On March 25, the Holy See announced that Archbishop Fulton Sheen will be beatified on Sept. 24 in St. Louis. This news came from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican department responsible for overseeing the process of those individuals on the path to potential sainthood.
Like many of my friends and colleagues, I plan to be there. These things happen with some frequency, but rarely so close to home. The Church in modern times averages about 11 beatifications a year. But it has been nearly nine years since these ceremonies have occurred in the United States. The year 2017 saw the beatifications of both Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City and Blessed Solanus Casey in Detroit.
What is beatification? The word means “to make blessed,” which is precisely what this liturgical rite does.
There are four main stages in the process of sainthood, which correspond to the titles: servant of God, venerable, blessed and saint.
Beatification concerns the third step. A person becomes “blessed” after a period of investigation into his or her life proves “heroic virtue.” Beatification also requires documentation of a miracle through the person’s intercession, unless he or she is a martyr.
“Whether you intend to make a pilgrimage to St. Louis in September or not, this is certainly an opportunity to celebrate the Catholic Church in the United States and the saintly lives so close to home.”
Archbishop Sheen, a remarkable evangelist and preacher, was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and is now poised for beatification in St. Louis, near his home diocese of Peoria, where he was born, ordained and first served.
What is a beatification Mass like?
During the Introductory Rites, a papal representative reads an official letter from the Holy See declaring the beatification. Often, this is accompanied by a brief biography and history of the person’s cause for canonization. Sometimes, there is the unveiling of an image or statue of the beatified person, perhaps the presentation of relics or words from those who knew the individual, if applicable.
Otherwise, it resembles any other Mass, just on an extraordinary scale. Expect hundreds of clergy and thousands of lay faithful from around the world to fill the football stadium in St. Louis.
What happens next? Following the Beatification Mass, public veneration in the form of a feast day in the liturgical calendar and unique accompanying prayers may occur in his diocese. If and when he becomes a saint (which requires a second documented miracle), that feast day and prayers may be inscribed in the universal Church calendar and celebrated by Catholics anywhere.
But the process is careful and deliberate. Neither the case of Blessed Stanley Rother nor that of Blessed Solanus Casey has advanced to sainthood yet; we can expect that Archbishop Sheen’s case may also take some time.
Whether you intend to make a pilgrimage to St. Louis in September or not, this is certainly an opportunity to celebrate the Catholic Church in the United States and the saintly lives so close to home.
In this beatification, we venerate someone who is in many ways just like us. May we look to soon-to-be Blessed Fulton Sheen as a model of virtue and holiness!
