishop of the Titular See of Newport, Wales by Pope Paul VI in June 1969.
21. Two months before his death, he was embraced by Pope John Paul II who told him: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church.”
22. He died on December 9, 1979, in his private chapel in New York while praying before the Blessed Sacrament.
23. His official cause for canonization was opened in the Diocese of Peoria in 2002 and was declared “Venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 after his heroic virtues were officially recognized.
24. The miracle attributed to Sheen – the miraculous recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy stillborn in September 2010, approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints – was officially recognized by Pope Francis on July 6, 2019.
25. On March 25, 2026, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints formally announced that his beatification will take place on September 24. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside over the Mass and Sheen will become the first American-born bishop to be beatified.

Fr. Ken Ahanonu