A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
An American-born Catholic bishop is one step away from becoming a saint. That has never happened before. Fulton Sheen was a radio and television personality who explained the Catholic faith to millions. From St. Louis Public Radio, here's Jonathan Ahl.
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UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing) Hallelujah.
JONATHAN AHL, BYLINE: Tens of thousands of Catholics from around the world came to St. Louis to witness the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. He was best known for his TV shows that aired in the 1950s and '60s, including "Life Is Worth living." Sheen was charismatic, bold and to the point, like in this episode, when he challenged people to see the dangers of a materialistic life.
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FULTON SHEEN: In other words, we made our philosophy a philosophy of habit rather than a philosophy of being.
AHL: Sheen won an Emmy in 1953, beating out Lucille Ball for most outstanding personality. He died in 1979 at 84 years old. Even though it's been decades since Sheen was on air, clips of his shows have attracted a following on social media. Ellie Fontana, a 24-year-old from Nashville, came to the beatification mass because Sheen, in her words, has gone viral.
ELLI FONTANA: And I think you can even see with how Gen Z is responding today, just how relevant and how much needed it is in the church today.
AHL: Beatification requires a miracle. Sixteen years ago, a baby was born without a heartbeat but recovered after his parents prayed to the archbishop. The Vatican certified that as a miracle. The baby's mother, Bonnie Engstrom of Washington, Illinois, says she always felt a connection to Sheen.
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BONNIE ENGSTROM: He reminded me of spending time with my great-grandpa, and the wisdom and the humor and the personality. He was such a warm character and I knew that that was a man that I wanted to get to know better and that I wanted to spend time with.
AHL: Engstrom named her son James Fulton to honor Sheen. He led the procession of the relic of the archbishop in the beatification mass. The Catholic Church is currently evaluating six other miracles attributed to Sheen to certify a second one. If that happens, then Pope Leo XIV, who's also from Illinois, could take the final step and make him a saint.
For NPR News, I'm Jonathan Ahl in St. Louis.
(SOUNDBITE OF TOE'S "TWO MOONS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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