Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Beatified in Major Ceremony
Thousands of faithful have gathered for the beatification Mass of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, an event expected to draw 50,000 attendees to celebrate his legacy. Bishop Robert Barron emphasized that Sheen’s sanctity was defined by his deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and his commitment to the Gospel. Bonnie Engstrom, whose son’s miraculous healing was attributed to Sheen, expressed the profound significance of this milestone for the Church. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is presiding over the ceremony as the official representative of Pope Leo XIV. The event serves as a testament to Sheen’s enduring impact as a communicator of the faith and a source of spiritual inspiration.
7 days ago
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was beatified in St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2026, and is now known as Blessed Fulton Sheen. The ceremony drew a large international gathering and highlighted both the miracle attributed to his intercession and the prayer life behind his public work as a preacher and broadcaster. 6 1
The Mass was held at The Dome at America’s Center, selected to accommodate the crowds. Organizers reported roughly 50,000 attendees or ticket-holders; estimates included 89 bishops, about 1,000 priests, roughly 850 seminarians and 850 religious, and between 250 and 260 deacons. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle celebrated the Mass as Pope Leo XIV’s representative. 1 3 6
The gathering included pilgrims from nearly every U.S. state and more than 10 countries. Readings and prayers were offered in several languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, French, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. 6
Organizers incorporated details tied to Sheen’s ministry. Priests received vestments bearing his “JMJ” signature—short for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—and volunteers made 75,000 World Mission Rosaries, designed to represent the continents and reflect Sheen’s missionary work. The venue also featured a recreation of his television set. 6 3
The beatification recognized the 2010 recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, who was born without a heartbeat and remained without one for 61 minutes while his mother, Bonnie Engstrom, prayed for Sheen’s intercession. James, now 16 and healthy, presented a first-class relic of Sheen at the Mass. 1 3 6
Engstrom said the investigation reassured her and her husband that the Church’s declaration of a miracle followed a thorough process. She described the ceremony as an emotional milestone after years of work on Sheen’s cause. 1
Relics displayed or used for the occasion included Sheen’s zucchetto, pectoral cross, and jawbone. Organizers said the jawbone was selected as the principal relic because Sheen had spent his life proclaiming the Gospel through speech and broadcasting. 1 3
At an evening prayer service the night before the beatification, attended by more than 1,000 people, Bishop Robert Barron described Sheen’s holiness as rooted in friendship with Jesus Christ. Barron emphasized Sheen’s daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to Mary, and understanding of prayer as preparation for evangelizing through the media of his time. 2
Barron also pointed to Sheen’s candid reflections on his weaknesses, popularity, and suffering, saying these were part of his spiritual purification and growth in conformity with Christ. Other clergy and religious at the service cited his Eucharistic devotion and example as an influence on their own ministry. 2
At a pre-Mass event, Sister Josephine Garrett likewise urged attendees to learn from Sheen’s prayer habits and devotion to the Eucharist. Cardinal Timothy Dolan recalled Sheen’s conviction that his life centered on the Blessed Sacrament, while Bishop Louis Tylka encouraged people who seek Sheen’s intercession to emulate his faith and time spent in prayer. 3
Church leaders also noted Sheen’s appeal to younger people, including those who did not know him during his lifetime. Tylka and Monsignor Jason Gray linked that interest to Sheen’s clear communication, integrity, and ability to use the media available to him to reach broad audiences. 1 4
Sheen’s cause for canonization was opened by the Diocese of Peoria in 2002, and Pope Benedict XVI declared him “venerable” in 2012. His beatification followed approval of the miracle involving James Engstrom. 3
Canonization would typically require recognition of a second miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession after the beatification miracle. Gray said the Vatican was considering six potential cases, including reported healings involving cancer and a newborn; Tylka said the diocese was praying for another miracle. 1 3
Holiness as the foundation of evangelization and missionary witness
Holiness is not an ornament added to missionary work after the plans, programs, and preaching are in place. It is the inner foundation that makes evangelization credible: the missionary’s life should show the transforming presence of Christ whom the missionary proclaims. John Paul II calls holiness a fundamental and irreplaceable condition of mission, and says that the first Christians’ holiness underlay their missionary dynamism.
Evangelization includes speaking the Gospel, but it cannot be reduced to speaking about it. Paul VI points to the questions people implicitly ask of evangelizers: Do you believe what you proclaim, and do you live what you believe? The coherence of a Christian’s life is therefore essential to the effectiveness of preaching.
This does not mean that a missionary must be flawless before speaking about Christ. It means that the Gospel should be visibly shaping the missionary’s choices, relationships, and service. Humility, prayer, simplicity, self-sacrifice, and love for the poor help make the message tangible; without such signs of holiness, even true words can struggle to reach hearts.
The call to holiness belongs to every member of the faithful, and so does the call to mission. Missionary witness is therefore not the responsibility of a small group of specialists alone. It involves the whole Christian community, whose common life can point beyond itself to God.
Charity is especially important in this witness. John Paul II teaches that evangelization takes place above all through the witness of charity and holiness; ministers are effective evangelizers insofar as they are united with Christ and love their brothers and sisters. A community marked by prayer, service, and genuine care for others does not replace the proclamation of the Gospel, but gives that proclamation a lived expression.
Because holiness grounds mission, pastoral effectiveness cannot be measured only by methods, organization, or theological knowledge. These have their place, but they cannot substitute for a renewed desire for holiness among missionaries and the wider Church.
Such formation has practical foundations: Christ must remain central; people need to hear and proclaim his Word, participate in the sacraments, and grow in prayer as personal encounter with the Lord. Patient formation in these realities strengthens believers and can draw those who are distant toward the faith.
Thus, holiness is not a retreat from mission but its spiritual source. The Church’s witness becomes more persuasive when what she proclaims is also reflected in the lives of her members—personally and together. Evangelization bears fruit not through technique alone, but through Christians whose lives, shaped by Christ, make the Gospel visible.