Fulton Sheen declared Blessed during historic Mass in St. Louis
The legacy of the late American archbishop known for his devotion to the Eucharist, academic work, evangelization through media, and much more was celebrated by tens of thousands who can now joyfully refer to him as Blessed Fulton Sheen.
Marking a historic step on his path to canonization, Archbishop Fulton Sheen was declared Blessed Sept. 24 during his beatification Mass in St. Louis, Missouri. Beatification is the Church’s formal recognition that a man or woman lived a life of heroic virtue and now shares in the glory of heaven.
Archbishop Sheen is the first American-born bishop to be declared Blessed. More than 50,000 people attended the liturgy, celebrated at the stadium called The Dome at America’s Center while thousands more watched online. Catholics traveled from across the U.S. and a number of other countries, including Poland, Brazil, and Italy, to witness the moment years in the making, as his beatification was originally supposed to be held in December 2019.
It was suspended in 2019 following a request from several U.S. bishops to allow for further investigation into his time as bishop of Rochester. Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, announced in February 2026 that the Vatican had approved the next step in the process, confirming that the beatification would proceed. Another approved miracle is required before canonization can proceed. Canon lawyer Monsignor James Gray announced earlier in the day that six potential miracles have already emerged as leads.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a pro-prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelization, celebrated the Sept. 24 Mass, and more than 80 bishops and hundreds of priests also participated in the liturgy. Two days earlier, Cardinal Tagle had celebrated Mass in now-Blessed Sheen’s native Diocese of Peoria, Illinois.
After the Introductory Rite of the Sept. 24 Mass, Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria made the request for beatification before Cardinal Tagle. Then, Blessed Sheen’s great nephew Paul Cunningham read a brief biography of Sheen’s life, outlining his life of virtue and evangelization.
The crowd then stood to hear Cardinal Tagle, acting as the papal representative, read the apostolic letter in Latin declaring Sheen “Blessed.” Bishop Tylka then read the apostolic letter in English.
A crucial part of the beatification process is the approval of a miracle attributed to the Venerable person’s intercession. The Vatican-approved miracle that paved the way for Blessed Sheen’s beatification took place in 2010; when James Fulton Engstrom was born to his local Illinois family, he initially showed no signs of respiration or a heartbeat. His parents, who already had a devotion to Archbishop Sheen, turned in that heavy moment to ask for the archbishop’s intercession. James Fulton was miraculously healed after 61 minutes without oxygen or a heartbeat.
Sixteen years later, James Fulton, his seven siblings, and his parents attended Blessed Sheen’s beatification, with James himself presenting the relics of Archbishop Sheen immediately after he was declared Blessed.
At this time, the image of Blessed Sheen was revealed, depicting the archbishop with a halo. Up until this point in the Mass the image had been covered by a red cloth. As the cloth was taken away, screens in the stadium also showed what was taking place at Sheen’s tomb in Peoria: two people unveiled a new inscription of his name that now included the title Blessed.
At the sight of the new inscription and image, the thousands of faithful in the stadium began cheering. A hymn of thanksgiving was then sung, followed by brief remarks of thanksgiving from Bishop Tylka. Then, family members of Blessed Fulton Sheen came onto the altar and received a copy of the decree of beatification, and exchanged the sign of peace with Cardinal Tagle.
Following this historic declaration, the Mass continued with the Gloria and Liturgy of the Word. Cardinal Tagle delivered the homily, outlining how much the word Blessed, or happy, encompasses.
Cardinal Tagle: Blessedness is communion with Jesus
Cardinal Tagle’s homily focused on the many aspects of blessedness, connecting those with the life and witness of the newly Blessed Sheen and the liturgical readings of the day: Isaiah 52:7-10; 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-7; and Mark 16:15-20.
“First, the missionary evangelizer is truly blessed, fortunate, and happy because of the gift of communion with Jesus,” the cardinal said. “That is the root of blessedness. Communion with Jesus.”
“Blessed are you when you tell the good news of Jesus to all people,” he continued. “St. Paul in the second reading is blessed because he does not preach himself but rather Jesus Christ as Lord. To preach your own wisdom rather than that of Jesus, is falsifying the Word of God. It is not mission. It is not blessedness.”
Cardinal Tagle also said, “Blessed are you when God blesses and confirms what you teach.”
“The missionary evangelizer is blessed by the communion with persons and peoples, especially the poor and the vulnerable, and this is communion in the name of Jesus Christ.”
He also said Scripture tells believers to “preach to every creature, not an abstract world or society.”
Blessed are you when you consider yourself an earthen vessel, Cardinal Tagle said, evoking the title of Blessed Sheen’s autobiography, Treasure in Clay (1980).
Cardinal Tagle also recalled a story when Blessed Sheen was asked how many conversions to the Catholic faith he can claim.
He answered, “I really have not counted in order to not have the temptation to believe that they were mine.”
Cardinal Tagle said Sheen saw himself as a porter to lead people through the door of God.
“Blessed are you, porter to the House of God,” the cardinal proclaimed.
On why Fulton Sheen became a priest, Cardinal Tagle told a story of how Sheen answered the question.
“It’s the story of Jesus," Tagle said that Sheen would say. "I never tire of telling it. I never tire of improving my telling of it.”
Liturgy of the Eucharist: ‘The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host’
Following the homily, the Mass continued with the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It’s no secret that Blessed Sheen’s ministry was fueled by a deep devotion to the Eucharist. He once wrote, “The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host.”
As the faithful formed lines for Communion, “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus” and “Make Us One” played, led by dozens singing in a choir accompanied by a well-conducted orchestra. It took more than an hour for the tens of thousands to receive Communion, throughout this time the choir filled the stadium with reverent choral pieces. Attendees directed prayerful attention to contemplation of the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as Blessed Sheen had for decades. When he was a young man, he had resolved to attend a Holy Hour every day, and for the next 61 years, upheld this promise even on the day he died. Throughout his life, Blessed Sheen wrote about God’s love and the importance of devotion to Him.
“He is there because He loves us, and because He desires that we love Him,” Blessed Sheen once said.
In Calvary and the Mass (1936), he wrote, “We use the word “receive” when speaking of communion with our Lord in the Eucharist, for literally we do “receive” Divine Life, just as really and truly as a babe receives the life of its mother.”
Though the Sept. 24 Mass marked a historic step for Blessed Sheen’s After Communion, Bishop Tylka led the faithful in a prayer for Blessed Sheen’s canonization.
The faithful then joined Bishop Tylka in praying: “Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!”
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