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St. Louis (Agenzia Fides) – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified on September 24. Pope Leo XIV will send Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), as his representative to the celebrations.
"It is an indescribable joy to learn that Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who was National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies from 1950 to 1966, will be beatified in St. Louis on September 24," said Monsignor Roger J. Landry, the current National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, in a press release on Wednesday, March 25. “He is a source of inspiration, not only for all of us who continue his work of prayer and support for the mission of the Church throughout the world, but also for all whose faith has been strengthened by his preaching, his radio and television broadcasts, his writings, and his holy Catholic life,” Father Landry emphasized.
Fulton Sheen was born on May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois, to an Irish family. He felt his calling to the priesthood at the age of 24 and was ordained a priest in 1919. He continued his academic studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. After returning to the United States, he began teaching at the Catholic University of America in 1926, a position he held until 1950. From 1930 to 1950, he also hosted the evening radio program "The Catholic Hour" on NBC, which quickly gained a large audience and was extraordinarily successful, leading many people to the Catholic faith.
During his 16 years as National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States (1950–1966), he was deeply committed to the Church's missionary work. "I am very pleased that Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization, will celebrate the Beatification Mass as Papal Legate," Monsignor Landry continued. "Cardinal Tagle, like Sheen himself, is not only an exceptionally gifted preacher, but will undoubtedly also be able to highlight the merits of the future Blessed Fulton Sheen for the Church's missionary work."
Fulton Sheen was Bishop of Rochester, New York, and in 1969 Pope Paul VI appointed him Titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales. A lecturer and brilliant speaker, he also hosted the weekly television series "Life is Worth Living," which reached approximately 30 million viewers and earned him two Emmy Awards. From 1961 to 1967, he hosted "The Fulton Sheen Show." Fulton Sheen also founded the magazine "Christ to the World" and wrote some 300 books and articles. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 26/3/2026)
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