Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? This is one of the most popular quotes from Archbishop Fulton Sheen, an American catholic bishop who is known for his television and radio preaching. Regarded as the first televangelist ever, his show was able to reach up to 30 million viewers.
Sheen was born in Illinois, Chicago in May 1895 as Fulton John Sheen. Later, the family relocated to Peoria where he was picked for altar boy and where he would later be ordained to a priest. For his basic education, he attended schools around Illinois. Later, he proceeded to Washington to study Philosophy at the Catholic University of America.
Sheen proceeded to Belgium where he got a doctorate in philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven. Moreover, while there he won the Cardinal Mercier award for his philosophical work and became the first American to do so. After several years of service as a priest he was consecrated a bishop serving 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.
To be considered for beatification, one has to have performed a miracle. The miracle needs to be something that nature or science cannot explain. For Archbishop Fulton, he was prayed to by the mother of an infant who had been declared still born after lack of a pulse for around one hour. The boy survived without any physical or mental problems. A team of Vatican medical experts have proved that this was indeed a miracle, since there was no medical explanation for it. The decision to give Sheen the title blessed is in the final stages.
As a result, beatification of Sheen is in its last stages which will earn him the title blessed. This is an important step in the journey of canonization although another miracle might be necessary. The challenge at the present moment is his remains which are in New York and are required for an examination in his home church. All his fans hope that Sheen is canonized eventually.
Sheen was born in Illinois, Chicago in May 1895 as Fulton John Sheen. Later, the family relocated to Peoria where he was picked for altar boy and where he would later be ordained to a priest. For his basic education, he attended schools around Illinois. Later, he proceeded to Washington to study Philosophy at the Catholic University of America.
Sheen proceeded to Belgium where he got a doctorate in philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven. Moreover, while there he won the Cardinal Mercier award for his philosophical work and became the first American to do so. After several years of service as a priest he was consecrated a bishop serving 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.
To be considered for beatification, one has to have performed a miracle. The miracle needs to be something that nature or science cannot explain. For Archbishop Fulton, he was prayed to by the mother of an infant who had been declared still born after lack of a pulse for around one hour. The boy survived without any physical or mental problems. A team of Vatican medical experts have proved that this was indeed a miracle, since there was no medical explanation for it. The decision to give Sheen the title blessed is in the final stages.
As a result, beatification of Sheen is in its last stages which will earn him the title blessed. This is an important step in the journey of canonization although another miracle might be necessary. The challenge at the present moment is his remains which are in New York and are required for an examination in his home church. All his fans hope that Sheen is canonized eventually.
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