Blessed Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen became the first American-born bishop to be beatified on September 24. Thousands of Catholics gathered in St. Louis, Missouri for the beatification Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Diocese of Albano, Italy.
Bl. Fulton Sheen is considered the pioneer of modern Catholic evangelism. He authored over 60 books; won an Emmy for his T.V. show, Life is Worth Living; brought countless people into the Church, including many famous figures; and fundraised millions for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In February, the Rover published a piece on Bl. Sheen when his beatification was first announced.
Father Karl Romkema, C.S.C., the director of Old College Undergraduate Seminary at Notre Dame, attended the beatification with a group of undergraduate seminarians from Old College. In an interview with the Rover, he spoke about Bl. Sheen’s significance.
“[He is] one of the first blesseds who we can look up on YouTube or on Spotify. … We can listen now to the voice of a blessed, and that has some significance for anyone in the worldwide Church, especially in the English-speaking Church,” he explained.
Roughly 50,000 people attended the beatification, according to The Catholic World Report. Attendees included 89 bishops, approximately 1,000 priests, and hundreds of deacons and seminarians, EWTN News reported.
“The place was packed to the gills,” Fr. Romkema said. He described the vast number of attendees as a “highlight” of his experience and a chance to “[see] the American Catholic Church in miniature.”
Tommy Breza, a sophomore and a seminarian in Old College who attended the beatification with Fr. Romkema, wrote to the Rover, “I was really filled with a greater hope for the Catholic Church seeing all of the bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, and lay faithful celebrating this holy man’s beatification.”
“My greatest takeaway from this experience was that the Catholic Church, especially in America, is alive and growing,” Breza continued. “Bl. Fulton Sheen lived a Christ-like life that we can follow, and it seems that many Americans already are.”
Fr. Romkema expressed similar sentiments. “[People] came from all over the country to be in attendance, and there were men, women, children. … It showed the ethnic diversity of our country, which was also kind of an homage to Bishop Sheen’s influence as he was the head of the missionary activity of the Church towards the end of his life.”
Events leading up to the beatification in St. Louis included a series of Holy Hours, a Mass celebrating the anniversary of Bl. Sheen’s ordination, and various exhibits on Bl. Sheen.
Fr. Gregory Haake, C.S.C., Vice President of the Office of Mission Engagement and Church Affairs, attended the beatification as part of his official capacities. In an email to the Rover, Fr. Haake wrote, “The biggest highlight was the Beatification Mass, especially the moment at the beginning where the actual beatification took place. Bl. Fulton Sheen’s great nephew read a short biography, and then Cardinal Tagle read the apostolic letter declaring Fulton Sheen a blessed. It was a dramatic moment filled with great joy.”
Cardinal Tagle preached the homily at the Beatification Mass. “The homily was all about what it means to be an evangelist, and even though Bishop Sheen became famous for his eloquence, he wasn’t beatified for his eloquence, which I think is a really good clarification and distinction,” Fr. Romkema said.
Fr. Haake praised Tagle’s homily, encouraging students to watch the recording online.
In addition to earning fame for his evangelization efforts, Bl. Sheen is the first American-born bishop to be beatified. Breza emphasized the beatification’s significance to American Catholics. He wrote, “Bl. Fulton Sheen helped to revive a desire for Christ and His Church in the United States, and by His intercession, I think the Catholic Church will continue to grow. I think this beatification was proof that Catholicism, and thus Jesus Christ, is the future of this country,” he said.
When asked about Bl. Sheen’s significance for Notre Dame, Fr. Romkema commented, “He came out of the same devotional world of piety that we find ourselves in historically — a devotion to the cross above all, a devotion to the Eucharist, a devotion to the Sacred Heart, to our Blessed Mother, and to Saint Joseph. All of those should be very, very familiar to students at a Congregation of Holy Cross institution.”
Fr. Romkema also highlighted that Bl. Sheen placed his learning in service of others. “[Bl. Sheen] had the highest awards that a student can attain. … What did he use his mind for, though? What did he use his learning for? Not to outsmart someone. Not to hold his verbal reasoning skills over them, or to win an argument. … He actually spoke from his heart, and he touched the hearts of many people.”
He concluded, “Our learning, like Sheen’s, should never exclude the heart, and it should always actually have the intent of bringing the hearts of others along, along towards Jesus.”
Clare Hettich is a sophomore from Maryland studying theology and the Program of Liberal Studies. She would appreciate recommendations of Bl. Fulton Sheen’s writings or episodes sent to chettich@nd.edu.