Blessed Fulton Sheen

The Church in the United States recently rejoiced to celebrate the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the first American-born bishop to be declared “Blessed.” Bishop Robert Barron counts Archbishop Sheen as one of the “pivotal players” in the history of the Church, and there is no doubt that he had a profound impact on the life of the Church in this country.
 
Fulton Sheen was born in rural Illinois, a small-town boy who knew at an early age that he was called to the priesthood. After his ordination as a priest, he did parish work and was sent by his bishop for advanced studies. He was known to be a gifted teacher and communicator, and this talent would play an important part in his entire life as a priest and bishop. As a young priest, he recognized the value of radio as a means of sharing the faith with great numbers of people. He launched a radio program that soon reached nationwide into the homes of millions of people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. With his eloquent but understandable style, he spoke about every aspect of the Catholic faith, and helped millions come to a deeper knowledge of God and the gift of faith. In a similar way, when television became the dominant medium of communication, he realized that he needed to take his ministry in a new direction. He started a television program called “Life is Worth Living,” and again he reached millions of homes with his weekly explanations of the faith. He even won an Emmy award for his program, and with good humor gave credit to his writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John!
 
During this time, Fulton Sheen was appointed a bishop, and this gave his work of sharing the faith even greater fame. He became the most prominent and original Catholic evangelist in this country and beyond, using the mass media to share the faith with countless souls. Pope Leo XIV gave his own personal witness to the importance of the new “blessed,” saying, “Archbishop Sheen was a light of faith, hope, and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades. I myself am a witness of his evangelization when I was growing up. His broadcasts touched millions with the hope of the Gospel, and his initiatives and efforts resulted in enormous spiritual and material aid to the Churches in areas of the first evangelization.”
 
But underlying his popularity as a well-known evangelist was a deep, personal faith. He was especially drawn to our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, and early in his priesthood resolved to make a Holy Hour every day of his life. Wherever he was, and no matter what his schedule demanded, he always made time to spend an hour in prayer with our Lord, preferably in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. He called this “the hour that makes my day,” and he maintained that this daily time of prayer is what allowed him to reach so many souls through his preaching and teaching. In the many retreats and priest conferences that he gave throughout his life, he always urged priests to adopt the habit of a daily holy hour, assuring them that the hour they gave to the Lord would bear abundant fruit in their priestly lives. I think most priests would agree that he was right.
 
Archbishop Sheen had a special zeal for the mission work of the Church and he served for many years as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In this role, he was the public face of the Church’s efforts for the foreign missions, and he encouraged every Catholic to support the Church’s missions through prayer and sacrificial giving. Archbishop Sheen understood that the Church was founded by Jesus to go out into the world for the salvation of souls. He was convinced that every Catholic, whatever their state in life, had a part to play in the missionary work of the Church, both here at home and throughout the world. In this way, he anticipated the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and all of the recent popes, who call all members of the Church to be missionary disciples. Fulton Sheen lived this in his own life as follower of Jesus who gladly went wherever he was sent to share the Gospel.
 
His missionary journeys also helped Archbishop Sheen to understand the plight of the poor, and he actively worked to address the needs of those in poverty. Using his gifts as a communicator, he advocated for justice as well as charity for the downtrodden, recognizing in each of them the person of Jesus walking among us. He quietly gave of his own personal resources and actively lived what he preached.
 
In many ways, Fulton Sheen was a man ahead of his time. He could see the decline of Christian civilization in the twentieth century, so he adopted the means available to him to build up the faithful and address the challenges of the modern era. He was a prophetic voice, but also a humble man who took no credit for the successes of his ministry. In all things, he put his faith entirely in Jesus. For all of his forward thinking, he knew that his foundation was the ancient apostolic faith of the Church, with Christ himself as the cornerstone. Fulton Sheen was a holy man who still speaks to our own times, nearly fifty years after his death. As the Church recognizes his holiness, he continues to lead us to Jesus, as he did so well during his long life here on earth. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!