PEORIA, Ill. – Catholics around the world are preparing for the beatification of Central Illinois’ Archbishop Fulton Sheen next month.
Monsignor Jason Gray, who leads the Archbishop Sheen Foundation, says 42,000 people will attend the celebration on September 24th, but millions will participate virtually.
“It’ll be live-streamed, so it will be viewable from anywhere in the world. We have people from ten different countries who are making their way to St. Louis to join in the celebration. And, Sheen is someone who is appreciated for the work he did throughout the world,” Gray tells WMBD’s “Greg and Dan Show”.
Sheen’s beatification is the first public event by the Catholic Church in recognizing the archbishop’s holiness and intercession, moving him closer to sainthood.
“A miracle was required for sainthood. So, we have proof that there was intercession, that he interceded from Heaven. There was a story about the raising of a child who was stillborn at birth, who then came back to life after 61 minutes. It’s also the power of prayer. It’s that he’s praying for us in Heaven as well,” Gray says.
The Catholic Diocese of Peoria will host the Sheen Awards Gala at the Peoria Civic Center the day after Sheen’s beatification in St. Louis (Friday, September 25).
The event will recognize people who’ve continued Archbishop Sheen’s legacy in the media and beyond. Sheen reached millions of Catholics as a televangelist and radio host beginning in the 1930s.
To learn more about Sheen’s beatification, click HERE.
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