Sheen, Fulton J

Sheen, Fulton J(ohn)

(born May 8, 1895, El Paso, Il. U.S.—died Dec. 9, 1979, New York, N.Y.) U.S. religious leader. He attended parochial school and St. Viator College before being ordained to the priesthood in 1919. He pursued further studies in the U.S. and Belgium. He taught at Catholic University (Washington, D.C.) from 1926 to 1950. In 1930 he began his 22-year radio career on the program The Catholic Hour, with which he reached an estimated 4 million listeners. In 1951 he became a titular bishop, and he served as bishop of Rochester, N.Y. from 1966 to 1969. In the 1950s he began a weekly television series, Life Is Worth Living; it was followed by two more series. He was also the author of numerous books. At his death he was one of the best-known clerics in the U.S.