Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
By the time you read this, the Church will have a new Blessed, as on September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, MO, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will have been beatified. A contingent of the parish staff and I will be in attendance at the Mass to witness this great event first-hand.
When the Church beatifies someone, it is making a specific claim: it is a formal recognition by the pope that this person has lived a heroically virtuous life. To be beatified (to be declared Blessed), one miracle acquired through the candidate’s intercession is required in addition to recognition of heroic virtue.
Heroic virtue is a transcendent display of faith, hope, and charity, virtues so perfect and so deeply rooted in union with God that they inspire and transform everyone who encounters them. St. Augustine first applied the pagan title of “hero” to the Christian martyrs; the custom has prevailed of bestowing it not only on martyrs, but on all confessors of the faith whose virtues and good works greatly outdistance those of ordinary good people.
But beatification requires more than virtue…it requires a miracle. Why? Because miracles are a “sure sign of revelation, destined to glorify God, to awaken and reinforce our faith, and, therefore, they are also a confirmation of the holiness of the person invoked” says Msgr. Di Ruberto of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
In Archbishop Sheen’s case, a board of medical experts unanimously approved a reported miracle attributed to his intercession; parents of a stillborn baby, whom they named James Fulton, prayed through the intercession of Sheen and their son miraculously recovered after an hour of having no heartbeat. James is a healthy teenager today.
Archbishop Sheen spent his life proclaiming Jesus Christ with eloquence, conviction, and unshakeable faith. He was one of the greatest voices of evangelization in the Universal Church in the 20th century, authoring best-selling books and producing and starring in a renowned TV series Life Is Worth Living.
When we call upon the Blessed to pray for us, we are honoring their holiness and asking them to intercede for us before God, just as the Communion of Saints has always done. By beatifying Archbishop Sheen, the Church holds him up as a model of fidelity to Christ, of courage in proclaiming the faith boldly, and of deep devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother. This is a moment of immense grace for the Church. His life and ministry continue to inspire countless people to know and love Jesus Christ more deeply. Through his preaching, teaching, and personal witness, he brought the light of faith to millions. May his heavenly intercession lead millions more to the Lord!
I can’t wait to share the beatification experience with you all. Be on the lookout in the near future for a sharing of graces from our pilgrimage!
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
BLESSED FULTON SHEEN, pray for us!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor