More than 50,000 faithful gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sept. 24 to celebrate the beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Nearly 3,000 priests, deacons and seminarians along with 89 bishops and cardinals joined Cardinal Luis Tagle for the Mass at the Dome at America’s Center.

This remarkable and joyful day for the Church in the United States celebrated the life of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a pioneering evangelist who hosted the television program, Life Is Worth Living in the 1950s. Long before Catholic evangelization through television became popular, Archbishop Sheen used this medium to reach millions of people including many non-Catholics with the message of the Gospel. He is credited with helping lead thousands to Catholicism and is one of the most recognizable Catholic voices of the 20th century.

Beatification is an important step on the journey toward sainthood. It allows a deceased person to be called “Blessed” and permits limited public veneration after the Church has established heroic virtue and verified a miracle attributed to the person's intercession. In Archbishop Sheen’s case, that miracle involved the unexplained healing of an infant who had been clinically dead at birth.

Bishop Louis Tylka, the current Bishop of Peoria, Illinois, shared that when he first learned of the possibility of a beatification, he “naively thought a nice Mass would be great to celebrate.” It soon became clear that the occasion would be much larger and so, it was moved to the dome in St. Louis, which was once home to the St. Louis Rams football team.

One media outlet described the beatification as “the biggest event since the Rams.” The dome also welcomed St. John Paul II for a papal Mass on Jan. 27, 1999.

The doors opened at 8 a.m., with opportunities for prayer and celebration throughout the day, including confession, an exposition hall, videos of Archbishop Sheen, and praise and worship music. Texas Catholic artists Dave and Lauren Moore, who have led the music at the Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference (DCYC) for several years, and renowned Catholic musician Matt Maher, led the music in the dome prior to the Mass.

The entrance procession alone took nearly 40 minutes, reflecting the extraordinary number of clergy participating. It was a powerful sight and a fitting beginning to what we knew would be a very special celebration.

Following the presentation of the cause for beatification and its acceptance by Cardinal Tagle, Mass began.

One of the most moving moments came as James Fulton Engstrom, the young man whose miraculous healing was attributed to Archbishop Sheen’s intercession brought forth the relics of the new Blessed, accompanied by his parents. Clinically dead at birth for 61 minutes, he survived without damage to his brain or other organs and today, at 16, lives a full and normal life. His presence at the altar was a beautiful reminder that behind every miracle is a human life.

More than 250 reporters and influencers from secular and Catholic media were present, beginning with an 8 a.m. press conference. Many remained throughout the day, covering the celebration until the conclusion of Mass at approximately 5:15 p.m.

Sincere thanks to the Diocese of Peoria, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Sheen Foundation, and the more than 500 volunteers and staff who worked so hard to make this extraordinary celebration possible.

Most of all, we remain grateful for the witness of Blessed Fulton Sheen. His life reminds us that the Gospel is always worth proclaiming — and that we should never be afraid to use whatever means God places before us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

May his example inspire us to bring the Gospel to the world with courage. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!

Visit this link to watch the recording of the Mass.