Ohio Dominican University celebrated the legacy of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen with the unveiling and blessing of a new commemorative plaque in Matesich Theatre, where the renowned philosopher, theologian, and communicator once delivered a series of lectures to the ODU community.
Bishop Earl K. Fernandes joined students, faculty, staff, and guests for the celebration and blessed the plaque, which honors Sheen’s lasting connection to the University. Sheen first lectured on campus in June 1935, when the institution was known as the College of St. Mary of the Springs. He returned each October from 1941 through 1949 as part of the Erskine Lecture Series, delivering all 10 of his campus lectures in what is now Matesich Theatre.
“There is something quite powerful about gathering in this theater and reflecting that Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen stood here as well,” said ODU President Dr. Shonna Riedlinger. “So today, we place this plaque not simply to mark where Archbishop Fulton Sheen once stood, but to preserve what his presence here represents: a longstanding commitment to faith and reason, to rigorous intellectual inquiry, and to the conviction that ideas have the power to shape lives and communities.”
Michael V. Dougherty, Ph.D., Sr. Ruth Caspar Chair in Philosophy and professor of philosophy, shared remarks about Sheen’s life, scholarship, and history at ODU. He described Sheen as an influential philosopher whose ability to communicate through radio, television and more than 60 books made him a familiar figure to millions.
“Here on the campus of ODU, we have the case of a holy person who came to us: Blessed Fulton J. Sheen,” Dougherty said. “We can examine the places on campus where he walked during his many visits, in addition to exploring his writings in our philosophy classes.”
Dougherty also highlighted Sheen’s deep connection to the Erskine Lecture Series, which was organized by Father Joachim Bauer, a longtime philosophy professor at the College of St. Mary of the Springs and one of Sheen’s earliest doctoral students. During Sheen’s visits, Matesich Theatre regularly welcomed standing-room-only crowds eager to hear him speak.
Sheen, who was born in 1895 and ordained for the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Louvain and taught at The Catholic University of America for more than 20 years. He later became widely known as the host of the television program Life Is Worth Living, for which he received an Emmy Award in 1953. He was declared Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and was recently beatified by the Catholic Church.
The plaque serves as a permanent reminder of a remarkable chapter in Ohio Dominican’s history and of the University’s continuing commitment to the pursuit of truth through faith, reason and learning.