Presidential Message on the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Melania and I join all those celebrating the life and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen—the Catholic priest who pioneered the use of media to speak the truth, preach the Gospel, and bring many souls closer to Christ. Today, Archbishop Sheen will become the first-ever American-born bishop to be beatified by the Catholic Church. Born on the plains of central Illinois at the twilight of the nineteenth century, Fulton Sheen was blessed with extraordinary intelligence, good humor, and eloquence. After his ordination to the priesthood, he spent more than two decades teaching, lecturing, and broadcasting on the radio before he was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951.