Fulton Sheen to be beatified in St Louis today in Mass led by Cardinal Tagle

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified at a Mass in St Louis today, taking the title “Blessed” after a six-year delay to his elevation.

The beatification Mass begins at 2pm local time (Central Daylight Time) at The Dome at America’s Center in downtown St Louis. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside, representing Pope Leo XIV, according to the Diocese of Peoria, which is leading the canonisation cause.

On the eve of the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Sheen at his Wednesday General Audience in St Peter’s Square. “Tomorrow in Saint Louis, Missouri, Venerable Fulton Sheen will be beatified,” the Pope said. “May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelising work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm.”

Organisers expect nearly 45,000 pilgrims from 48 US states and 12 countries, with more than 80 bishops and hundreds of priests attending, the Diocese of Norwich said via Vatican News. The EWTN television network will broadcast the Mass live.

Sheen was declared Venerable in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, and in 2019 Pope Francis authorised a decree recognising a miracle through his intercession. The beatification, originally scheduled for December 2019, was postponed and cleared to proceed by the Vatican earlier this year.

The American archbishop became a household name through his television programme Life Is Worth Living, which aired from 1952 to 1957, and won an Emmy for Most Outstanding Personality in 1953. He died in December 1979.

Sources

• Vatican News — Pope Leo upholds Fulton Sheen’s legacy ahead of beatification
• Vatican News — Venerable Fulton Sheen to be beatified in St. Louis on 24 September
• National Catholic Register — What’s Happening for Fulton Sheen’s Beatification?
• Democrat and Chronicle — Fulton Sheen’s sainthood journey reaches a major milestone Sept. 24
• WGLT / NPR Illinois — El Paso church where Fulton Sheen was baptized to host beatification watch party