Life Dates

Life Dates of Bishop Sheen

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May 8, 1895	Born in El Paso, IL as Peter John Sheen
May 12, 1895	Christened, St. Mary's Church, El Paso, IL
May 1899 - 1913	Family moved to farm near Peoria, IL to attend Catholic schools. Known as Fulton, attended St. Mary's Grade School and Spalding Institute
1913	Began attending St. Viator College, Bourbonnais, IL
1917	Entered St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, MN
September 20, 1919	Ordained a priest at St. Mary's Cathedral, Peoria, IL
1920	Earned bachelor's degrees in theology and canon law, Catholic University, Washington, D.C.
1923	Earned doctorate, University of Louvain, Belgium, later earning the Cardinal Mercier award for best philosophical treatise
1925-26	Served as assistant pastor, St. Patrick's Church, Peoria, IL (9 months)
1926-1950	Taught philosophy, The Catholic University of America
1930-1950	March 2 - Sheen's NBC radio show The Catholic Hour debuts. It ultimately reached an audience of over four million listeners and he received as many as 6,000 letters a day
1934	Received title of "Very Reverend Monsignor" and was made a papal chamberlain of Pope Pius XI
July 17, 1948	Professed as member of Secular Carmelites (Lay Third Order of Carmel)
1949	Began regular secular syndicated newspaper column, “Bishop Sheen Writes.” Continued for 30 years. Wrote “God Loves You” column for Catholic press during much of the same period.
1950-1966	Served as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, raising millions of dollars for missionary efforts
June 11, 1951	Consecrated an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of New York
1952-1957	February 12 - Life Is Worth Living, a weekly television program, first aired on the DuMont Television Network and then, in 1956, on ABC on over 123 TV stations and 300 radio stations, reaching an estimated 30 million people each week. Wrote newspaper columns, e.g. "God Loves You" and "Bishop Sheen Writes." Attracted many to the Catholic faith, e.g. Clare Booth Luce and Henry Ford II.
1953	Won Emmy award for Life is Worth Living
1957	Television series on the life of Christ and later the series Quo Vadis America?
1966	Named Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester (New York) The Bishop Sheen Program premiered in color
1968	Knights of Columbus, 1^st and 2^nd Degrees, Council 178, Rochester, New York; 4^th Degree, Bishop James E. Kearney Assembly #723, Rochester.
1969	Retired and returned to New York City to teach and lead retreats. Later granted title of titular archbishop of Newport Wales
1969 & 1971	Preached at Carmelite Church, Whitefriar Street, Dublin, Ireland
1973	Preached novena on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, Dublin, Ireland, which is the basis of the book Archbishop Fulton Sheen's St. Thérèse, 2007
1975	At age 80, addressed over 75,000 at the Holy Year Rally in New Orleans. Received Peoria, IL, Civic Award and Salvation Army's William Booth Award
May 7, 1977	Awarded the State of Illinois' highest award - the Order of Lincoln
January 25, 1979	Spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast, Washington, D.C., hosted by President Jimmy Carter
October 2, 1979	Embraced by Pope John Paul II in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City. When asked what the Pope had said, Sheen answered, "You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus, and you are a loyal son of the Church."
December 9, 1979	Died before the Blessed Sacrament in his New York City apartment's chapel. Interred beneath the high altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City.
1980	Publication of Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen
December 1999	Provisional approval given to Archdiocese of New York to begin process toward canonization of Sheen
September 2002	Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, Diocese of Peoria, asked permission from the Vatican's Congregation for the Cause of Saints to "open the causes for sainthood."
September 2003	Cause for Sheen sainthood officially opened
July 2006	Documentation of first alleged miracle through Sheen's intercession sent by Diocese of Peoria to Rome Documentation of second alleged miracle through Sheen's intercession sent by Diocese of Pittsburgh to Rome.
February 2008	Public ceremony for "postrema sessio" (next stage), the final session of the diocesan phase for canonization of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.