PROSPECT HEIGHTS — By the end of World War II, Catholics had finally earned a place at the cultural table of the United States, having added courageous troops in each major conflict since the Revolution.
In so doing, American members of the Church proved their loyalty to their country, not only to a pontiff in Rome. This opened the door to the political rise of John F. Kennedy in the 1950s, who would be elected as the first Catholic president in 1960.
At the same time, Americans, and not just Catholics, embraced the preaching of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, then an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York.
Starting in 1928, he produced radio shows and, later, TV programs from St. Agnes Parish near Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. During the mid-to-late 1950s, his show, “Life Is Worth Living,” aired in primetime slots on ABC.
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Msgr. Sean Ogle, chair of DeSales Media, said the bishop’s foray into television was a natural progression of the Church’s embrace of communications technology throughout history.
For example, he said, the printing press, invented in 1440, was key 100 years later during the Counter-Reformation “to defend and promote the faith.”
“When other media began to develop, particularly radio, the Catholic Church did get in on it,” Msgr. Ogle said. “That morphed into television. Right after World War II, it began growing, and it was a natural thing for Fulton Sheen.”
Archbishop Sheen preached on the moral issues of the day, looking straight into the camera. He often relied on blackboard drawings and lists for visual aids. When the slate was filled, he moved to another part of the set while one of his “angels” from the TV crew wiped the surface.
Archbishop Sheen’s content also resonated with people of other denominations, including Protestants.
“The guy is a great speaker,” said Dominic Ambrosio, director of programming and production for DeSales Media, the ministry that produces The Tablet and Currents News. “And he’s a great preacher. He’s just so empowering.
“His show was more popular than most of the secular shows back in that time.”
Archbishop Sheen won an Emmy in 1953 for “Most Outstanding Television Personality.”
“Life Is Worth Living” aired on the DuMont Television Network, 1952-1955, and on ABC, 1955-1957. Similar series followed over the next couple of decades, but the shows eventually disappeared from primetime slots.
“I don’t think it’s an anti-religious thing,” Msgr. Ogle said. “The airwaves have become such a huge business. They go to the highest bidder and, what sells is sports, soap operas, sex, and reality TV.”
As proof, he pointed to one-minute commercials during the Super Bowl that cost millions of dollars to air. Still, Msgr. Ogle said, religious programming is widely available on alternative sources like YouTube and other social media platforms.
Many of those efforts, he added, are going quite well, including Bishop Robert Barron’s “Word on Fire” ministries and the “Bible in a Year” podcast of Father Mike Schmitz.
Msgr. Ogle also pointed to the work of the “very creative people” at DeSales Media’s Currents TV and New Evangelization Television (NET TV).
He also noted that Dave Plisky, DeSales’ director of marketing, digital, products, and innovation, is producing “Religion to Reality” podcasts and webinars with Father John Gribowich.
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“Religious television has to create its own networks,” Msgr. Ogle said. “I mean, we have to do it ourselves.”
DeSales has also taken steps to ensure Archbishop Sheen’s programs air again. Since 2024, the ministry has offered remastered episodes of “Life Is Worth Living” and a second show, “The Fulton Sheen Program,” on NET TV, each Wednesday at 9 p.m.
“It’s going great,” said Ambrosio about Archbishop Sheen’s cable TV revival, which he helped make happen.
“People enjoy it,” he continued. “They understand the value of his directness, and they appreciate his approach. He was a forerunner of Catholic media and television — the one who broke the mold.”