Bishop baptized by Fulton Sheen reflects on his legacy ahead of beatification
Bishop John O. Barres, who was baptized by Fulton J. Sheen in 1960, writes a pastoral letter ahead of Sheen’s beatification on Sept. 24 in St. Louis, urging Catholics to rediscover Sheen’s missionary spirit. The letter recalls Sheen’s pioneering use of radio, television, and other media to spread the Gospel, and calls on Catholics to use contemporary technology—including AI—ethically for mission. Barres highlights Pope Leo XIV’s concept of “missionary conversion,” urging believers to bring the Gospel into all aspects of daily life and to act as modern missionaries. The article emphasizes that Sheen’s legacy remains relevant today, inspiring clergy and laity alike to embrace bold, creative media engagement while keeping the human person at the center.
8 days ago
Ahead of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s scheduled beatification in St. Louis on Sept. 24, Bishop John O. Barres of Rockville Centre has issued a pastoral letter presenting Sheen’s life and ministry as a model for Catholic mission and priesthood. Barres’s reflections are personal as well as pastoral: Sheen baptized him in 1960.
Sheen baptized Barres on Oct. 2, 1960, at St. Augustine Church in Larchmont, New York. At the time, Barres’s father, Oliver, was working for Sheen as a writer for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, where Sheen served as national director from 1950 to 1966.
Barres describes the baptism as a moment that, in a sense, sent him toward his later vocation as a bishop. His letter also looks back on Sheen’s writings and his use of radio and television to spread the Gospel.
Barres presents mission as a call shared by all Catholics, connecting it with Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on “missionary conversion”: bringing the Gospel into families, parishes, workplaces, institutions, and the wider secular world. He says Sheen carried a consistent message—Jesus Christ—across radio, television, classrooms, and pulpits.
Barres urges Catholics to use contemporary communications tools with confidence, creativity, seriousness, and charity. He says Sheen would have supported the ethical use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, when they serve the Church’s mission, while insisting that technology must not eclipse the human person.
The letter also draws on Sheen’s writings about priesthood, including The Priest Is Not His Own, Those Mysterious Priests, and Treasure in Clay. Barres highlights Sheen’s acknowledgment of the struggles priests face, saying that his example can remind priests and seminarians that holiness is possible.
Barres also emphasizes Sheen’s understanding of the priest as united with Christ in the sacrifice of the Cross. He hopes the beatification will help priests rediscover this vision of priesthood and that Sheen’s intercession will encourage renewed creativity and confidence in Catholic missionary communications.
Examine how Catholic media evangelization aligns with Church doctrine
Catholic media evangelization aligns with Church doctrine when it uses communication to proclaim Christ, form people in the faith, and serve human dignity—while communicating truthfully, responsibly, and in forms suited to each medium. The Church does not treat media as merely promotional tools: their influence on culture and moral judgment makes their use both an evangelizing opportunity and a pastoral responsibility.
The Church’s duty to announce the Gospel includes using social communication when it is useful for evangelization and the welfare of souls. Catholic media can reach people who might not encounter parish preaching, provide religious instruction, and help connect distant members of the Christian community.
Evangelization through media is broader than stating doctrine directly. It can also show how Christians serve others—in schools, hospitals, and care for people in need—and offer reporting or programs that deepen adult formation and uplift the human spirit. In this way, media can bear witness to the Gospel through both its words and the works it presents.
But reach alone is not the measure of success. The aim is not simply to distribute a message widely; it is also to address people personally and invite a genuine response of faith.
Church teaching calls for more than placing religious content on a screen or website. Evangelizers should understand the culture shaped by communications and express the Gospel in forms and languages people can understand—without changing the substance of the faith.
That requires respecting the medium’s distinct character. A broadcast or online post is not identical to a sermon in church, and religious programming should meet high standards of quality rather than assume that good intentions are enough.
Catholic publications and other media can also contribute to society’s culture, not only to the internal life of the Church. This calls for capable communicators with Christian conviction, cultural understanding, and accountable judgment.
Because media influence beliefs, behavior, and culture, their use requires discernment. The Church warns that media can also promote harmful values, including consumerism, and that audiences—especially young people—need help evaluating what they watch, read, and hear. Catholic evangelization should therefore form discerning audiences as well as produce content.
Catholic identity in media also needs clarity. A Catholic commentator does not automatically speak on behalf of the Church; bishops have a pastoral responsibility to protect the faithful’s access to sound teaching and to address confusion about faith and morals.
The doctrine, then, supports active Catholic participation in media but not uncritical use of every platform, format, or message. Faithful evangelization joins effective communication with sound teaching, responsible practice, and concern for the dignity and spiritual good of the people reached.