
Blessed Fulton Sheen’s Lasting Impact
feat. Katie McGrady
Oscar welcomes Catholic speaker, author, and radio host Katie McGrady back to Ave Spotlight for a conversation about the legacy of Blessed Fulton Sheen and the power of media to proclaim the Gospel. Fresh off receiving the inaugural Sheen Award for Impact in Radio and Podcasting, Katie reflects on the importance of using our platforms for something greater than recognition. Together, they explore Sheen’s groundbreaking television ministry and his remarkable gift for communicating timeless truths with clarity, boldness, humor, and a profound understanding of the Church’s mission. From the missionary creativity of the 1950s to today’s world of podcasts, social media, and algorithms, this episode asks a challenging question: If we have more ways than ever to share Jesus with the world, what are we doing with that gift?
Three Takeaways:
- The platform is a tool, not the prize. Fulton Sheen understood that the value of media wasn’t found in awards or recognition, but in its ability to communicate Christ and his Church to the world.
- The Church is bigger than what we see. The veneration of relics and the communion of saints remind us that we belong to one Body of Christ, united across generations and throughout the world.
- Every generation has a missionary opportunity. From television and radio to podcasts and social media, the challenge remains the same: use the tools of our time to bring people closer to Jesus.
Katie Prejean McGrady is host of the Ave Explores podcast and The Katie McGrady Show on Sirius XM’s The Catholic Channel. She is a Vatican analyst, international speaker, the author of Follow: Your Lifelong Adventure with Jesus, and the coauthor of Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, Advent and Christmas: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, and First Reconciliation and Beyond: A Family's Guide for Learning and Living Forgiveness, and First Communion and Beyond: A Family's Guide to Eucharistic Joy.
Prejean McGrady also serves as host of the Like a Mother podcast and cohost of Family Mass Prep on the Hallow app. She writes for several outlets, including Blessed is She, Our Sunday Visitor, and Aleteia, and contributes coverage on the Vatican and Church news to CNN. Prejean McGrady has spoken at the National Catholic Youth Conference, Steubenville Youth Conferences, and the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, as well as in dioceses and parishes throughout the world.
Prejean McGrady earned a theology degree from the University of Dallas.
She lives in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with her husband Tommy and their children.
Related Books & Resources
First Reconciliation and Beyond
Katie Prejean McGrady, Tommy McGrady
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