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Fulton John Sheen (May 8, 1895—December 9, 1979) was an American archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Bishop of Rochester and American television's first preacher of note, hosting Life Is Worth Living in the early 1950s, first on the old DuMont Television Network and later on ABC, from 1951 to 1957. He later hosted the "Bishop Sheen Program" in syndication with a virtually identical format from 1961 to 1968; these later programs, many of which were taped in color, are still frequently rebroadcast today.

Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, the oldest of four sons of a farmer. Though he was known as Fulton, his mother's maiden name, he was baptized Peter John Sheen. As an infant, Sheen contracted tuberculosis. After the family moved to nearby Peoria, Illinois, Sheen's first role in the Catholic Church was as an altar boy at St. Mary's Cathedral.

Contents 1 Education 2 Radio and television 3 Later years 4 Posthumous appeal 5 Works 5.1 Books 5.2 Essays 6 Further reading 7 References 8 External links

After earning high school valedictorian honors at Spalding Institute in Peoria in 1913, Sheen was educated at St. Viator College, Bourbonnais, Illinois, which closed in 1940, the campus being purchased by Olivet Nazarene College. Making the debating team in his freshman year, his coach called him aside the night before a major debate with the University of Notre Dame, and told him bluntly: "Sheen, you're absolutely the worst speaker I ever heard."

Sheen attended Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota before his ordination on September 20, 1919, then followed that with further studies at The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C..^[1] His youthful appearance was still evident on one occasion when a local priest who was unable to celebrate Mass asked Sheen to substitute for him. Arriving at the parish, the pastor curtly told him, "Get over to the church. The other altar boys are dressed already."

Sheen earned a doctorate in philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 1923.^[1] While there, he became the first American ever to win the Cardinal Mercier award for the best philosophical treatise.

Sheen then taught theology at St. Edmund's College, Ware in England. In 1926, the Bishop of his hometown in Peoria asked him to take over St. Patrick's Parish. After eight months, Sheen returned to Catholic University in Washington, D.C., to teach philosophy.

A popular instructor, Sheen wrote the first of some 90 books in 1925, and in 1930 began a weekly Sunday night radio broadcast, The Catholic Hour.^[1] Two decades later, the broadcast had a weekly listening audience of four million people. Time magazine referred to him in 1946 as "the golden-voiced Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen, U.S. Catholicism's famed proselyter" and reported that his radio broadcast received 3,000–6,000 letters weekly from listeners.^[2] During the middle of this era, he conducted the first religious service broadcast on the new medium of television, putting in motion a new avenue for his religious pursuits.

Sheen was also credited with helping convert a number of notable figures to the Catholic faith, including writer Heywood Broun, politician Clare Boothe Luce and automaker Henry Ford II.

Sheen was ordained a bishop on June 11, 1951^[3] . He served as Auxiliary Bishop of New York from 1951 to 1965. In 1951 he also began a weekly television program on the DuMont network, Life is Worth Living. The show, scheduled for Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m., was not expected to offer much of a challenge against ratings giants Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra, but surprisingly held its own, causing Berle to joke, "He uses old material, too". In 1952, Sheen won an Emmy Award for his efforts, accepting the acknowledgement by saying, "I feel it is time I pay tribute to my four writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

The program consisted of Sheen simply speaking in front of a live audience, often speaking on the theology of current topics such as the evils of Communism or the usage of psychology, occasionally using a chalkboard. One of his best remembered presentations came in February 1953, when he forcefully denounced the Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin. Sheen gave a dramatic reading of the burial scene from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, substituting the names of Caesar, Cassius, Mark Antony, and Brutus with those of prominent Soviet leaders: Stalin, Beria, Malenkov, and Vishinsky. He concluded by saying, "Stalin must one day meet his judgment." On March 5, 1953, Stalin died.

The show ran until 1957, drawing as many as 30 million people on a weekly basis. In 1958, he became national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, serving for eight years before being appointed Bishop of Rochester on October 26, 1966. Sheen also hosted a nationally-syndicated series, The Fulton Sheen Program, from 1961 to 1968 (first in black and white and then in color). The format of this series was basically the same as Life is Worth Living.

While serving in Rochester, he created the Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation, which survives to this day. However, his continuing celebrity status led to travels outside the Diocese, preventing him from establishing a close relationship with parishioners. He also spent some of his energy on political activities, such as his denunciation of the Vietnam War in August 1967. On October 15, 1969, one month after celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest, Sheen resigned from his position and was then appointed Archbishop of the Titular See of Newport (Wales) by Pope Paul VI. The largely ceremonial position allowed Sheen to continue his extensive writing.

On October 2, 1979, two months before Sheen's death, Pope John Paul II visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York and embraced Sheen, saying, "You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church." Sheen is buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral near the deceased Archbishops of New York. The official repository of Sheen's papers, television programs, and other materials is at St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Rochester, New York ^[4]

In 2002, Sheen's Cause for Canonization was officially opened, and so he is now referred to as a Servant of God.

Re-runs of Sheen's various programs continue to be aired on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) on Friday nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, introduced by Joseph Campanella. Re-runs are also aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). In addition to his television appearances, Archbishop Sheen can also be heard on Relevant Radio at 9:00 in the morning and evening.

Archbishop Sheen wrote 96 books and hundreds of articles and columns.

• God and Intelligence, 1925
• Religion Without God, 1928
• The Life of All Living, 1929 Rev. Ed. 1979
• The Divine Romance, 1930
• Old Errors and New Labels, 1931
• Moods and Truths, 1932
• Way of the Cross, 1932
• Seven Last Words, 1933, Alba House reprint: ISBN 0-8189-0760-6
• Hymn of the Conquered, 1933
• The Eternal Galilean, 1934
• Philosophy of Science, 1934
• The Mystical Body of Christ, 1935
• Calvary and the Mass, 1936
• The Moral Universe, 1936
• The Cross and the Beatitudes: Lessons on Love and Forgiveness, 1937, Liguori Publications reprint: ISBN 0-7648-0592-4
• The Cross and the Crisis, 1938
• Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, 1938
• The Rainbow of Sorrow, 1938
• Victory over Vice, 1939
• Whence Come Wars, 1940
• The Seven Virtues, 1940
• For God and Country, 1941
• A Declaration of Dependence, 1941
• God and War and Peace, 1942
• The Divine Verdict, 1943
• The Armor of God, 1943
• Philosophies at War, 1943
• Seven Words to the Cross, 1944
• Seven Pillars of Peace, 1944
• Love One Another, 1944
• Seven Words of Jesus and Mary: Lessons on Cana and Calvary, 1945, Liguori Publications reprint: ISBN 0-7648-0708-0
• Preface to Religion, 1946
• Characters of the Passion, 1946
• Jesus, Son of Mary, 1947
• Communism and the Conscience of the West, 1948
• Philosophy of Religion, 1948
• Peace of Soul, 1949, Liguori Publications reprint: ISBN 0-89243-915-7
• Lift Up Your Heart, 1950
• Three to Get Married, 1951, Scepter Publishers reprint: ISBN 0-933932-87-1
• The World’s First Love, 1952, McGraw Hill, Ignatius Press reprint: ISBN 0-89870-597-5
• Life Is Worth Living, Vol. 1, 1953
• Life Is Worth Living, Vol. 2, 1954
  • Life Is Worth Living: First and Second Series, Ignatius Press reprint: ISBN 0-89870-611-4
• The Life of Christ, 1954
• Way to Happiness: An Inspiring Guide to Peace, Hope and Contentment, 1954, Alba House reprint: ISBN 0-8189-0775-4
• Way to Inner Peace, 1954
• God Loves You, 1955
• Thinking Life Through, 1955
• Thoughts for Daily Living, 1955
• Life Is Worth Living, Vol. 3, 1955
• Life Is Worth Living, Vol. 4, 1956
• Life Is Worth Living, Vol. 5, 1957
• Life of Christ, 1958, McGraw Hill, revised edition Doubleday, 1977: ISBN 0-385-13220-4
• This Is The Mass, 1958; Rev. Ed. 1965
• This Is Rome, 1960
• Go to Heaven, 1960
• This Is the Holy Land, 1961
• These Are the Sacraments, 1962
• The Priest Is Not His Own, 1963, Ignatius Press reprint: ISBN 1-58617-044-9
• Missions and the World Crisis, 1964
• The Power of Love, 1965
• Walk with God, 1965
• Christmas Inspirations, 1966
• Footprints in a Darkened Forest, 1966
• Guide to Contentment, 1967
• Easter Inspirations, 1967
• Those Mysterious Priests, 1974
• Life Is Worth Living, First and Second Series Abridged, 1978
• Treasure in Clay, 1980
• The Quotable Fulton Sheen: A Topical Compilation of the Wit, Wisdom, and Satire of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, 1989, George J. Marlin, Richard P. Rabatin, and John L. Swan, editors, Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-26226-4
• From the Angel's Blackboard: The Best of Fulton J. Sheen, 1996, Liguori Publications reprint: ISBN 0-89243-925-4
• Simple Truths: Thinking Life Through With Fulton J. Sheen, 1998, Liguori Publications reprint: ISBN 0-7648-0169-4
• Your Life Is Worth Living: The Christian Philosophy of Life, 2001, Esther B. Davidowitz, Jon R. Hallingstad, editors, Saint Andrew's Press, ISBN 0-9701456-8-3. Transcript of 1965 audio recording.

• The Decline of Controversy

• Reeves, Thomas C. (2001). America's Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen. Encounter Books. ISBN 1-893554-25-2
• Riley, Kathleen L. (2004). Fulton J. Sheen: An American Catholic Response to the Twentieth Century. Alba House.
• Sheen, Fulton J. (1980). Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen. Doubleday & Company.

• Fulton J. Sheen official website
• Cause for Canonization of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
• Stalin for Time: Did Bishop Fulton Sheen foretell the death of Stalin? (Snopes.com)
• Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen—Author, Orator and Missionary, by John A. Hardon, S.J.
• Life Is Worth Living freely available talks in MP3 audio. At least two of the MP3s on this site are incomplete.
• Audio archive of Life Is Worth Living
• Video of a 1941 Solemn High Mass, held at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica in Chicago. High Mass in full detail, narrated by then-Mgr. Fulton J. Sheen.