By The White House | Created at 2026-09-24 14:10:13 | Updated at 2026-09-26 03:04:03
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Melania and I join all those celebrating the life and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen—the Catholic priest who pioneered the use of media to speak the truth, preach the Gospel, and bring many souls closer to Christ. Today, Archbishop Sheen will become the first-ever American-born bishop to be beatified by the Catholic Church.
Born on the plains of central Illinois at the twilight of the nineteenth century, Fulton Sheen was blessed with extraordinary intelligence, good humor, and eloquence. After his ordination to the priesthood, he spent more than two decades teaching, lecturing, and broadcasting on the radio before he was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951. With a growing reputation as a world-class preacher and evangelist, he then launched his renowned national television series, Life Is Worth Living, which soon captivated the entire country.
On his show, Archbishop Sheen lectured before a live audience on an array of theological, philosophical, and political topics. Dressed in striking priestly robes and armed with only a chalk stick and blackboard, he quickly emerged as a primetime sensation—boldly bringing the teachings of Christianity to a world threatened by the titanic forces of communism.
Archbishop Sheen shocked the entertainment industry by besting American legends like Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra in weekly ratings, winning an Emmy award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and appearing on the cover of Time magazine. For years, his sharp wit and piercing intellect filled millions of American living rooms and converted thousands—including national politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and communist leaders—to the Catholic faith. His program attracted an estimated 30 million weekly viewers, ultimately becoming one of the most watched religious programs in the history of television. Through it all, Archbishop Sheen used his platform not for his own sake but to strengthen our Nation with the good news of the Gospel.
In the 1960s, against the rising tide of anti-God extremism in American culture, Archbishop Sheen turned to the camera to identify a “new type of violence that’s sweeping our country, our schools, and our streets.” This violence, he warned in his later career The Fulton Sheen Program, “involves destruction of everything that is in the past.” He continued, “Our Nation is too full of those that are crying, “Down… Down with schools. Down with the churches. Down with teachers. Down with government. Down with the police. Can you build anything down?” he implored the Nation. “You cannot… Let’s begin now to use the word ‘Up.’ Up from all of this filth. Up from this violence… Up—up to God.”
Sheen was later appointed as the Bishop of Rochester, New York, and the titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales. In October 1979, Pope John Paul II, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, embraced Archbishop Sheen in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, telling him, “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church.” Archbishop Sheen died just two months later while praying in his private chapel.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s legacy endures in homes, churches, and communities all across our country. Countless Americans still watch recordings of his broadcasts and read his books. The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Museum in his native Illinois attracts thousands of visitors every year. And today, as thousands of Americans gather in St. Louis, Missouri, for his Beatification Mass, we pray that Archbishop Sheen’s heroic commitment to nourishing the soul of our country will inspire others to follow his example and lift our Nation upward and ever higher to God.
