Mons. Fulton J. Sheen

The Church will beatify Venerable Fulton J. Sheen on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside over the ceremony on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

Born in 1895 in El Paso, Illinois, Sheen was ordained a priest on September 20, 1919. He gained prominence as a preacher while teaching at the Catholic University of America and later through his radio program, The Catholic Hour, which began in 1926. In 1951, he was ordained a bishop and launched the television series Life is Worth Living. The program became the most watched religious show in television history and earned Sheen an Emmy Award for most outstanding television personality in 1953.

Sheen served as the bishop of Rochester starting in 1966 until his resignation in 1969. He spent his remaining years writing and preaching.