The campaign to canonize Bishop Sheen advanced Monday when papers were delivered to the Vatican, Bishop Daniel Jenky said. The Vatican will study all of Bishop Sheen’s writings, including 60 books, and examine any miraculous healings attributed to him.
Bishop Sheen, who died in 1979 at age 84, would be the first American-born male to be canonized.
He was the host of the TV series «Life Is Worth Living» from 1952 to 1957, speaking on a variety of theological and social issues. He also had a radio show and wrote a newspaper column.
A native of El Paso, Illinois, he was ordained in Peoria in 1919. He became bishop of Rochester, New York, in the 1960s and was elevated to archbishop before retiring in 1969. He is buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
