Bishop Barron says Archbishop Sheen opened door to world evangelization

Bishop Robert E. Barron described Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as a pivotal figure who opened the door to world evangelization during a homily on September 23. The remarks were made at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis during evening prayer held the day before the archbishop's beatification.

Bishop Barron, who serves the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, called the 20th-century theologian and communications pioneer his model and inspiration. He noted that Sheen was a key player in the modern history of the Church during a mid-20th-century Catholic renaissance that included figures such as Dorothy Day.

Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of St. Louis presided over the vespers service, which was attended by hundreds of clergy and lay faithful. While the Diocese of Peoria originally introduced the cause for Sheen's canonization in 2002, organizers chose St. Louis as the site for the beatification to accommodate the large number of attendees.