Ahead of his beatification, here’s a look back at Fulton Sheen’s time in Rome

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen is set to become the first U.S.-born bishop to be beatified on Sept. 24 in St. Louis. Known for his innovative Catholic media ministry, Sheen spent several years after his ordination studying philosophy and theology in Europe — first in Leuven, Belgium, then in Paris and Rome.

His time in Rome would produce some of the most significant events in Sheen’s life, including the completion of his doctorate, being consecrated a bishop, and attending the Second Vatican Council.

Here are some of Sheen’s most important moments in the Eternal City:

Completing his doctorate at the Angelicum Then-Father Sheen earned a doctorate in theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas — “the Angelicum,” as it’s known — in Rome after studying there from 1923-1924. That year, the Angelicum was located on the Via San Vitale before moving to its present location at the Church of Sts. Dominic and Sixtus in 1932.

The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas — “the Angelicum” — in Rome. | Credit: Ishmael Adibuah/EWTN News

In 1923, Pope Pius XI published his encyclical Studiorum Decem, praising the Angelicum’s work in promoting the thought of St. Thomas…