Last Thursday, the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) was beatified—the step before canonization. Ordained to the priesthood in 1919 for the Diocese of Peoria. Well known for his speaking skills, he was invited in 1930 to speak on “The Catholic Hour,” a program on the relatively new medium of commercial radio. Listener response was so strong that he became the weekly host. In the two decades he was on radio, the number of stations carrying his program grew from 17 to more than 130, reaching an estimated 4 million listeners. In 1951, Fulton Sheen was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York. He was also appointed National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (a pontifical Catholic mission society that supports missions around the world). The next year, he ventured into an even newer medium: television.

Television was in its infancy. At the time, only 4 national American networks existed, and Tuesday evening primetime was dominated by “The Frank Sinatra Show” and “Texaco Star Theater,” hosted by comedian Milton Berle. On February 12, 1952, Sheen started his first television show callled “Life Is Worth Living,” which featured him in formal episcopal dress with a chalkboard as his main prop. His half-hour talks, sprinkled with humor, ranged from theology and philosophy to psychology, current events, and everyday moral and spiritual living. Then something extraordinary happened. Viewers began tuning in to Bishop Sheen in droves. His ratings peaked at 30 million viewers a week—about one in every five Americans. And the most incredible thing: roughly 70% of his audience was non-Catholic.

Though television brought fame, Sheen’s private life was marked by deep religious discipline, austere living, and humble kindness. From the time of his ordination, he vowed to spend one hour every day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. And for 60 years, he never missed his daily Holy Hour. He went to confession weekly and held a strong devotion to Our Blessed Mother Mary.

He kept a grueling schedule — immersed in his duties nineteen-hours a day, seven days a week—spending roughly thirty hours preparing each television broadcast. He would stop on the street to speak with beggars, giving them some money, and listened attentively to anyone who approached him. When strangers criticized him publicly, he listened respectfully without arguing. He treated everyone alike, whether working class or famous.

In October 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the United States. At St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, before a crowd of 5,000, the Pope called Archbishop Fulton Sheen. As Sheen came forward to kneel, the Pope embraced him and said: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church.” Two months later, on December 9, Archbishop Sheen was found dead in his apartment—in the one place he never failed to be: his private chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. He was 84.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen exemplifies proclaiming the Gospel to the modern world. He did not shy away from new technologies; he embraced them to meet people where they were. He is widely regarded as the first major televangelist, and was called by Billy Graham “one of the greatest preachers of this century.”

Last Thursday, Archbishop Sheen was beatified, not for his preaching but for the holiness of his life—a life totally given over to love of God and of neighbour – the kind of life that truly is worth living.

Fr. Pierre Champoux