The Venerable Fulton J. Sheen was beatified last Thursday, Sept. 24 in St. Louis, Missouri. In this day and age, Sheen’s example serves to remind us of the upside to our technological interconnectedness.
Born to an Irish family in Illinois on May 8, 1895, Bl. Fulton Sheen was ordained a priest in 1919. As he advanced his studies, earning graduate degrees in philosophy and theology, he earned a reputation as a fiery speaker of great faith.
He pushed Catholics toward action, and said, “The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision […] a silent acquiescence to evil. The tragedy of our time is that those who still believe in honesty lack fire and conviction, while those who believe in dishonesty are full of passionate conviction.”
Bl. Fulton Sheen was especially efficacious during the early rise of television and radio. His messages spread far and wide, reaching audiences of millions of Americans and other people around the world. He reminds us that “We become like that which we love. If we love what is base, we become base; but if we love what is noble, we become noble.”
Bl. Fulton Sheen advanced his higher education at three institutions: the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Italy. Bl. Fulton Sheen held true to his virtue and his kairos: “Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is “timing” — it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way.”
Bl. Fulton Sheen returned to the U.S. in 1926 and began teaching at the Catholic University of America, a position he held until 1950. The bishop was a powerful teacher and preacher.
In 1930, he joined a Sunday radio program called “The Catholic Hour.” At the height of the program’s popularity, it earned roughly four million weekly listeners. He reminds us that it is “Far better […] for you to say: ‘I am a sinner,’ than to say: ‘I have no need of religion.’ The empty can be filled, but the self-intoxicated have no room for God.”
Sheen served as the Bishop of Rochester from 1951 to 1969. In 1951 he began hosting a weekly television series called “Life is Worth Living” on matters of faith that attracted a humble 30 million viewers.
Then, in 1969 Pope Paul VI appointed him as the Titular Archbishop of Newport in the United Kingdom. He died in New York at the age of 84 on Dec. 9, 1979. Fulton Sheen was declared Venerable in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. In 2019, just one century after his ordination, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing a miracle through his intercession.
“Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them,” Sheen once said.
Bl. Fulton Sheen’s life reminds us that no matter how turbulent our lives may feel, our connections and calls are a blessing.
In the ‘information age,’ we sometimes perceive our interconnectedness as both beneficial and problematic—the internet can bring separated people together or allow people to share heinous content.
Bl. Fulton Sheen took full advantage of our ability to reach other people amid what can feel like a sea of voices. He demonstrates that our interconnectedness can be uplifting and spiritually profound. He directed his digital time and energy to increasing his ‘volume’ amid the modern noise.
Further, we often seem to notice the most passionate voices are the loudest—for better or for worse. Bl. Fulton’s energy and consistency are a model for all of us, an electric light that calls us to be convicted, patient, humble and open to God’s plan for our lives.
For college students in particular, Bl. Fulton should inspire us to get involved—to bring our energy to discussions, debates and other virtual presences. He demonstrates grace and faith as a lion: loud and true.