Pope Leo XIV declares Archbishop Fulton Sheen blessed

Pope Leo XIV declared Archbishop Fulton Sheen blessed during a ceremony on Sept. 24 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. The announcement followed the reading of a decree signed by the pope.

Cardinal Luis Tagle, representing the pope, served as the principal celebrant for the beatification Mass. In his homily, Tagle described Sheen as a zealous evangelizer and a missionary who showed radical solidarity with the poor and vulnerable. Tagle noted that Sheen often referred to himself as a porter who led people to the door of God rather than claiming converts as his own.

The pope announced that Sheen’s feast day will be celebrated on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death. This feast day is expected to appear on the liturgical calendar for the Catholic Church in the United States.