What a week! There are some times when you have to pinch yourself because you are observing a key moment in history first-hand, a canon event, so to speak, and this week has been one of them.
Members of St Paul’s Church of Grand Rapids and Command Media drove down to St. Louis to attend Venerable Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification. He is now to be known as Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.
The occasion was special for us, for many reasons. Blessed Sheen was a local man, a Midwesterner; he was a clerk in Holy Orders and a TV & radio personality - serving both a parochial ministry and a public ministry. He published books, did public speaking, and hosted NBC’s The Catholic Hour and ABC’s Life Is Worth Living. The men of Command Media and I have a particular devotion to Fulton Sheen, who will no doubt become the Patron Saint of Broadcast Media.
As National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, he raised millions of dollars for missions worldwide. He also ensured that his advertising and book royalties went to those missions.
Sheen was no ordinary TV presenter. He won an Emmy in 1953 for Most Outstanding Television Personality. In his acceptance speech, he famously thanked “my four writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”
As an Auxiliary Bishop and later titular Archbishop, he shepherded many to the faith and was responsible for tens of thousands of conversions. Thanks be to God.
Sheen was not your milktoast modernist that one might expect from the USCCB today. He was a fierce critic of communism; In 1953 he famously predicted on a live broadcast that Stalin would “meet his judgment,” mere days before Stalin’s death.
Then, of course, there is the miracle of James Fulton Engstrom, who was a newborn baby without a pulse for over an hour. Thanks to the intercession of Fulton Sheen, his namesake, the baby grew to become a healthy teenager. Considering they were about to declare him dead, and he should have at the very least suffered brain injury, this is a miracle to behold. The Pope approved the miracle in 2019, and young James presented one of Sheen’s relics at the Beatification this week.
Blessed Fulton Sheen is on his way to becoming the first male U. S. born Saint, God willing, if a second miracle is approved. He follows the only two U.S. born Saints:
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first Heritage American Saint, born in 1774 in New York City, and canonised in 1975. Saint Seton founded the Sisters of Charity and was instrumental in the founding of the American Catholic parochial school system.
Saint Katharine Drexel followed her. Born in 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and canonised in 2000. Saint Drexel was a wealthy heiress who gave up her fortune to serve American Indians and Blacks; she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and Xavier University of Louisiana.
Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois and buried in Peoria, Illinois, at the Cathedral of St Mary of the Immaculate Conception. We visited St Mary’s on the way home; what a gorgeous little cathedral in a very deprived area in need of Catholic ministry.
The Beatification was held in St Louis, because the Catholic Church had to find a venue big enough to host the 50,000 or so people. Having that many people praying together and requesting the intercession of Blessed Sheen was powerful. The procession for the Mass took at least 45 minutes. I counted just shy of 100 bishops. There were an estimated 1,000 priests, 260 deacons, 850 religious, and 850 seminarians. Imagine the privilege of being a part of such a thing. Times like this, it is really tough being outside of full communion with Rome, as an Old Catholic. Yet we could still pray together. I met an Anglo-Catholic priest in the congregation, so I know I was not alone in that regard. I pray that one day we can all be one reunited Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Speaking of which, there were so many wonderful Catholics in attendance. I had lots of people coming up to me thanking me for my ministry, which is not why I do it, but when you’re so used to seeing negative responses from intolerant anti-Christ liberals, it is reassuring to hear positive encouragement from people who have been helped and led in the right direction. More importantly, I had people thanking me for leading them to the faith and to the Catholic Church. That alone makes it all worthwhile: the ministry, the cancellations, the irregularity of it all. One fellow approached me to apologise for his negative comments online, for which I forgave him. That was a real God moment; only the Holy Spirit could provoke such an interaction.
And the Holy Spirit was indeed present. The Mass was surprisingly reverential, for a Novus Ordo Mass in a huge arena. The Mass setting was beautifully sung; the male cantor was great; all of the Eucharistic Ministers were priests. The stage was at least set to look like a sanctuary, with a reredos and everything.
I must admit, I had my concerns; the pre-Mass service was incredibly modern, with guitars and music that felt more Protestant/Evangelical than Catholic. The only real disappointment during the Mass was the insertion of foreign languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Mandarin. Someone clearly thought they were being inclusive, but they were, in fact, exclusive because the vast majority of people could not understand what was being said. This defeats the very purpose of having Mass in the vernacular, does it not? This is why the Church has a universal language in Latin. That universality means that people from anywhere in the world know what is being prayed - the obligation is upon us to learn Latin if we want to pray along. There is no obligation for an American to know or understand Chinese, for goodness sake. This is an English-speaking country, and so everything should be in English. If it is not going to be in English, it should be in Latin. There is no reason why a Mass in an English-speaking country should contain so many languages. It is time for DEI to die.
But overall, good hymns, a good sermon, and the Roman Canon was used, rather than one of those modern alternatives. I know my bar is low for N. O. Masses, but this met the standard.
The night before the Mass was Evening Prayer at the Cathedral Basilica of St Louis. An absolutely stunning cathedral - and not just by American standards. Really gorgeous mosaics throughout. I am told it contains the largest mosaic collection in the world, and it shows. The liturgy was outstanding, with a Latin Magnificat. The only seats available to us just so happened to be facing a mosaic of Father Jacques Marquette, which seemed providential, as we had just been on a pilgrimage up to Saint Ignace last week to visit the place where he founded the first European settlement in Michigan, before exploring the Mississippi River. On a side note, considering his work with the Indians, the historic veneration of his remains and the local importance of the man, I am surprised there is not an active local cultus seeking his canonisation, especially considering the reported healings by early voyagers who visited his remains.
After the Beatification Mass, I attended a Traditional Latin Mass the following morning at St Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. A very warm Institute of Christ the King community, with one of the most reverent Masses I have ever experienced. The reredos and stained-glass windows are stunning, and the church is a marvel. I recommend everyone visit if they are ever passing through that part of the country. I was expecting a said Low Mass and was treated to a Missa Solemnis / Solemn High Mass, as the priest obtained a dispensation to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving on behalf of the Beatification. Absolutely marvellous - no one does Sacred Ritual like the ICKSP.
And then, to wrap up the pilgrimage, we visited Sheen’s burial parish, the Cathedral of St Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, where his relics were on display. I met the young men transporting his relics up the previous night, and they must have had a guiding hand from their guardian angels to get them to the Cathedral in time. The journey was neither short nor straightforward, with roadworks aplenty. God bless them for their ministry. The queue was a couple of hours long, so we were fortunate to be blessed by the presence of the relics before we finished our pilgrimage and returned to Michigan.
A most splendid and prayerful pilgrimage, full of faithful people, inspiring each other and seeking the intercession of a holy man. If only the world were more catholic. Let us make it so.
Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, ora pro nobis - pray for us.
Been receiving your Substack for several years and had no idea of your height and imposing presence bringing Jesus Christ to life. You're certainly in the correct vocation at the correct time as a highly imposing personality with traditional faith. Wonderful report about this very special event for Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Charlie Kirk would have loved this.