Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? This is a quote by the American Roman Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen. He was one of the most visible Catholics of 1950s whose preaching was famous in radio and television. In fact, he is regarded as the first televangelist who brought church to 30 million American living rooms.
In May 1895, Sheen was given birth to and named Fulton John Sheen in Illinois. The family later moved to Peoria where Fulton attended mass in a local church and in fact became an altar boy there. In the same church, he was ordained into priesthood years later. He went to schools around his home area for his basic education.
Later, Sheen proceeded to the Catholic University of American in Washington to study Philosophy. He got a doctorate in Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. It was during his stay that he was awarded the Cardinal Mercier prize, an award that rewards recipients for their contribution to Philosophy. Later, he left to begin service as a bishop in New York.
Media evangelism was begun by Fulton in 1930. His first program was a weekly radio broadcast on Sundays called Catholic Hour. This was during the era of World War II and he used this platform to condemn the war. In addition, the first ever mass to be conducted on mass media was conducted by him around this time. He was awarded an Emmy from the popularity of his television program among viewers.
Archbishop Fulton was not short of controversy. Probably one of his most remembered episodes was in 1953 when he denounced publicly the reign of Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. Using the burial scene from the Shakespeare play of Julius Caesar, he predicted doom to Stalin and other Soviet leaders. Shocking enough, a few days later Stalin suffered a stroke which killed him within the same week.
Fulton died of cardiac diseases in 1979 after an open heart surgery. His remains were buried at St. Patricks cathedral in New York which has since been the cause of his delayed canonization. His cause for canonization began in 2002 where he earned the title Servant of God. In 2012, the Vatican began his path to beatification by recognizing the heroic virtue that has characterized the life of Sheen and therefore earned him the title of Venerable.
Before one is considered for beatification, they have to have performed a miracle. The event that is defined to be a miracle should be beyond the explanation of science or nature. In the case of Sheen, he is said to have healed a baby boy who was declared stillborn after missing a pulse for 61 minutes. The mother of infant is said to have interceded to Fulton. The infant survived with no impairments and the case proved beyond scientific explanation by a Vatican medical team.
The infant miracle has brought the Sheen beatification journey into its final stages conferring to him the title blessed. Coincidentally, this is an important journey towards canonization. The present challenge is to have his remains examined at his home church in Peoria and the tussle with the church in New York has continuously delayed the process. All his followers can hope for is an eventual canonization.
In May 1895, Sheen was given birth to and named Fulton John Sheen in Illinois. The family later moved to Peoria where Fulton attended mass in a local church and in fact became an altar boy there. In the same church, he was ordained into priesthood years later. He went to schools around his home area for his basic education.
Later, Sheen proceeded to the Catholic University of American in Washington to study Philosophy. He got a doctorate in Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. It was during his stay that he was awarded the Cardinal Mercier prize, an award that rewards recipients for their contribution to Philosophy. Later, he left to begin service as a bishop in New York.
Media evangelism was begun by Fulton in 1930. His first program was a weekly radio broadcast on Sundays called Catholic Hour. This was during the era of World War II and he used this platform to condemn the war. In addition, the first ever mass to be conducted on mass media was conducted by him around this time. He was awarded an Emmy from the popularity of his television program among viewers.
Archbishop Fulton was not short of controversy. Probably one of his most remembered episodes was in 1953 when he denounced publicly the reign of Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. Using the burial scene from the Shakespeare play of Julius Caesar, he predicted doom to Stalin and other Soviet leaders. Shocking enough, a few days later Stalin suffered a stroke which killed him within the same week.
Fulton died of cardiac diseases in 1979 after an open heart surgery. His remains were buried at St. Patricks cathedral in New York which has since been the cause of his delayed canonization. His cause for canonization began in 2002 where he earned the title Servant of God. In 2012, the Vatican began his path to beatification by recognizing the heroic virtue that has characterized the life of Sheen and therefore earned him the title of Venerable.
Before one is considered for beatification, they have to have performed a miracle. The event that is defined to be a miracle should be beyond the explanation of science or nature. In the case of Sheen, he is said to have healed a baby boy who was declared stillborn after missing a pulse for 61 minutes. The mother of infant is said to have interceded to Fulton. The infant survived with no impairments and the case proved beyond scientific explanation by a Vatican medical team.
The infant miracle has brought the Sheen beatification journey into its final stages conferring to him the title blessed. Coincidentally, this is an important journey towards canonization. The present challenge is to have his remains examined at his home church in Peoria and the tussle with the church in New York has continuously delayed the process. All his followers can hope for is an eventual canonization.
