HOMER GLEN, Ill. (ChurchMilitant.com) – Supporters advancing the cause of the beatification of Venerable Abp. Fulton J. Sheen are rallying their troops on Sunday, July 9.
The Fulton Sheen Movement is organizing a full-day family celebration as an effort to “unpause the cause” for Abp. Sheen’s progression toward being declared “blessed.” Among other activities, the comprehensive event will feature prayer, picnics, raffles and multimedia presentations showcasing the holy bishop’s speeches.
The organizers explain their overall purpose is “to unite friends of Sheen in one collective voice to promote the cause of beatification and bring powerful graces to the Church through the intercession of Sheen.” According to the website, attendees will be able to sign the petition for his beatification Mass and learn how to join “the movement of courageous Catholics who are committed to changing the world and saving the Church.”
Rally speaker Fr. Thomas Loya said, “This rally will help reignite the power of sensus fidelium [the faith of the people], which will send a clarion call to the Church to hasten the canonization of Bp. Fulton J. Sheen.”
Initially, Sheen’s journey toward canonization progressed smoothly. In 2002, the diocese of Peoria officially initiated his cause for sainthood. Pope Benedict XVI made an announcement in 2012 that stating the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints had acknowledged Abp. Sheen’s life of “heroic virtue” and bestowed upon him the title of “venerable servant of God.” In 2014, a miracle was attributed to his intercession when a stillborn baby was inexplicably revived, as determined by a panel of medical experts, thus paving the way for beatification.
Anticipation grew as the beatification ceremony drew near, with all signs indicating a positive outcome. However, in an unexpected turn of events in 2019, the Vatican took the unusual step of indefinitely postponing the ceremony after the Rochester diocese in New York intervened in the process. The diocese, plagued by scandal, called for “caution” and claimed that additional time was necessary for further investigation into Sheen’s appointment of priests involved in cases of sexual abuse. Sheen had served as the bishop of Rochester from 1966 to 1969.
A high-ranking official from the Peoria diocese swiftly responded, highlighting that investigations into cases involving Sheen had been exhaustive and had not uncovered any misconduct on Sheen’s part. Regarding Rochester’s unexpected actions, the official characterized them as follows: “This was not really an act of caution but appears to simply be another act of sabotage.”
For devoted priests and laymen alike, Sheen is a monumental figure in the Church. His famous television series Life is Worth Living, which aired on national television from 1951 to 1957, outperformed secular competition at the time. Sheen’s prophetic abilities were on full display, foretelling the calamitous situation that the modern Church finds Herself in.
Pope St. John Paul II hugging Fulton J. Sheen
His letters, sermons and scores of books are regarded as treasures of the Faith and have been translated into numerous languages. During a visit to the Vatican in 1979, the year of Sheen’s passing, Pope St. John Paul II commended him, saying, “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church.”
His canonization would mark him as the first native-born American to receive such an honor. Dr. Peter Howard, a featured speaker at the rally, emphasized the significance of Sheen’s beatification, stating:
[This step is] the ultimate magnet to draw people to Sheen’s wisdom, his prophetic insights, and really his direction of where the Church should be going, what it should be doing, and how we Catholics should be formed in order to navigate these times that we’re in and that he foresaw 80-plus years ago.
Howard will be delivering a speech titled “The Lay Movement to Save the Church,” referencing Sheen’s frequently quoted message to the laity that he proclaimed upon receiving the Catholic Man of Action Award in 1972:
Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops and your religious to act like religious.
Organizers are urging those unable to attend Sunday’s rally to show their support by signing the online petition for Venerable Sheen’s beatification.
The rally will commence with Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. at Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, Illinois. Attendees are welcome to join and depart according to their schedules. The event will conclude with vespers at 5 p.m. For additional details regarding the movement and the rally, please visit fultonsheenmovement.com.