Fulton Sheen to be beatified in St. Louis before 45,000 pilgrims
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will preside at the September 24 ceremony on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, honoring the American bishop whose television program drew up to 30 million weekly viewers in the 1950s
Fulton Sheen will be beatified on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at a ceremony in St. Louis, Missouri, celebrated on behalf of Pope Leo XIV. Organizers expect about 45,000 pilgrims from 48 states and 12 countries, along with more than 80 bishops and hundreds of priests.
Sheen was born on May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois. He came to public attention through the radio program The Catholic Hour, which had been on the air since 1930, and through the television program Life Is Worth Living, which ran from 1952 to 1957 and drew up to 30 million viewers a week. He won two Emmy awards and wrote about 300 books and articles.
He was named auxiliary bishop of New York in 1951 and took charge of the Diocese of Rochester, New York, in 1966, serving until his retirement in 1969. From 1950 to 1966 he was also national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States. Those who knew him said he could connect with people from very different backgrounds, from laborers to celebrities.
Prayer was at the center of his spiritual life. Sheen set aside an hour every day before the Blessed Sacrament, a practice his contemporaries regarded as the key to his effectiveness as a preacher. That daily "Holy Hour" sustained both his contemplative life and his public work.
His cause opened in 2002. Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to his intercession in 2019, allowing the cause to move forward. The ceremony was scheduled for that year but was postponed because of investigations into the conduct of former bishops in the Diocese of Rochester. The investigations ended with no new or pending accusations against Sheen.
Sheen wrote and spoke on marriage, the family, the Eucharist and the confrontation with materialism and communism. Susanne Held, who translated the German edition of his autobiography, Inquebrantable en la fe (Unshakable in Faith), said Sheen set out Catholic moral principles clearly, and that his daily "Holy Hour" was the secret of his effectiveness in communicating the Christian message.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will preside at the ceremony. He said he was enthusiastic about honoring Sheen's life and work.
