The Church will beatify Archbishop Fulton Sheen on September 24 in St. Louis, advancing him on the path to sainthood! Father Dave welcomes Dr. Peter Howard to discuss Archbishop Sheen’s life, legacy, and ways you can get involved. Peter is the founder and president of the Fulton Sheen Institute and the Fulton Sheen Movement.
Peter explains how Fulton Sheen was born in Peoria, Illinois at the turn of the 20th century. “He grew up in our schools, worked in our fields, and just became a pioneering evangelist,” Peter says, highlighting his popular 1950s TV Show called “Life is Worth Living.”
RELATED: Faith in the Modern Age: Spiritual Lessons From Bishop Fulton Sheen
“Within a few years, Fulton Sheen was reaching 30 million people a week, and 60% of that audience was non-Catholic,” Peter says. “He was in full bishop regalia on TV, and the entire purpose was to take people through the Christian philosophy of life, [which makes] life fully worth living. He became a star, won an Emmy, and was one of the most brilliant men of the 20th century from his academic formation.”
Peter shares how Fulton Sheen’s influence inspired converts from all walks of life, and despite his fame, he kept his life centered on Christ. “From the day he was ordained a priest in 1919 to the day he died in 1979, he never broke a promise to keep a daily Eucharistic holy hour before our Lord,” Peter says. “Fulton Sheen said that that was the secret to why he stood out from among all the other voices out there, because he had a power that they didn’t.”
Father Dave explains why Fulton Sheen’s beatification is in the United States. “In the Catholic Church, we make a big deal about the canonization ceremony, when somebody is finally declared a saint of the Catholic Church. However, those almost always happen in Rome,” he says. “In recent years, we’ve done beatifications — so that one step before sainthood — in the place where they’re from. For people who can’t make the trip to Rome whenever the canonization happens, this beatification event might actually be the bigger deal for us here in this country.”
Peter responds, “I think it’s prophetic too, because where he’s being beatified is at The Dome at America’s Center, the heart of our country…I tell people, ‘Look, you’re never, ever going to get this opportunity again. He won’t be beatified again, and his canonization will not be here.’”
LISTEN: Bonnie Engstrom Shares How Fulton Sheen’s Intercession Saved Her Son’s Life
Leading up to the beatification, Peter and the Fulton Sheen Institute will hold a pilgrimage and conference to help inspire the next generation. “We have a spectrum of speakers whose lives have already been championing Sheen and what he said the evangelization of our times would look like,” he says, noting the conference can be experienced both in-person and virtually. “There’s no better way to get prepared for that beatification announcement the next day, which is going to happen really fast in a matter of minutes.”
“The conference is the preparation for beatification, which is a launching point and not a finish line. This is where the real work begins for our country and our families, and to really bring Fulton Sheen back into the heart of every home. Families so desperately need that kind of guidance; his wit, his humor, and in the end, his love for souls.”
