FAQ

Beatification is the step at which the Church declares a holy man or woman Blessed and permits their public veneration, usually within a particular region or community. It follows the recognition of heroic virtue, which carries the title Venerable, and one confirmed miracle. A second miracle is needed for canonization, when the person is declared a saint for the whole Church. Our short guide, How the Church Makes a Saint, walks through each stage.

On that day Archbishop Sheen will be declared Blessed. From then he may be called Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, a feast day is assigned, and his public veneration is permitted. Until that morning, the Church asks that he be honoured only in private devotion.

Thursday, 24 September 2026, at 2 p.m. Central time, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will preside as the representative of Pope Leo XIV. Tickets and the order of the day are handled by the Foundation, so we point you there for anything that may change.

It had been set for 21 December 2019 in Peoria. Days beforehand, the Holy See postponed it at the request of the Bishop of Rochester, the diocese Sheen led from 1966 to 1969. With a New York attorney general's investigation of the state's dioceses then underway, the diocese asked for further review of Sheen's role in the assignment of priests, and was concerned the celebration could be overshadowed. No allegation of misconduct was ever made against Sheen himself. After that review, the Holy See cleared the cause to proceed, which the Diocese of Peoria announced in February 2026.

To let as many people as possible take part. Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said the venue was chosen for "availability, being indoors, and the close proximity to the Diocese of Peoria." The largest hall in Peoria seats around fifteen thousand; The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis holds far more, and it is only about two and a half hours away. Peoria remains the heart of the celebration, with a week of events before and after the Mass.

A whole week. A nine-day novena begins on 15 September. The anniversary of Sheen's 1919 ordination falls on the 20th. Vespers are sung in St. Louis on the 23rd, the Beatification Mass is on the 24th, Masses of thanksgiving and the first Sheen Awards Gala follow on the 25th, and a Byzantine-rite Mass of thanksgiving closes the week in Peoria on the 26th.

Tickets are arranged through the Foundation at celebratesheen.com, which also posts livestream and viewing details. Because those arrangements can change, we link you to the Foundation rather than repeat specifics here that might go out of date.