Two weeks of special festivities for Catholics here and in Peoria come to a culmination Thursday afternoon with the official beatification Mass for legendary Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen who died in 1979.
About 50,000 people are expected to attend the beatification mass for the Peoria native who became known as America's Bishop and was seen by 30 million viewers a week during the early days of television in the 1950's. The Mass is at 2pm at the Dome at the America's Center downtown. This could be one of the biggest gatherings of Catholics in the St. Louis area since Pope John Paul the Second's two day stop here back in 1999.
"The beatification mass is the celebration of the church's recognition that Archbishop Fulton Sheen lived a heroic life of virtue in witnessing to our faith," says Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka.
The Vatican already has documented a miracle to Archbishop Sheen in 2010. Once another miracle is confirmed due to his intercession after his beatification, Pope Leo is likely to officially name him a Saint.
Archbishop Sheen captivated millions of Americans on TV during the early years of television. Archbishop Sheen won an Emmy for Most Outstanding TV Personality in 1953.
The Vatican credited him with a miracle after his death when the parents of a stillborn baby prayed for his intercession in 2010 and his heart miraculously started beating an hour after his birth. That boy is still alive and well.
Beatification is the stage immediately preceding canonization.
