Archbishop Fulton Sheen – the American 20th-century theologian, evangeliser, Catholic communications pioneer, teacher and preacher – is now Blessed Fulton Sheen following his beatification last week. Source: OSV News.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a pro-prefect for 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 Center in St Louis, Missouri.
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, had 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 had been selected by Archbishop Sheen’s home Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, to accommodate the number of pilgrims who arrived for the beatification and its surrounding events. Around 50,000 people were in attendance, according to organisers.
The beatification – a papal act affirming an individual’s presence in heaven is worthy of belief – officially occurred between the liturgy’s Penitential Rite and the Gloria. Preoria Bishop Louis 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 Archbishop Sheen’s great-nephew, Paul Cunningham, after which Cardinal Tagle proclaimed the apostolic letter from Pope Leo XIV declaring the beatification in Latin. Bishop Tylka then read the letter in English, as applause followed both.
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 formally declared the miracle that moved Archbishop Sheen to beatification – processed with his parents and siblings to present a major relic of Archbishop Sheen during the liturgy.
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Archbishop Fulton J Sheen declared ‘Blessed’ at Mass in St Louis (By Gina Christian, OSV News)
