Former bishop of Rochester, New York, television personality in the 1950s, and renown preacher and speaker, Fulton John Sheen, was beatified in a ceremony in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 24, 2026. He was also a member of the Carmelite Third Order. He was professed by the Prior General, Kilian Lynch, in the chapel of Whitefriars Hall in Washington, DC., on July 17, 1948.
On the occasion of the beatification of this Third Order Carmelite, the prior general issued a letter to the Carmelite Family in the official languages of the Order. His letter can be found here.
In his homily at the beatification in St. Louis, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle began by greeting all present in the name of Pope Leo. Cardinal Tagle said, “Pope Leo rejoices at the beatification of his fellow countryman, his fellow Illinoisan, and brother bishop.”
At his regular Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope spoke about the beatification and held up Archbishop Sheen as an example for everyone engaged in evangelization. Known affectionately as “Uncle Fultie,” Archbishop Sheen had a national program on the relatively new medium of television. An estimated 30 million viewers regularly watched Sheen’s Life Is Worth Living which aired from 1952 to 1957. He won an Emmy Award for this work.
“Tomorrow in Saint Louis, Missouri, Venerable Fulton Sheen will be beatified,” the pope said. “May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm."
In his letter declaring Bishop Sheen Blessed, Pope Leo described him as “a tireless preached of the Gospel through the modern means of communications and a diligent shepherd animated by missionary zeal.”
Cardinal Tagle, in his homily, highlighted two aspects of Sheen’s life that stand out in particular: his identity as an evangelizer, or proclaimer of the Gospel, and his vocation as a missionary shepherd.
For the Cardinal the American bishop’s fame as a communicator was secondary to his vocation as a missionary. Cardinal Tagle spoke of Sheen as having a communion with Christ and a communion with people, especially the poor and vulnerable. Tagle noted that the Mass’s three readings likewise place evangelization and mission at the center.
Cardinal Tagle retold the story of a conversation between Sheen and Pope Pius XII: Asked how many conversions he could claim, Sheen replied that he had never counted them, lest he be tempted to think they belonged to him. He described himself instead as “simply a porter” who was sometimes able to lead people to the open door of God’s house.
The evangelizer, the Cardinal explained, does not own the people he encounters, nor does he take credit for what God accomplishes in them. He simply opens the door.
The ceremony was held at The Dome at America’s Center in Saint Louis, Missouri. An estimated 50,000 were in attendance, “exceeding all expectations and hopes” according to one commentator. The entrance procession alone took some 26 minutes.
