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ST. LOUIS \u2014 Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen \u2014 the 20th-century theologian, evangelizer, Catholic communications pioneer, teacher and preacher \u2014 is now Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.<\/p>\n
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a pro-prefect for the Holy See\u2019s Dicastery for Evangelization and papal delegate, pronounced the Church\u2019s declaration on Archbishop Sheen\u2019s holiness of life and witness to Jesus Christ at a Sept. 24 Mass celebrated in The Dome at America\u2019s Center in St. Louis.<\/p>\n
To the applause of pilgrims, Cardinal Tagle described Archbishop Sheen<\/a> as a \u201cson of Illinois, son of the United States of America\u201d and \u201cindeed, son of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Hundreds of clergy, including dozens of bishops and cardinals, had processed into the arena for the Mass as choirs, accompanied by an orchestra, performed a succession of hymns. The priests\u2019 vestments were embroidered with \u201cJMJ,\u201d Archbishop Sheen\u2019s signature dedication to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.<\/p>\n The location had been selected by Archbishop Sheen\u2019s home Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, to accommodate the number of pilgrims who arrived for the beatification and its surrounding events. Around 50,000 people were in attendance, according to organizers.<\/p>\n During a press conference a few hours prior to the Mass, Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said that almost every U.S. state and several additional nations were represented by pilgrims. A number of the faithful hailed from Italy, Poland and Brazil, he said.<\/p>\n Close to 90 bishops, some 1,000 priests, an estimated 1,600 men and women religious, and almost 250 deacons were present, added Bishop Tylka, who wore Archbishop Sheen\u2019s pectoral cross. Among the concelebrating prelates was Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.<\/p>\n The beatification \u2014 a papal act affirming an individual\u2019s presence in heaven is worthy of belief \u2014 officially occurred between the liturgy\u2019s Penitential Rite and the Gloria. Bishop Tylka made a formal request for Archbishop Sheen\u2019s beatification to Cardinal Tagle.<\/p>\n A short biography of Archbishop Sheen, who was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 and died in New York in 1979, was read by Archbishop Sheen\u2019s great-nephew, Paul Cunningham, after which Cardinal Tagle proclaimed the apostolic letter from Pope Leo XIV declaring the beatification in Latin. Bishop Tylka then read the letter in English, as applause followed both.<\/p>\n With the papal decree\u2019s public proclamation, Archbishop Sheen became formally counted among the Church\u2019s \u201cbeati,\u201d from the Latin word for \u201cblessed.\u201d<\/p>\n James Fulton Engstrom \u2014 whose revival from stillbirth in 2010, attributed to Archbishop Sheen\u2019s intercession, was formally declared the miracle that moved Archbishop Sheen to beatification \u2014 processed with his parents and siblings to present a major relic of Archbishop Sheen during the liturgy.<\/p>\n Enclosed in a special case called a reliquary, the relic is Archbishop Sheen\u2019s mandible, or jawbone, chosen because it represents the archbishop\u2019s tremendous gifts as an orator, teacher and evangelist.<\/p>\n As part of the beatification, a portrait of a haloed Blessed Fulton Sheen was also unveiled. In the image, he is notably holding a piece of chalk, which he famously used \u2014 along with a blackboard \u2014 during his Emmy-winning television show, \u201cLife Is Worth Living.\u201d<\/p>\n The image was also simultaneously unveiled in the Diocese of Peoria at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.<\/p>\n The first reading from the beatification Mass, Isaiah 52:7-10, was delivered in Spanish, with the second reading, 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-7, proclaimed in Portuguese, while the Gospel taken from Mark 16:15-20 was proclaimed in English. The prayers of the faithful were offered in a variety of other languages, illustrating both the universal character of the Church and also the missionary mindset of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, who served as the U.S. director for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.<\/p>\n In his homily, Cardinal Tagle praised Archbishop Sheen as a \u201cstoryteller of Jesus\u201d and \u201ca \u201cmissionary who digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there.\u201d<\/p>\n The cardinal noted then-Bishop Sheen\u2019s passionate advocacy for the poor during the Second Vatican Council. During the 1964 discussions on the document \u201cAd Gentes,\u201d on the missionary activity of the Church, then-Bishop Sheen asked his brother bishops to \u201caffirm\u201d the notion of poverty and the bishops who came from poor and suffering parts of the Church.<\/p>\n \u201cAs only a wounded Christ could convert a doubting Thomas, so only a Church wounded by poverty can convert a doubting world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Cardinal Tagle commended Archbishop Sheen for making genuine connections with the people he met and to whom he preached and ministered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe missionary evangelizer is blessed by the communion with persons and peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable, and this is communion in the name of Jesus Christ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Cardinal Tagle shared how Archbishop Sheen told a friend, who asked why he became a priest, that he was called to share the Gospel and tell the story of Jesus.<\/p>\n \u201cI never tire of telling it; I never tire of improving my telling of it. I love my calling,\u201d Archbishop Sheen said, as Cardinal Tagle recounted.<\/p>\n In remarks after Communion, Bishop Tylka urged all attendees to pray for Archbishop Sheen\u2019s canonization, leading them together in a prayer for that intention.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is God who has given the Church the extraordinary witness of the man we may now call Blessed Fulton J. Sheen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Thanking the many prelates involved in the Mass, including Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, whose archdiocese hosted the beatification, and representatives from the Archdiocese of New York, Diocese of Rochester and the Pontifical Mission Societies, Bishop Tylka noted, \u201cYour presence today is a beautiful reminder that while Peoria is incredibly proud to call Fulton Sheen one of our own, he is a gift to the whole Church.\u201d<\/p>\n Bishop Tylka also expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Sheen\u2019s family, individuals and benefactors involved in preparations and liturgy, and the faithful who made the pilgrimage to attend the beatification.<\/p>\n \u201cFulton Sheen has left us a great legacy,\u201d he said. \u201cHe fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel in challenging cultural times. He supported the Church\u2019s missions throughout the world. He won tens of thousands of converts and preached to millions. His time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was the source of his insight into the Son of God. He used every gift God gave him for one purpose: to bring people to Christ. And his legacy is now ours.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the Mass, attendees were invited to remain in prayer to venerate Archbishop Sheen\u2019s\u00a0relics.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>
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