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Archbishop Sheen Beatified in St. Louis Ceremony

Beatification of 'America’s Bishop' draws 50,000 Catholics to event.

New York Editorial News Desk September 24, 2026 1 min read

The Brief

  • Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was beatified at a ceremony in St. Louis.
  • The event attracted approximately 50,000 Catholics.
  • Beatification required evidence of a miracle linked to his intercession.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the most visible Roman Catholic clergyman in the United States during the 20th century, was beatified at a ceremony in St. Louis.

The beatification, which marks one step toward sainthood, was declared by Pope Leo XIV through a letter read by Cardinal Luis Tagle.

The ceremony drew an estimated 50,000 Catholics to a stadium in St. Louis, where Mass was held in honor of the late archbishop.

The beatification was based on evidence of a miracle attributed to Archbishop Sheen, including prayers by the parents of a stillborn boy in the diocese of Peoria, Ill., in 2010.

The event featured a procession of 1,000 priests and 90 bishops, with incense filling the stadium, which previously housed the St. Louis Rams.

Archbishop Sheen, who died in 1979, is the first American-born bishop to be beatified.

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