In the late 1970s, Rosemarie Holliger, then a student at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., was tasked to write an report about a significant Catholic. She didn’t have to look far; she wrote about her famous cousin, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Now Rosemarie Holliger Costello, she showed a private — and sweet and funny — side of Archbishop Sheen, then the instantly recognizable as host of a popular former TV show, Life is Worth Living, which reached 30 million viewers in its day. Her report detailed her family’s fun visits with the archbishop, today known as Venerable Fulton Sheen, with her and her younger siblings. In 1978, The Beacon published a story on Rosemarie’s report.
“He would read bedtime stories in Latin and crawl around the floor with me” and “share some of his favorite candy — chocolates,” said Rosemarie, a 65-year-old musician and teacher in Edmond, Ok., wrote in the report about Venerable Sheen. She told BeaconNJ.org this week, “The public remembers the world famous Catholic TV and radio host who was a funny, brilliant and holy person. We saw those too. We also see that, for all his fame, he was humble and made time for everyone to speak and listen to him. He had an aura of holiness.”
Rosemarie’s religion teacher, Father Lou Scurti, now a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., gave her an “A” for her essay.
This week, Rosemarie and family members will be attending a Mass for the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen on Thursday, Sept. 24, at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Mo. At that time, he will be designated as “blessed.” During his life, the nationally known TV and radio evangelist, author and speaker traveled from his New York City apartment to the Paterson Diocese, N.J., many times to give presentations and visit family, friends. [See related stories]. He never missed a family event.
Reacting to the news of the beatification, Rosemarie told Our Sunday Visitor, “We’ve been praying for it. We’ve been given word that this looks like this is going to happen — but until it finally happens, you’re still praying and waiting. This is answered prayers because this is a long time coming — six years waiting for the beatification to be rescheduled. So thanks be to God.”
Archbishop Sheen is one of most influential Catholic communicators of the 20th century. His radio program, “The Catholic Hour,” reached 4 million listeners. He later won an Emmy Award for Life is Worth Living, which later became The Fulton Sheen Program. He also authored 73 books, taught at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., served as national director of the Society of the Propagation of Faith, and was bishop of Rochester, N.Y. He died in 1979 at 84.
“Archbishop Sheen had a presence on TV. He made his lessons, stories and principles of our faith understandable and relatable to everyone. He had a magnetic personality that drew people to him,” said Rosemarie, who attended TV tapings in the 1960s. “Archbishop Sheen was whole package. He was the original televangelist, who has influenced Catholic social media evangelists today such as Bishop Robert Barron.”
As a child living in Peoria, Ill, Venerable Sheen spent time with cousins in the family, including Reeda Ibeck Holliger. Later, Thomas Reed Holliger, Reeda’s son and later Rosemarie’s father, lived with Venerable Sheen in New York City. He served in the Korean Conflict before working for Union Carbide in Manhattan for 35 years.
At a taping of his TV show, Venerable Sheen played Cupid, introducing Thomas to Rosemarie’s mother, Yolanda Tomaiuoli, who used to travel to Jersey City to listen to his talks at St. Aedan Church.
Related Articles
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney: Looking forward to the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (Sept. 14, 2026)
Beyond The Beacon podcast 111: Walking with a future saint? Lo Anne Mayer on her friendship with Fulton Sheen (May 14, 2026)
Beatification candidate Fulton Sheen forged strong ties in Paterson (May 7, 2026)
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, frequent visitor to Diocese, to be beatified (Aug. 1, 2019)
Venerable Sheen married Thomas and Yolanda in 1960 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and later baptized their six children. The family shared a close, lifelong bond with Venerable Sheen, whom they knew as “the bishop.”
“Archbishop Sheen and my family loved laughing and telling jokes and stories, for us kids, sometimes about Lourdes and Mary,” Rosemarie said. Venerable Sheen sometimes called himself as “Uncle Filtie,” a spoof on “Uncle Miltie,” the nickname of entertainer Milton Berle, whom he beat in the TV ratings, she said.
The Holligers lived in the Packanack Lake neighborhood of Wayne, and then moved to Florida, before moving back to Packanack Lake. Venerable Sheen would visit. They were active at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Wayne. Yolanda later played organ at Our Lady of Consolation Parish, also in Wayne. Sometimes, the family visited Venerable Sheen in New York City.
Shortly after Venerable Sheen died in 1979, Yolanda told The Beacon, “We feel a great void. So much of our life has always revolved around the archbishop. We will miss him — a lot.”
In 1983, Rosemarie married Brian Costello, also a DePaul alum and the son of the late Gerald Costello, co-founder of this publication, The Beacon, and New York Catholic. They have six children and six grandchildren. Years before they dated, Brian suggested that his father publish Rosemarie’s report about Archbishop Sheen in the Beacon.
“He [Archbishop Sheen] won an Emmy but deserved much more, because he not only entertained people, he brought Christ to them and helped educate them to Christianity,” Rosemarie wrote in her report.
In 2002, Rosemarie joined Venerable Sheen’s cause for sainthood with her mother. Yolanda died in 2013 at 74. Rosemarie’s sister, Maureen, at Our Lady of Good Counsel in the Pompton Plains neighborhood of Pequannock, N.J., had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. After lots of prayers to Venerable Sheen, she now is in remission, which the family hopes might provide a possible miracle for canonization.
“My mother told me, ‘Archbishop Sheen is a holy man filled with love. One day will he will be a saint,’” Rosemarie said. “With his beatification, more people will know him and he will bring more people to the faith,” she said.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
