Pope Leo XIV announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death.
By Jonah McKeown, EWTN
Southern Nebraska Register
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, despite his humble origins in small-town Illinois, aspired to great things as an academic and as a communicator of the Catholic faith. On Sept. 24, before a crowd of tens of thousands at The Dome at America’s Center, the farm-boy-turned-mass-media star was declared “blessed” after the reading of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV, a fellow Midwesterner.
Via his decree, Pope Leo announced Blessed Sheen’s feast day will be Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. His feast day is expected to be on the calendar of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Cardinal Luis Tagle, the pope’s representative and the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass, reflected on the meaning of “blessed” during his homily — noting that throughout history many who shared the Christian faith suffered persecution, yet their lives were still marked by joy. It is Sheen’s deep, humble relationship with Jesus Christ and his radical solidarity with the poor and vulnerable that characterized his life as a missionary, one that all Catholics should emulate, Tagle said.
Despite his massive worldly popularity and the fact that he personally accompanied countless converts in their journey to become Catholic, Tagle noted that Sheen did not “claim” the converts as his own but rather described himself as a mere “porter” who led people to the “open door of the house of God.”
“It is for being a zealous and creative evangelizer, an advocate for mission that Fulton Sheen is called ‘blessed’ or ‘fortunate’ or ‘happy’… 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!” Tagle proclaimed.
Jam-packed crowds of Catholics of all ages — from the elderly who were around when Sheen’s shows first aired, to numerous families with small children — had descended on the stadium for the Mass, which began with a lengthy procession of some 1,000 priests, 89 bishops, and hundreds of seminarians and deacons.
The largest group from the Lincoln Diocese attended with Father Gary Coulter, director of Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly. He arranged a pilgrimage for 110, including two priests, nine religious, and four children.
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SNR photos by Fr. Gary Coulter and Kevin Clark
Nikki Shasserre of St. Teresa Parish in Lincoln attended the Mass as a chaperone on pilgrimage with middle-school students from St. Teresa and St. Joseph schools in Lincoln.
“What I will remember most from this historic moment for the Church in the United States is the procession of seminarians, priests, bishops and cardinals lasting over 30 minutes,” she said. “Watching the reaction of students and seeing their amazement and awe during the procession was beautiful.”
The actual moment when Sheen became “blessed” happened early in the proceedings, following the proclamation of a decree signed by Pope Leo XIV. As is customary at beatifications, the decree was read first in Latin by Tagle, the pope’s representative and the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and afterward in the vernacular — in this case English — by Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Ill., in whose diocese Sheen was born.
Immediately following the reading, a portrait of Blessed Sheen was revealed showing him with a halo, to thunderous applause. The same portrait was simultaneously unveiled at his tomb at the Cathedral St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria.
Earlier in the day, Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, announced that six purported miracles are attributed to the intercession of Sheen as part of the process that could lead to his canonization. Any purported miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession that has taken place since Pope Francis announced his beatification in July 2019 can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward.
James Fulton Engstrom, recipient of the confirmed miracle that cleared the way for Sheen’s beatification, survived in spite of having spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The healthy 16-year-old presented several of Sheen’s relics during the beatification Mass.
Shasserre called the moment “powerful.” She said watching Engstrom reminded her, in a tangible way, how the communion of saints stands ready to intercede for all.
“In the Engstrom family’s moment of desperation they called out to Fulton Sheen to pray for their little boy, to ask Jesus for a miracle He ultimately granted. As the Engstroms processed in to present the relics, surrounded by thousands of Catholics, how could they ever know their desperate plea would become such a moment of rejoicing for the universal Church?”
Catholics from all over the world hailed Sheen’s example as a highly creative and effective missionary, who used every means available to him to share the love of Christ.
Father Solomon Patrick Zaku, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, flew to the U.S. for his first visit to the country to attend the beatification of Sheen, who previously served as the Pontifical Mission Societies’ national director for the U.S.
“While I was in the seminary, I read about his book and about his life... One of the things I have learned from him is the holy hour, spending an hour daily, and that has been part of my daily routine, which has been my source of inspiration,” Zaku said. “As the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, [we] promote the Mission Rosary, which Archbishop Fulton Sheen introduced … I pray it daily.”
Elizabeth Shasserre, an eighth-grader at St. Teresa School in Lincoln who attended the pilgrimage with her peers and her mother, said she realized she was at the Mass for a reason.
“Maybe later in life, this Mass could be held for one of my family members, friends or even myself since we are all called to be saints,” she said.
“Being a part of this Mass showed me I should live my life with gratitude, strength in faith and kindness to all, just like Blessed Fulton Sheen. And that life is worth living.”
