The Blessed Ones – The Beatification of Fulton Sheen
It’s official – Fulton Sheen is now numbered among the Blesseds of the Church!
50,000-plus Catholics packed the Dome in Saint Louis, Missouri, to witness this historic day for American Catholics and Catholics worldwide. Among them were 850 seminarians, 300 deacons, 1,000 priests, 89 Bishops, and 4 Cardinals. The entrance procession took 40 minutes!
The Mass was incredibly moving. The joy of heaven was tangible. Five choirs totaling over 70 singers, along with an orchestra, joined together to create the most angelic music. Members of Fulton Sheen’s family attended, including a great-nephew who read a short biography as part of the beatification liturgy. The family of James Fulton Engstrom brought forward the relics, who received the miracle attributed to Fulton Sheen. The main relic was Blessed Fulton Sheen’s jawbone, a striking reminder of the Gospel he so devotedly proclaimed to the world.
The papal representative, Cardinal Luis Tagle, presided over the beatification. He asked why we would call Fulton Sheen blessed, “beato” meaning “blessed” or “happy.” Perhaps, he noted, his blessedness came from his celebrity status as a popular radio and television personality. But more truly, the Cardinal shared, his blessedness came from two things: communion with Jesus, and communion with others, particularly the poor. Cardinal Tagle closed with these words:
Blessed is the earthen vessel that draws power from Jesus. Blessed is the evangelizer converted by beholding and touching the wounds of the risen Christ in wounded brothers and sisters. Blessed is the missionary who digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.
Everyone came to witness the beatification, but the week also featured many other events, speakers, and prayer opportunities. Included among them was an exhibition hall in the convention center connected to the Dome. The Patroness of America Center was blessed to be among the exhibitors. The morning was jam-packed with pilgrims from across the United States, plus a handful from other countries. We had so many great conversations about the devotion, sold out of Our Lady of America t-shirts, and handed out many postcards for our statue giveaway. We even saw some familiar faces:
He wasn’t the only familiar face we saw. We saw multiple priests and pilgrims from our diocese, along with pilgrims from other states who had toured the Patroness of America Center before. It’s a joy to hear people say, “I’ve heard of this devotion!” when they arrive at our booth, and an honor to share it with those who haven’t yet.
Blessed are we who witnessed the beatification of Fulton Sheen and shared in the joy of the universal Church. Blessed are we, particularly as an American Church, who were generationally impacted by his missionary work in the Midwest and had front-row seats to it across media networks. Blessed are we who have the same access to communion with Jesus and communion with others that Blessed Fulton Sheen lived so well.
May Our Lady, the Patroness of America, continue to raise great Saints among us.
Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!
