Diocese of Gary

The late American Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified on Sept. 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Mo. Sheen was declared Venerable in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. In 2019, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing a miracle through his intercession, clearing the path for his beatification.

Born into an Irish family in El Paso, Ill., on May 8, 1895, Archbishop Sheen discovered his call to the priesthood at the age of 24 and was ordained a priest in 1919. He pursued higher studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, the Catholic University of Leuven and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. In 1930, he began participating in the Sunday radio program titled “The Catholic Hour," which reached an estimated four million listeners at the height of its popularity. In 1951, he began hosting a weekly television series, “Life is Worth Living," a program on matters of faith that attracted some 30 million viewers.  

Archbishop Sheen served as the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA from 1950 to 1966, during which he raised more money for the global spread of the Gospel than any other American Catholic in history, according to the Pontifical Mission Societies USA.

Ines San Martin, MISSION Magazine editor, stated that Archbishop Sheen was not simply a brilliant television personality or Catholic intellectual. At the deepest level, he was a priest and a missionary.

“The public brilliance people remember was rooted in a very disciplined interior life, especially his daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, which he maintained for more than 60 years. He understood every medium available to him — the classroom, radio, television, publishing — as a way of bringing people closer to Christ. And he also helped American Catholics look beyond themselves, to see the Church not only as their parish or diocese, but as a universal family.”

According to San Martin, Archbishop Sheen transformed the missionary imagination of the Catholic Church in the United States. He used his extraordinary gifts as a preacher and communicator to make the missions personal to American Catholics. He founded MISSION Magazine, created the World Mission Rosary, traveled extensively, preached missionary appeals, and continually reminded Catholics that supporting evangelization around the world was not the responsibility of a few priests and religious — it belonged to the whole Church.

“Under his leadership, missionary awareness and giving in the United States grew enormously,” San Martin said. “But I think his greatest contribution was even deeper: he helped generations of Catholics understand that the missions were not ‘somewhere else.’ They were part of our own life as the Body of Christ.”

Deacon Robert Gromala, local diocesan director of Pontifical Mission Societies, first became familiar with Archbishop Sheen by watching YouTube videos of his preaching, especially recordings of his television programs. He also loves to use reflections on the Stations of the Cross during Lent. Gromala said Archbishop Sheen had the remarkable ability to take the truths of the Catholic faith and communicate them in a way that was understandable, engaging and relevant to everyday life.

“Over the years, and especially through my ministry as a deacon and now in my role as Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies for the Diocese of Gary, I have come to appreciate another important part of Sheen’s life, which is [that] he had a tremendous missionary heart,” Gromala said. “He was not simply a gifted preacher or television personality. He understood that the Church exists to bring Christ to the world, and he devoted so much of his life to that mission.”

Deacon Gromala continued, saying that Archbishop Sheen “reminds us that every baptized person is called to be a missionary disciple. We may never preach on television, travel to a mission territory, or speak to thousands of people, but every one of us has a place where God has sent us: our family, workplace, school, parish, neighborhood or community.”

The deacon explained that way of thinking connects very closely with his work with the Pontifical Mission Societies. When people hear the word “mission,” they sometimes think only about distant countries. But the deacon noted that mission begins with allowing Christ to transform our own hearts and then having the courage to carry Him to someone else.

“Sheen understood that beautifully,” he said. “He used the gifts and opportunities God gave him to proclaim Christ wherever he could. His life challenges us to ask a very simple question: Where is God sending me today, and am I willing to bring Jesus there?”

Deacon Gromola added that Archbishop Sheen was one of the most recognizable Catholic voices in America, yet at the heart of his ministry was his commitment to spending a daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament.

“That speaks deeply to me in my diaconal ministry,” he said. “Before we can bring Christ to others, we first have to spend time with Christ ourselves. I also find his connection to the missions particularly meaningful. His leadership of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith demonstrates that his concern was truly universal. He wanted people not only to know Christ personally, but also to recognize their responsibility for brothers and sisters throughout the world who were waiting to hear the Gospel.”

Deacon Gromala is among those participating in a pilgrimage this month organized by the Diocese of Gary with the assistance of Corporate Travel Service. Father Declan McNicholas, director of missionary discipleship and evangelization for the diocese, will lead the two-day pilgrimage that includes attendance at the beatification on Sept. 24 in St. Louis.

Those who registered to join the pilgrimage gathered at the Pastoral Center in Merrillville on the evening of Sept. 1 to review the itinerary. Barbara Monk, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist, heard about the trip from a friend and then came across more information shared by the diocese, which prompted her to sign up.

Monk remembers listening to the archbishop when she was younger, recalling her father would turn his program on regularly. She recalled Bishop Sheen was someone who was “pretty famous in America for faith in addition to Father Patrick Peyton.” After watching the process for Sheen’s beatification move forward and then be delayed, Monk was happy to finally see it become official.

“It was just the way he spread the faith, and he talked about it,” she said. “He explained things in such detail that laymen can understand.”

Monk appreciated the bishop’s humor. She laughed, reflecting that she once heard him say that “nuns’ confessions were like getting pelted with popcorn.”

“I think a lot of our great saints, and even Mother Angelica, had a fabulous sense of humor,” she said. “And Fulton Sheen always had that twinkle in his eye. He's a local, so that's very exciting, too.”

Melinda Liller, another parishioner of St. John the Evangelist, recalls that her mother, an Irish Catholic, loved Archbishop Sheen. Her mom would “watch him all the time and then talk to me about how great he was.” She referenced his blue eyes that caught the audience's attention, but added that it was his teachings that made her begin to admire him.

Although Liller’s sister lived in the Peoria area, she has never been to The Archbishop Fulton Sheen Museum. She is now looking forward to having an opportunity to see it and visit the Cathedral of St. Mary.

“The churches there are so beautiful, so I thought, ‘I have to go,’” she said.

Liller shared that Relevant Radio has been replaying some of his talks on Fridays and she has enjoyed listening to him again. For her, Sheen’s love and acceptance of people made him a great promoter of the faith.

“It's not always easy to love everybody, and I think that was what was so special about them,” she said.

Sean Martin, coordinator of catechesis and faith formation for the diocese, went to high school in Peoria. His freshmen class attended the downtown campus where Bishop Fulton Sheen studied. As Martin grew in his faith, he also developed a deeper appreciation for Bishop Sheen and his teachings. He has enjoyed reading his works and has introduced them to his children.

“My wife, kids and I are taking our own pilgrimage to St. Louis,” he said. “I’m excited for all of them to see this beatification. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”