Cause for beatification of Archbishop Sheen revived

Do you remember Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen? Half a century ago, I was informed, educated and motivated by his then-popular TV show, "Life is Worth Living". I can still remember Bishop Sheen, as he then was, walking over to a chalk-board, writing "JMJ" at the top of it, and proceeding to preach clearly and plainly The Gospel of God's love for us.

Fulton John Sheen was born on May 8,1895 in El Paso, Illinois. He was baptized "Peter John", but soon became known by his mother’s maiden name, "Fulton". The family moved to Peoria where the young Sheen attended school and served as an altar boy at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Turning down a scholarship for graduate school, he followed his desire to become a priest and entered St. Paul’s Seminary in Minnesota.

He was ordained a priest on September 20, 1919 in the Peoria Cathedral. Father Sheen went on to become Archbishop Fulton John Sheen, a universally popular evangelist, radio/TV personality, writer and missionary. He is best known for his television series, which had a viewing audience of over 30 million.

On October 3, 1979 Archbishop Sheen had an audience with Pope John Paul II at which the Pope embraced Sheen and gave a perfect summary of his life and work: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You have been a loyal son of the Church!” He died on December 9, 1979 in his private chapel in his Manhattan apartment.

In 2002, Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC, of the Diocese of Peoria, officially opened the cause for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification and canonization. Work on the cause was suspended last November out of frustration with the failure of the Archdiocese of New York to transfer the archbishop's remains to his home town. While that dispute remains unresolved, Bishop Jenky has received encouragement from many other American prelates to continue work on the cause.

The Archbishop Sheen Foundation, established to promote the cause, has announced that Bishop Jenky is again actively pursuing the inquiry and is “hopeful that the cause will advance quickly.” Click here to read the Foundation's news release. Please support their work through your prayers and donations.

Pray too for vocations. The Church -- and the world -- needs many good and holy priests and bishops like Fulton J. Sheen to preach the True Faith.