…Sheen is fondly remembered as a Master Communicator, Consummate Preacher
Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a celebrated American Catholic prelate, is venerated for his profound devotion to the holy hour, exceptional communication skills, and powerful preaching.
In a video obtained by Advocatus Africa, Bishop Robert Baron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, who sat outside the Old Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri, spoke glowingly of the first-ever American-born Bishop to be beatified by the Catholic Church.
“I was just inside for about 15 minutes, joining a nice group for holy hour. And that made me mindful, of course, of Fulton Sheen’s devotion to the holy hour. Even though he was a great communicator, he will be remembered for that and for being a great preacher,” Bishop Baron stated.
In a message on the eve of Archbishop Sheen’s beatification, at the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV prayed that “the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire(s) many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm.”
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen with his Cousin Rosemarie Holliger Costello. Credit: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Beatification, a step to Canonization
Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican, Luis Cardinal Antonio Tagle, who officiated at the Holy Mass, read the formal apostolic letter from Pope Leo and declared Sheen “Blessed.”
At the beatification ceremony, which was held at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis and drew about 50,000 pilgrims from 48 US states and twelve countries, there were over 80 bishops, hundreds of priests and religious, as well as religious leaders.
The path to his beatification was officially cleared after Pope Francis approved the miracle in 2019 involving a child, James Fulton Engstrom, born without a heartbeat or respiration, who was revived to perfect health after 61 minutes through prayers invoking Sheen’s intercession.
Credit:@sachinettiyil
With the title of Blessed, Sheen is just one step away from full canonization, as a second authenticated miracle attributed to his intercession is needed for him to be officially declared a Saint.
Sheen’s sainthood cause was opened in 2002 by the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, where he was ordained, and St. Louis was chosen for the Mass.
Practice the holy hour to honor him – Bishop Baron
Meanwhile, Bishop Baron explained that “Maybe above all, he will be known as the saint of the Holy Hour. He said he concluded every retreat he ever gave with priests with the call to them, the challenge to them, to spend one hour of uninterrupted prayer before the Blessed Sacrament every day.
“So, I think really those now who want to honor him are taking his beatification seriously; maybe the single best way to honor him is to take up the practice that he reverenced so much, the practice of the holy hour.”
Describing the newly beatified American Bishop as one who prayed regardless of weekends or days off, the 66-year-old prelate emphasized that Sheen prayed “in season and out, every day, an hour before the Blessed Sacrament.”
He lauded the spiritual legacies of the pioneer of religious broadcasting whose voice brought the gospel to millions.
“I think it took a while to kick in, but now that’s standard practice in most seminaries, standard practice in the formation of priests, and most priests I know, at least under a certain age, would follow this advice of doing the holy hour.
“I will tell you my own case, you know, when I was coming of age, we did not really emphasize that. I learned it from my students at Mundelein Seminary,” Bishop Baron stressed.
Bishop Robert Baron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Credit: Bishop Robert Barron.
Sheen’s passion for the media emerged in 1926 when he started promoting the gospel on radio, becoming a regular voice on the national programme Catholic Hour in 1930. In 1953, he earned the Most Outstanding Personality award at the 5th Emmy Awards for his unscripted primetime shows, and in 1957, he won Best Male Personality Continuing Performance after being nominated for the award in 1954.
Every Sunday, he attracted 4 million listeners, including many non-Catholics. For 20 uninterrupted years, he captivated audiences worldwide through his media ministry, including his television programme “Life is Worth Living” and his oratory from 1952 to 1957.
On this, Bishop Baron stated, “They [seminarians] were the generation who were taking in Sheen because of EWTN. And they learned from him the holy hour, and I kind of learned it from them, honestly. And it’s become a very important part of my spiritual life.
The American Bishop detailed that for Sheen, “when you just sit in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, you are taking in the energy and power of Christ,” just as “when you are looking at the sunset, and you take on the glow of the setting sun.”
Sheen “urged Protestants…spend an hour in front of the open book of the Bible
According to Prelate, the servant of Christ “urged Protestants, by the way, who were attracted to the holy hour but did not believe in the real presence. He said, well, spend an hour in front of the open book of the Bible because they felt that is where the word of God was available.”
He noted that Sheen “knew what Thomas Merton knew, which was maybe the most important thing to do to improve your prayer life is to take the time. I also love the fact that he said that even though, you know, it was not true that every time he sat before the Blessed Sacrament, he had some, you know, marvelous intuition or sense of mission, but he said, I was like a dog, a faithful dog at his master’s feet, ready in case he calls – that steady daily, in season and out, attention to the Lord.
“Remember, the Cure d’Ars is the one that said that during his Blessed Sacrament adoration, what was going on was, well, I am looking at him, and he is looking at me. It is that communion with the living Christ that was so important to Fulton Sheen.
“Bishop Fulton Sheen has been a source of inspiration to me” – Fr. Zaku
On his part, the National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Solomon Patrick Zaku, who spoke to ACI Africa on the grounds of the beatification ceremony disclosed that “I am here in St. Louis for the beatification of Archbishop Venerable Fulton Sheen,” stressed that “Bishop Fulton Sheen has been a source of inspiration to me as a person.”
Speaking further, he narrated that, “While I was in the seminary, I read about his book and his life, and it touched me.”
The PMS director praised Sheen, who served as National Director for the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and introduced the mission rosary, now popular with the Holy Childhood Association (HCA), for his holiness, highlighting the influence he has had on prayer and children.
“One of the things I have learned from him is the Holy Hour, spending an hour daily, and that has been part of my daily routine, which has been my source of inspiration.
“As a National Director of the Council on Child Societies in Nigeria, we also promote the World Mutual Rosary, which Archbishop Fulton Sheen introduced,” he stated.
National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS), Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Solomon Patrick Zaku. Credit: Solomon Zaku
Fr. Zaku pointed to the ecumenical and mission legacies the newly beatified American has made in Africa.
“The members of the Holy Child World Association and the young Islam people from Nigeria say that mission prayer daily is part of their lives. And personally, anywhere I go, I can recite my rosary. It is a mission rosary that we produce in Nigeria, and I pray it daily. So, I am happy today that Generable Fulton Sheen will be here tonight,” he disclosed.
Born on May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois, United States, he completed his early ecclesiastical studies and earned degrees in Canon Law and Theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington in 1920.
He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, in 1923, and in 1925 achieved a rare highest post-doctoral qualification (super-doctorate), becoming the first American to win the Cardinal Mercier Prize.
He also bagged a Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD/DD) in 1924 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (The Angelicum) in Rome.
On May 28, 1951, Pope Pius XII named him auxiliary bishop of New York, a role he held for 15 years. Then, on October 21, 1966, Pope Paul VI appointed him to lead the Diocese of Rochester, New York, where he served for three years before stepping down in 1969 to dedicate his remaining 10 years as a Bishop Emeritus to media ministry.
Upon his resignation, Pope Paul VI appointed him as the Titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales, officially granting him the title of Archbishop.
The prelate who served in the episcopal ministry for 28 years was a prolific writer who authored between 66 and 73 books, including well-known titles like The Priest is Not His Own, Life in Christ, Peace of Soul, and Three to Get Married.
On December 9, 1979, at the age of 84, he was discovered dead, kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in his private chapel.
Editor’s Note: Featured photo is courtesy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
