Fulton J. Sheen

Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979) was an American Catholic bishop and theologian whose radio and television preaching, especially Life Is Worth Living, reached a broad audience.

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Pope Pius XII: Pope of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958. Pius XII appointed Sheen an auxiliary bishop of New York in 1951.
Life Is Worth Living: Fulton J. Sheen’s television program, broadcast nationally in the United States from 1952 to 1957. The program made Sheen one of the best-known religious broadcasters of his era.
Peoria, Illinois: A city in central Illinois, United States. Sheen was born in Peoria in 1895.
Servant of God: A title given to a deceased Catholic whose cause for canonization has formally begun. The Catholic Church opened Sheen’s cause for canonization in 2002.
John F. Kennedy: The 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 to 1963. Sheen publicly defended Kennedy’s fitness for office amid concerns about his Catholicism.
The Catholic Hour: A Catholic radio program broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company from 1930 to 1968. Sheen’s sermons on the program helped establish his national radio audience.
Catholic University of America: A private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. Sheen taught philosophy there for more than two decades.
Venerable: A title in the Catholic canonization process recognizing a candidate’s heroic virtue. Pope Benedict XVI declared Sheen venerable in 2012.
Archbishop of New York: The head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Sheen’s 1966 appointment to Rochester followed a period of tension with New York’s leadership.
The Fulton Sheen Program: A television series of religious talks hosted by Fulton J. Sheen in the 1960s. It continued his televised preaching after Life Is Worth Living ended.