White House issues presidential message as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is beatified

The White House published a presidential message on September 24, 2026, saying Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified today; the message is presented in the voice of the President and First Lady, according to the White House.

The release summarizes Sheen’s life and career as follows; it says he was born on the plains of central Illinois at the twilight of the nineteenth century, was ordained a priest, spent more than two decades teaching, lecturing, and broadcasting on radio, and was consecrated Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951.

The White House account says Sheen launched the national television series Life Is Worth Living and that the program drew an estimated 30 million weekly viewers; the release also says he won an Emmy for Most Outstanding Television Personality and appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

The statement adds that Sheen later served as Bishop of Rochester and titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales; it notes an October 1979 meeting with Pope John Paul II in which the pope told Sheen, "You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church," and it says Sheen died two months later while praying in his private chapel.

The White House frames Sheen as a religious and cultural figure; the release says he used his platform to "strengthen our Nation with the good news of the Gospel," and it claims his broadcasts "converted thousands; including national politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and communist leaders."

The administration says thousands are gathering in St. Louis, Missouri, for a Beatification Mass; it urges that Sheen’s "heroic commitment" should inspire others to "lift our Nation upward and ever higher to God," according to the presidential message.

The White House provides estimates and broad claims without sourcing those figures or conversions; the release does not attach contemporaneous audience data, supporting documentation, or independent verification for the cited "estimated 30 million weekly viewers" or the claim that his broadcasts converted thousands.

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