On September 24th, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified in Saint Louis, Missouri. The beatification Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Tagle, who will serve as the papal representative. Surrounding the Mass will be a series of other events in both his home diocese of Peoria and in Saint Louis, so pilgrims can prepare for and celebrate this historic and momentous occasion. Amongst these events is a daylong Sheen Expo. The Our Lady, Patroness of America Center is honored to be one of the many exhibitors for this event. We will be sharing the devotion with around 75,000 pilgrims who are expected to attend.
Archbishop Sheen and the Archbishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Archbishop John Francis Noll were close friends and shared the vast vineyard that was Catholic media. These men were pioneers in bringing Catholic teaching to the media through television, radio, and news. Archbishop Fulton Sheen attended Archbishop Noll’s funeral in Fort Wayne in 1956.
The last beatification that took place in the United States was the beatification of Solanus Casey, OFM, in 2017. Blessed Solanus Casey was also a dear friend of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, living at Saint Felix in Huntington for around 10 years. During his residency there, Archbishop Noll was the bishop of the diocese and would have frequented the nearby Victory Noll Center.
So cool you will be at the Sheen expo!
I remember hearing the connection ArchBishop Sheen had with Rome City, but I forget some of the details. Could you write it out on your website sometime? The Archbishop was getting treatment for TB or, he became acquainted somehow with Bishop Noll and they met there? It’s such an interesting story that few people know!
DESDE JOVEN SEGUI Y LEI LOS LIBROS Y SUS ORIENTACIONES TODAS DEL SANTPO OBISPO MONS. FULTON SHEEM Y A MI GENERACION LA MOTIVO Y EN MUCHOS CASOS DEFINIENDO VOCACIONES SERIAS A LA VIDA CONSAGRADA, LA SACERDOCIO, AL MATRIMONIO Y EN CIERTOS CASOS AL DIACONADO PERMANENTE.