The Mystical Body of Christ: A Timeless Portrait of the Church from a Beloved Catholic Evangelist
About this ebook
Originally published in 1935, The Mystical Body of Christ is Sheen's classic exploration of the Church as the living extension of Christ's Incarnation. With remarkable clarity and theological depth, he explains the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ, illuminating the central role of the Eucharist as the source of Christian unity and revealing how authentic worship naturally leads to works of charity and social justice. Decades before the Second Vatican Council, Sheen anticipated many of its central themes, making this work both historically significant and strikingly relevant for today's Church.
Renewed interest in Sheen's life and legacy—including the Vatican's recognition of the medically unexplained healing attributed to his intercession in his cause for beatification—has introduced a new generation to his enduring witness of faith. Whether you are discovering Fulton Sheen for the first time or returning to one of his most important theological works, The Mystical Body of Christ offers a profound and accessible vision of the Church, the Eucharist, and the Christian life.
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About the author
Blessed Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979), best known for his popular syndicated television program, Life is Worth Living, was a gifted orator, writer, and pioneer in the use of media for evangelization. His radio and television broadcasts reached an estimated 30 million weekly viewers. He also wrote more than sixty works on Christian living and theology, many of which are still in print.
Born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1895, Sheen was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop of New York in 1951. As national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (1950–1966) and later as bishop of Rochester (1966–1969), he helped establish 9,000 clinics, 10,000 orphanages, and 1,200 schools. His leadership also contributed to the education of more than 80,000 seminarians and 9,000 women and men religious.
After his death in 1979, Sheen was buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. His cause for canonization was transferred to the Diocese of Peoria in January 2011, and Pope Benedict XVI declared him Venerable on June 28, 2012. A miracle attributed to Sheen's intercession was approved in 2019, and on July 6, 2019, Pope Francis authorized his beatification. He was beatified on September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Most Rev. Robert Barron is the bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
Brandon Vogt is the bestselling and award-winning author of thirteen books, including Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too) and the three-volume What to Say and How to Say It series. He is the founder of ClaritasU, which trains Catholics on how to talk about their faith, especially hot-button issues. He works as the executive publishing director for Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
