Ven. Fulton Sheen will be beatified in St. Louis, the city that is kind of a second home town for John and his family. He moved there right after college for his first professional job, and returned to visit family over the years. Having been gifted one of Ven. Sheen’s many books as a graduate student, Laura has loved him ever since.
So, when we heard about the upcoming Beatification of Fulton Sheen ceremony, we instantly knew that we would like to go. Our friends graciously surprised us with tickets (thank you José and Bianca!), sealing the deal. However, as we have another pilgrimage coming up, walking the Via Francesco from Rome to Assisi, we needed to modify those plans. Instead of walking all the way, we will start at Greccio, where St. Francis created the first Nativity Scene. Also, due to the beatification timing, we will not reach Assisi for the 800th feast of St. Francis; instead we will arrive in time for the second feast day of St. Carlo Acutis.
Footsteps in a Darkened Forest — Laura’s Story
Laura had an encounter with Fulton J. Sheen when she was in a parish prayer group in Austin, Texas in 1999. She was a young mother. The group met after Sunday Mass while their children had snacks and craft time. One morning, as she was leaving to retrieve her child, an older female member knowingly gave her something wrapped. “This is for you.” Laura thanked her and hurried off.
At home, she examined the present. A decades-old book. The binding and cover were red and black, and its thick pages with their rough yellowed edges were like so many fragrant dry leaves. Written by Fulton J. Sheen. She vaguely recalled her grandmothers watching reruns of the archbishop’s TV show, but he was otherwise unknown to her. He wasn’t (even) declared a Servant of God at that time — that wouldn’t happen until 2002. The book was “Footsteps in a Darkened Forest.”
Intrigued, in reading it she was not disappointed. It was a powerful testimony and teaching on the fact that God is here with us despite our present darkness. Words of hope. It seemed that both the gift giver and our soon-to-be Blessed Fulton Sheen had read her disillusioned heart and offered a balm.
His unique ability to pastor and teach with clarity and compassion marked his life.
Who Is Fulton Sheen?
Peter John “Fulton” Sheen was born May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois, and ordained for the Diocese of Peoria on September 20, 1919. From that day until his death he kept a daily Eucharistic Holy Hour. He taught, directed the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, served as auxiliary bishop of New York and later Bishop of Rochester, and for a generation was simply the Catholic on American radio and television, The Catholic Hour, then Life Is Worth Living. The show drew tens of millions of weekly viewers and won him an Emmy in 1953 (during the acceptance, he thanked his “four writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John”).
Ven. Sheen died December 9, 1979, in his private chapel during his Holy Hour. His tomb is in Peoria, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
Getting There
We are flying into St. Louis Lambert airport, STL, then will take the MetroLink to the Convention Center. Since we are staying near the convention center, and parking will be at a premium, we’ve decided to rely on the MetroLink and Uber for transport within St. Louis. Renting a car would be more hassle than it’s worth for this trip.
If you drive: the Dome does not have a parking lot. Public parking is nearby; the official FAQ strongly recommends pre-booking through St. Louis parking apps, and America’s Center points people to getaroundstl.com. Expect a walk from wherever you leave the car. Buses should register drop-off and pickup with security at info@celebratesheen.com.
Where to Stay
For this event, there are a couple of options on where to stay. By the time we booked, the hotels nearby were very pricey, so we opted for an apartment in the Laclede’s Landing area (Booking.com). This is walking distance to the stadium, and to St. Mary of Victories Catholic Church, one of our planned stops. We did consider staying closer to the Central West End, near The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, but that would entail finding an Uber for the Beatification.
Tickets for the Beatification Mass
Buying tickets for a Mass seems odd, but I see the necessity in this case. It is not paying for the Mass per se, not at all, but for the whole of the celebration. There is an overwhelming demand to attend, and the stadium has to be paid. You can purchase tickets through the CelebrateSheen website or directly through Ticketmaster.
One Beatification ticket covers everything hosted at the Dome that day: the expo, adoration, confession, the pre-Mass program, the Mass, and the relic veneration.
Relic Hunting In St. Louis
We have not yet written about our efforts with The Relic Project. We will write more about this project in an upcoming post, but in short we are volunteers now with this worthy project. John has been playing the role of Relic Hunter (official title is Global Curator, but “Relic Hunter” sounds so much cooler). Laura is actively contributing to The Relic Project Blog.
While in St. Louis, we will have the opportunity to meet the founder of Washington state-based The Relic Project, Anthony Di Mauro. He will be representing the project at The Fulton Sheen Conference happening the day before the Beatification.
We are looking forward to visiting, venerating, and cataloging the relics in The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, the Shrine of St. Joseph, and St. Mary of Victories Catholic Church.
Wrap up
This post is somewhat out of our character, because it’s more about our plans than experiences. We will update this site afterwards and include photos. Another section missing is about the food. We hope to eat one meal at Rigazzi’s on the Hill.
The next day, we fly to Rome to start our Via Francesco to Assisi. By the way, we are taking prayer requests for this pilgrimage (along with the intentions already gathered for our three failed attempts (!) to visit the Holy Land). You can email us any of your requests here.
Venerable Fulton Sheen, pray for us!
Photo Credits:
Parker Botanical, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
