Honoring Fulton Sheen: Cheryl Hughes on A Resounding Yes! and the Reimagined Spalding Institute

Honoring Fulton Sheen: Cheryl Hughes on A Resounding Yes! & the Reimagined Spalding Institute

By Franci Revel Eckensberger, Lead Editor

Last week, A Resounding Yes! welcomed Cheryl Hughes, author of the biography Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: Convert Maker, out now from Ignatius Press. Hughes joined Paloma & Fig founder Christina Sabo to discuss the enduring impact of one of the twentieth century’s most influential Catholic voices. Hughes sheds light on Venerable Fulton Sheen’s revolutionary approach to evangelizing in mid-century America and his enduring legacy, illuminating not only Sheen’s tangible achievements—some sources estimate that he is responsible for the conversion of 42,000 souls—but also his broader spiritual legacy and the cause for his canonization. 

The Convert Maker

Born in 1895 in El Paso, Illinois, and educated at the Spalding Institute in Peoria, Sheen served as Bishop of Rochester from 1966-1969. He wrote over 60 books on a wide variety of theological topics, half of which were written during his Catholic University professorship. Considered by many to be among the first televangelists, his Emmy-winning media career began in 1930 with his radio show, The Catholic Hour, and continued into the 50s with the TV shows Life is Worth Living and The Fulton Sheen Program.

Millions of listeners and viewers were captivated by Sheen’s uncommon gift: he could translate the mysteries of the Catholic faith into language that spoke to the hearts and minds of ordinary people navigating an increasingly secular world—and he could do it on camera.

Nothing ever happens in the world that does not happen first inside human hearts.
—Venerable Fulton Sheen

Sheen’s media presence was unprecedented for a Catholic clergyman of his era—or any era, for that matter. He was theologically confident and absorbing, but he was also witty, warm, and compassionate, enamoring both Catholics and non-Catholics alike and inviting the Holy Spirit to inhabit a new media landscape that could easily be seen as allergic, if not antithetical, to Christian life. 

For Sheen, the purpose of authentic faith was not to offer an escape from the changing world, but an invitation to engage more deeply with it. He preached against materialistic philosophies that reduce the value of human life and in praise of a culture that treats life with a timeless esteem transcending this moment and the next. Sheen’s triumphant navigation of then-novel technologies is nothing short of an inspiration, and well worth the watch today. It is difficult for us to avoid grappling daily with an increasingly boundless, unbridled media landscape that can cheapen, distort, or blind our vision of God’s presence in near-infinite ways. The messages found on The Catholic Hour and Life is Worth Living (both linked above via YouTube) remain urgent matters.

Fulton Sheen, Off-Air

On the podcast episode, Hughes emphasizes that Sheen was far more than a television personality. While his media presence made him a household name, his heartfelt devotion, sharp intellect, and deep patriotism gave substance to his public witness of Christ and ensured his enduring significance. Sheen exhibited theological brilliance and an unwavering commitment to his faith and country. His charisma sprung naturally from a life lived in integrated service to truth and to God. Throughout the conversation, Hughes’ knowledge of Sheen’s different dimensions paints a broader picture of why and how his influence was, and is, so resonant across generations. After all, as Hughes explains, the estimate of 42,000 converts is conservative—it does not account for the undocumented impacts he surely made on those who did not formally convert but were struck by his influence. Impossible to quantify, his role in bringing many even a little closer to Christ surely endures in the hearts of thousands more.

Can you build anything down? Surely you cannot. It’s time to build up . . . up to God.
—Venerable Fulton Sheen

 

Sheen’s Legacy: The Spalding Institute Transforms

Now, Venerable Fulton Sheen’s alma mater is getting a makeover. The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation—the official promoter for Sheen’s cause for canonization—and the Diocese of Peoria recently sent out a press release detailing their collaborative first steps in “transforming the Spalding Institute, the diocesan high school from which Sheen graduated, into an immersive cultural center honoring the life and legacy of the beloved Catholic televangelist, where faith, history and innovation will meet to inspire generations.”

The inaugural Mass, held Sunday, October 19, saw Bishop Louis Tylka preside over a mass and groundbreaking ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where Sheen is buried. The events marked the first big step in this project and launched the construction of a unique space where “faith, history, and innovation will meet to inspire generations.” Far more than a museum, the reimagined Spalding Institute will allow visitors to “step into Sheen’s world,” moving through carefully designed interactive spaces, multimedia installations, archival artifacts, and media viewing rooms. 

To honor Sheen’s legacy, promote his cause of canonization, and invite many people to come to know the Lord Jesus through his witness, we know we must do more to celebrate Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.
—Most Reverend Louis Tylka, Bishop of Peoria

At the heart of the experience is an invitation for guests to “live out a faith-infused life rooted in [Sheen’s] vision.” This version of the Spalding Center captures both the historical significance of Sheen’s contributions and the timeless relevance of his message. His teachings are not relics of the past, but instead make up an articulate spiritual vision that is urgently needed and applicable today. We confidently pray that this project will serve to rekindle that vision.

We each have our own little daily audiences—infants, spouses, colleagues, parents, siblings, strangers. As we contemplate this one man’s ability to become that seemingly most unlikely of things—a TV-famous 50s Catholic priest who is quick to make you laugh, think, and cry—may we invite the Holy Spirit to infuse our engagements whenever we have an audience, no matter how large or small. 

Follow this link to listen to this episode of A Resounding Yes!

To make a pledge to the Spalding Institute or for more information, please contact info@celebratesheen.com.

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Writer and editor Franci Revel Eckensberger holds a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Cornell University. With years of experience as a copyeditor for academics, fellow writers, and various small businesses, she takes pride in maintaining clarity, consistency, and beauty in each client’s voice. 

Franci finds grace and insight in the Catholic Church’s rich relationship to language and invites that relationship to influence both her literary and editorial work. Saint Cecilia and Catherine of Siena continue to play a vital role in her journey to the faith as an artist. She lives in coastal Delaware with her husband.