Life of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to be celebrated 30 years later with memorial Mass

Contact: Sara Worrell, 309-671-1550 ext 309

PEORIA, Ill., Dec. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Emmy Award winning TV personality Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be remembered in a memorial Mass on the 30th anniversary of his death, December 9, 2009. Sheen is being called a "Saint for Our Times." The self effacing bishop is being considered for Sainthood by the Catholic Church.

His Cause officially opened in 2002, and two alleged miracles and countless favors await investigation by the Vatican in Rome. If declared a saint, Sheen will be the first TV personality and American-born Bishop Saint in the United States. The Catholic bishop hosted a show called "Life is Worth Living." The program debuted on a small network and soon gave Milton Berle a run for his money, cutting into his ratings, and winning an Emmy in 1952. Sheen reached audiences of all faiths, captivating 30 million viewers a week.

"Bishop Sheen took the world by storm," said Monsignor Stanley Deptula, Executive Director of the Archbishop Sheen Foundation, "so many people grew up watching him on television, and so many can say that his show truly changed their life." The beloved archbishop died 30 years ago on December 9, 1979.

The memorial Mass will take place December 9, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, where Sheen served as an auxiliary bishop and where his body is currently laid to rest. The Memorial Mass will be celebrated by New York's Archbishop Timothy Dolan who recently announced that he is modeling his episcopacy after his predecessor, Archbishop Sheen. Dolan will be joined by cardinals, bishops and priests from around the United States and abroad. Thousands of lay faithful, including members of the Sheen family, are expected to turn out to remember this modern day saint in the making.

The Mass at St. Patrick's is the center of Masses being said in all 50 states and around the world in memory of this great Bishop. Archbishop Sheen has the rare honor of being buried in a crypt under the main altar inside Saint Patrick's Cathedral. The crypt will be opened to the public, a rare and privileged opportunity for the faithful and fans of the famous Catholic priest to prayerfully visit from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. For more information on Archbishop Sheen, visit www.ArchbishopSheenCause.org.