PEORIA, Ill./ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Thursday marks one of the biggest days in the history of the Catholic Church in central Illinois.
It’s the day of the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The service takes place at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis at 2:00 P.M. The service will be presided by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
The service is the first step towards potential sainthood for Sheen. The beatification comes after Pope Benedict XVI recognized Sheen’s heroic virtues in 2012. The miracle attributed to Sheen that comes with beatification came a year earlier, when a stillborn child, James Fulton Engstrom, came alive after about an hour of no heartbeat of respiration.
A second miracle will need to be attributed to Sheen before he can be presented for sainthood.
Sheen is a native of El Paso who was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. Later in life, Sheen became the host of the Emmy-award winning “Life Is Worth Living.”
Locally, St. Mary’s Church in El Paso and St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria will host watch parties for the beatification service.
Comments