Sheen, Fulton J.

Sheen, Fulton J. (John) (b. Peter Sheen) (1895–1979) Catholic prelate; born in El Paso, Ill. After being ordained (1919) and earning graduate degrees in philosophy at Louvain and Rome, he did pastoral work and (from 1926) taught at Catholic University. An enthralling preacher and lecturer with a theatrical style, he won a huge audience for his talks on radio, the Catholic Hour (1930–52), and his television series, Life is Worth Living (1952–65), and for books such as Peace of Soul (1949); he also recruited funds for the missions as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. After serving as an auxiliary bishop of New York, he was named bishop of Rochester, N.Y. (1966), retiring with the title of archbishop (1969).