Lenten campaign 2026
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“The Holy See has informed me that the Cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to Beatification. The next step in the process is the celebration of the Beatification, in which Fulton Sheen would be declared Blessed." This is the announcement of February 9, 2026, from Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois. The bishop added:
We are working with the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints at the Vatican to determine the details for the upcoming Beatification. The date and event details will be released soon through celebratesheen.com.
Venerable Sheen was scheduled to have been beatified in late 2019, but the ceremony was paused by the Vatican for further investigations.
This was due to a legal investigation into sex abuse claims in the Diocese of Rochester, New York. The Archbishop Fulton John Sheen Foundation made an intensive examination of the cases that were being brought forth and did not find any that were connected to Fulton Sheen. They presented their findings to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and it was agreed that Sheen was not at fault.
Who is Fulton Sheen?
Sheen, known for his preaching, especially on television and radio, was born in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895. He 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 in Belgium, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He returned to the US in 1926 and began teaching at the Catholic University of America until 1950.
A gifted teacher and speaker, Sheen’s homilies were much appreciated. In 1930, he began participating in the Sunday radio program titled “The Catholic Hour,” which reached an estimated 4 million listeners at the height of its popularity. In 1951, he began hosting a weekly television series, “Life is Worth Living,” on matters of faith that attracted some 30 million viewers.
He died in New York at the age of 84, on December 9, 1979. He was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where months earlier he had met visiting Pope John Paul II. Eventually his remains were moved to Peoria, Illinois.
In 2012, Benedict XVI recognized the heroic virtues of the archbishop, giving him title of Venerable. In July 2019, Pope Francis approved his beatification.
Lean more about Fulton Sheen below:
