Long before podcasts, livestreams and social media gave religious leaders a way to reach millions, one Catholic bishop became one of the most recognizable voices in America.
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen brought the Catholic faith into homes across the country through radio and television, eventually drawing millions of viewers to his celebrated television program, Life Is Worth Living. With his distinctive cape, commanding presence and remarkable ability to translate questions of faith into the language of everyday life, Sheen became one of the most influential Catholic communicators of the 20th century.
But Sheen’s story was not confined to a television studio.
Much of his remarkable ministry unfolded in New York, where he preached and served. His understanding of Christian charity, rooted in the dignity of every person and a responsibility to respond to those in need, also reflected the charitable mission being carried out by the Church in New York.
Now, as the Catholic Church prepares to celebrate Sheen’s beatification on September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri, his connection to New York and Catholic Charities gives us an invitation to remember a Catholic leader who believed deeply that faith must ultimately be expressed through love of neighbor.
A Catholic Voice Reaches Millions
Born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 and ordained a priest in 1919, Fulton John Sheen demonstrated an extraordinary gift for teaching and preaching early in his priesthood. His ministry, however, soon reached far beyond the classroom.
In 1930, Sheen began appearing on The Catholic Hour, a national radio program that brought Catholic teaching to listeners across the country. His distinctive voice and accessible style made him a widely recognized figure at a time when Catholics were still confronting significant prejudice in American society.
In 1951, Sheen was consecrated a bishop and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York.
A year later, he began hosting Life Is Worth Living on television. Standing before a simple blackboard and speaking without a teleprompter, Sheen addressed everything from faith and family life to psychology, politics and the anxieties of the modern world.
The program became an unexpected national phenomenon. At its height, Sheen reached an audience estimated in the tens of millions. In 1952, he won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality.
Yet his growing celebrity remained connected to a larger purpose: bringing the teachings of the Church into the lives of ordinary people.
Faith and Charity in New York
Sheen’s years in New York placed him at the center of one of the country’s largest and most diverse Catholic communities. They also coincided with a period when the Church’s charitable institutions were responding to profound changes across the city.
When Sheen became Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951, Catholic Charities of New York was already deeply rooted in communities across the Archdiocese. Since its founding in 1917, Catholic Charities and its affiliated agencies had grown significantly to serve New Yorkers facing poverty, hunger, and other needs. Sheen himself was a strong advocate for charitable and humanitarian causes throughout his ministry.
For Sheen, charity was not simply a moment of generosity. In a radio address, he told listeners plainly: “Charity is a habit, not an isolated act.”
Charity is a habit, not an isolated act.
“So long as there are poor, I am poor. So long as there are prisons, I am a prisoner. So long as there are sick, I am weak. So long as there is ignorance, I must learn. So long as there is hate, I must love,” he said.
Sheen’s words reflected something fundamental to the Catholic understanding of charity: faith finds expression in how we encounter and care for one another, particularly those experiencing poverty or hardship. Sheen’s understanding of charity found a natural expression in the work of Catholic Charities across the Archdiocese of New York.
Then, as today, that work meant responding to people in need with compassion while recognizing the dignity of every person.
A Historic Beatification
Sheen was declared Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, and in 2019, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to his intercession, clearing the way for his beatification. On September 24, 2026, the Catholic Church will celebrate the beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen in St. Louis, Missouri, marking an important milestone in his cause for canonization.
The occasion offers Catholics an opportunity to rediscover Sheen’s remarkable life and enduring message. For all New Yorkers, it also a moment to remember a bishop who spent some of the most consequential years of his ministry here, and whose belief that faith must be lived through love of neighbor continues to resonate with the mission of Catholic Charities today.
For Sheen, living out that responsibility was at the heart of charity.
As he said, “Where you do not find love, put it there.”
Where you do not find love, put it there.
To watch the livestream of the Beatification Holy Program from September 15 – 23, please visit the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation website, and follow the Archdiocese of New York’s The Good Newsroom for more coverage.
