Mission Rosary creator to be Beatified

FORMER National Director of Missio in the USA and creator of the Mission Rosary, the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (above), will move one step closer to sainthood this year after the announcement of his Beatification Mass.

The Mass will take place on September 24 of this year at The Dome at America’s Center in St Louis, Missouri—close to his native Diocese of Peoria in Illinois—and it is expected that a great number of people will flock to the venue for to further honour a man who Pope St John Paul II described as ‘a loyal son of the Church.’

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle—Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation—will be the principal celebrant at the Beatification Mass, representing Pope Leo XIV.

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen was born to an Irish family in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895. He discovered his call to the priesthood at the age of 24 and was ordained a priest in 1919.

He studied at the Catholic University of America in Washington (US), the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), and the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome, before returning home in 1926 to teach at the Catholic University of America—a position he held until 1950. He served as the Bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1951 to 1969, and Pope Paul VI later appointed him as the Titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales, in 1969. 

Known as a gifted teacher and speaker, his homilies were often celebrated. He was lauded as one of the best examples of a clergyman using media as an evangelisation tool from its earliest days.

In 1930, he began participating in the Sunday radio programme called The Catholic Hour, which reached an estimated four million listeners at the height of its popularity. In 1951, he began hosting a weekly television series, Life is Worth Living, on matters of faith that attracted some 30 million viewers.

During his 16-year tenure as National Director of Missio in the USA, Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen raised millions of dollars for missionary efforts worldwide and also donated $10 million that he earned from his later television programmes.

He also created the Mission Rosary (above) to strengthen the bonds between the universal Church. Since its introduction, the Mission Rosary has been used by Catholics around the world and helping children on every continent, to pray for one another in a beautiful exchange of faith and friendship.

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen died in New York at the age of 84, on December 9, 1979.

After his heroic virtue was recognised, he was declared Venerable in 2012 by the late Pope Benedict XVI. In 2019, Pope Francis then authorised a decree recognising a miracle through his intercession. This recognition cleared Archbishop Sheen for Beatification, after which he will have the title ‘Blessed.’

“There will be a number of events in Peoria to celebrate this wonderful occasion,” Bishop Louis Tylka, of the Diocese of Peoria, said. “This is a moment of immense grace for the Church, especially for us in the Diocese of Peoria, where Archbishop Sheen was born, ordained, and first served as a priest.

“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, calling each of us to a deeper devotion to the Eucharist and to Our Blessed Mother.

“The Beatification Mass will be a profound moment of prayer and celebration for the faithful near and far. I invite all who have been touched by Archbishop Sheen’s life and legacy to join us in spirit or in person for this historic event.

“As we prepare our hearts for this joyful day, let us continue to pray that the example of Archbishop Fulton Sheen will strengthen our own witness to the Gospel and renew our desire to bring Christ to the world.”

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