St.Louis: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, one of the best known Catholic evangelists of the 20th century, is set to be beatified in St. Louis on Thursday, with Pope Leo XIV highlighting his use of radio and television to spread the Gospel.
The beatification Mass is scheduled for 2 p.m. at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside at the ceremony as Pope Leo XIV’s representative.
The event is expected to draw nearly 45,000 pilgrims from 48 US states and 12 countries. Organisers have reported that 83 bishops and more than 870 priests had registered for the celebration.
Speaking at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on September 23, the eve of the beatification, Pope Leo praised Sheen for his evangelizing work through the media.
The Pope said Sheen’s example could encourage Christians to find new ways to share the Gospel with joyful enthusiasm. He highlighted Sheen’s work through radio and television, which brought his message to millions of people.
Sheen served as the national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the United States from 1950 to 1966.
Born on May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois, Sheen was ordained a priest in 1919. He became widely known for his ability to communicate Catholic teaching to large audiences through the media.
His radio ministry included The Catholic Hour, while his television programme Life Is Worth Living brought his message to millions of viewers. The programme began in the early 1950s and became a major part of his public ministry.
In 1953, Sheen won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Personality.
His public ministry continued as he took on senior responsibilities within the Catholic Church. In 1966, Pope Paul VI appointed him Bishop of Rochester in New York. Sheen resigned from leadership of the diocese in 1969 and was later appointed titular Archbishop of Newport.
Sheen died in New York on December 9, 1979, at the age of 84.
The path to his beatification has taken many years. His cause for canonization was formally opened in 2002. Pope Benedict XVI declared him Venerable in 2012 after recognising his heroic virtues.
A major step came in 2019 when Pope Francis approved a decree recognising a miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession. The case involved James Fulton Engstrom, who was born in 2010 without a detectable pulse and later recovered.
The planned beatification ceremony was postponed in 2019 while concerns about Sheen’s handling of priest assignments during his time as Bishop of Rochester were examined. Sheen himself was not accused of sexually abusing minors.
After a lengthy delay and further examination of the cause, the Vatican allowed the beatification process to move forward in February 2026. The Vatican later announced that the beatification would take place in St. Louis on September 24.
St. Louis was chosen because it could accommodate far more people than the largest available venue in Peoria, Illinois, where Sheen was born and began his priestly ministry.
If the beatification takes place as scheduled, Sheen will be known as Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.
Beatification does not make a person a saint. Canonization requires a further process, normally including recognition of another miracle attributed to the person’s intercession.
Sheen’s legacy remains closely linked to his use of radio and television to communicate Catholic teaching to large audiences. Pope Leo has highlighted that legacy as an example of how the Church can use the communications tools of each era to spread the Gospel.