In the Winter 2023 issue of Mission Magazine, we began our series on the life, ministry, and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen by discussing the recent documentary Follow that Bishop. Released in early 2024, this short film uses the FBI’s investigation of then-Monsignor Sheen during World War II as a lens to highlight his remarkable impact on the Church in the United States, especially through his pioneering use of media to spread the Gospel. In this issue, we return to exploring his life, focusing on his time as a professor at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., and the beginnings of his use of radio as a powerful tool for evangelization—a medium that soon garnered him a national audience and reputation.
After completing his doctoral studies at the University of Louvain in Belgium, Sheen was awarded the highly prestigious agrégé honor after further postdoctoral work, including the publication of a book. In 1926, he returned to CUA, where he had previously begun his graduate studies in philosophy. Now a faculty member, Sheen took on a demanding teaching load and began writing prolifically, leading to the publication of his book Religion without God in 1928, a sequel of sorts to his dissertation, God and Intelligence. The young priest-scholar also became well-known and popular on campus for his frequent lectures to clubs and groups, as well as his involvement in the newly-founded American Catholic Philosophical Association. His reputation soon extended beyond CUA’s campus as invitations to speak poured in from around the country.
From 1926, Sheen began delivering the Lenten sermons at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Manhattan, one of the city’s largest parishes. His first radio appearance came in 1928, after which he was quickly flooded with invitations to speak on radio programs nationwide. Amid this busy schedule, he also became a sought-after retreat leader for religious women, forming a particular friendship with the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, thanks to his bond with a nun at their new Rosemont College near Philadelphia. His presence in New York City’s Catholic pulpits expanded further when he was invited to preach at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the four Sundays of Advent in 1929.
Despite his growing fame, Sheen was acutely aware of the need to ground himself spiritually, especially in the virtue of humility. He faithfully dedicated himself to a daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament each morning and often retreated to monasteries for longer periods of prayer and meditation. During this period of rising prominence, he became close to a convent of Carmelite nuns in New Albany, Indiana, often writing to the superior to request the nuns’ prayers and supporting the convent financially through regular, generous contributions.
In 1934, Sheen published his third book, Philosophy of Science, in which he aimed to demonstrate the harmony between recent advancements in mathematics and physics with Thomistic philosophy. He researched and wrote this book while managing a demanding teaching schedule, and spending increasing amounts of time lecturing and preaching around the country. Recognized for his academic accomplishments, Sheen was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor at CUA in 1935. During the mid-1930s, he typically spent two days each week teaching on campus, while traveling to New York City on weekends to preach at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and teach classes for converts—an apostolate for which he would become especially renowned. His rigorous schedule was well-documented: a 1940 article in Time magazine noted that Sheen maintained around 150 speaking engagements annually on top of his teaching commitments at the university. By 1947, Sheen had been promoted to full professor, and his resume boasted 33 books, 13 pamphlets, and 34 volumes of radio addresses.
It was during this time that Sheen fully developed his distinctive public speaking style, captivating audiences in person, on the radio, and eventually on television. While he devoted hours to preparation, he always spoke without notes and often opened with a self-deprecating anecdote to establish a sense of connection with his audience. This approach proved especially effective as he increasingly addressed radio audiences.
As mentioned, Sheen’s first radio appearance was in 1926, but his radio career truly began in 1930, when he embarked on a 20-year tenure hosting The Catholic Hour on NBC radio, which eventually reached an audience of four million listeners per broadcast. In 1940, Sheen made his first television appearance on Easter Sunday, in what is regarded as the world’s first Catholic television broadcast. After 22 years on the radio, Sheen—who had been consecrated a bishop in June 1951—began hosting the television series Life is Worth Living in 1952. Initially aired for five seasons on two of the nation’s major networks (DuMont and ABC) and later by other distributors until 1968, Life is Worth Living reached an audience of 30 million at its peak, sometimes even outpacing Milton Berle’s show on NBC, which aired at the same time. Having refined his presentation style—including his famous use of a chalkboard—Sheen captivated audiences with his talks on faith, the meaning of life, and moral living, resonating with listeners beyond just American Catholics. The Jesuit weekly America magazine eventually dubbed him “the greatest evangelizer in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States” for his groundbreaking use of media to spread the Gospel.
In 1950, shortly before both his episcopal consecration and his television debut, Sheen was appointed by Rome as National Director of the Propagation of the Faith. In the next installment of this series, we will explore this new chapter of Sheen’s ministry and how he used his media presence to promote the missions among Catholics across the country.
