ST. LOUIS (OSV News): Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the renowned 20th-century theologian, evangeliser, Catholic communications pioneer, teacher and preacher, has now been declared Blessed Fulton Sheen. Approximately 50,000 people attended the ceremony, according to organisers.
Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, pro-prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelisation and papal delegate, pronounced the Church’s declaration on Archbishop Sheen’s holiness of life and witness to Jesus Christ at a September 24 Mass celebrated in The Dome at America’s Centre in St. Louis.
To the applause of pilgrims, Cardinal Tagle described Archbishop Sheen as a “son of Illinois, son of the United States of America”, and “indeed, son of the world”.
Hundreds of clergy, including dozens of bishops and cardinals, processed into the arena for the Mass as choirs, accompanied by an orchestra, performed a succession of hymns. The priests’ vestments were embroidered with “JMJ”, Archbishop Sheen’s signature dedication to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The location was chosen by Archbishop Sheen’s home Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, to accommodate the number of pilgrims
Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said that almost every US state and several additional nations were represented by pilgrims. A number of the faithful hailed from Italy, Poland and Brazil, he said.
Close to 90 bishops, around 1,000 priests, an estimated 1,600 men and women religious, and nearly 250 deacons attended, Bishop Tylka added, who wore Archbishop Sheen’s pectoral cross. Among the concelebrating prelates was Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The beatification officially occurred between the Penitential Rite and the Gloria. Bishop Tylka made a formal request for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification to Cardinal Tagle.
A short biography of Archbishop Sheen, who was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 and died in New York in 1979, was read by his great-nephew, Paul Cunningham. Cardinal Tagle then proclaimed the apostolic letter from Pope Leo XIV declaring the beatification in Latin, followed by Bishop Tylka reading the letter in English, both met with applause.
With the papal decree’s public proclamation, Archbishop Sheen became formally counted among the Church’s “beati,” from the Latin word for “blessed.”
James Fulton Engstrom—whose revival from stillbirth in 2010, attributed to Archbishop Sheen’s intercession, was recognised as the miracle for beatification—processed with his family to present a major relic during the liturgy.
The relic, Archbishop Sheen’s jawbone, was enclosed in a reliquary, chosen to symbolise his gifts as an orator, teacher and evangelist.
A portrait of Blessed Fulton Sheen with a halo was unveiled, showing him holding a piece of chalk, referencing his Emmy-winning television show “Life Is Worth Living”.
The image was also simultaneously unveiled in the Diocese of Peoria at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle praised Archbishop Sheen as a “storyteller of Jesus” and a missionary who “digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there”.
The cardinal highlighted then-Bishop Sheen’s passionate advocacy for the poor during Vatican II, urging his fellow bishops to affirm the importance of poverty and the voices of those from suffering regions of the Church.
“As only a wounded Christ could convert a doubting Thomas, so only a Church wounded by poverty can convert a doubting world”, he said.
Cardinal Tagle commended Archbishop Sheen for making genuine connections with the people he met and to whom he preached and ministered.
He fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel in challenging cultural times. He supported the Church’s missions throughout the world. He won tens of thousands of converts and preached to millions
Bishop Tylka
“The missionary evangeliser is blessed by the communion with persons and peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable, and this is communion in the name of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Cardinal Tagle recounted how Archbishop Sheen explained to a friend that he became a priest to share the gospel and tell the story of Jesus.
“I never tire of telling it; I never tire of improving my telling of it. I love my calling”, Archbishop Sheen said.
After Communion, Bishop Tylka urged all present to pray for Archbishop Sheen’s canonisation, leading them in prayer for that intention.
“It is God who has given the Church the extraordinary witness of the man we may now call Blessed Fulton J. Sheen,” he said.
“Fulton Sheen has left us a great legacy,” he said. “He fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel in challenging cultural times. He supported the Church’s missions throughout the world. He won tens of thousands of converts and preached to millions. His time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was the source of his insight into the Son of God. He used every gift God gave him for one purpose: to bring people to Christ. And his legacy is now ours.”
