Bishop Robert E. Barron delivers homily at vespers for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification

Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, delivered a homily for vespers on September 23 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to honor Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. The service took place the day before the archbishop's beatification. Bishop Barron described Sheen as a pivotal figure in modern Church history and a pioneer in Catholic communications who helped open the door to global evangelization.

Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of St. Louis presided over the evening prayer. The event drew hundreds of attendees, including cardinals, bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful from across the country, as well as the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia. Although the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, introduced Sheen's canonization cause in 2002, organizers chose St. Louis as the beatification site to accommodate the large number of expected participants.