15 to 26 September 2026
Twelve days, two cities
From Peoria, where he was born, ordained and buried, to St. Louis, where he will be declared Blessed.
Nearly every event needs a ticket, and nearly every ticket is free. Only the Beatification Mass and the Awards Gala carry a charge.
Nine evenings, nine Holy Hours
Sixty years he never missed one
The novena runs 15 to 23 September, and you can keep it wherever you are.
Register for eventsPhotograph by Harris & Ewing
Peoria: 15 to 23 September
The Novena of Holy Hours
Tuesday 15 to Wednesday 23 September · Cathedral of St. Mary, Peoria · 7 p.m.
Each evening is preached on one theme of his life: prayer, education, the Eucharist, the Cross, the Blessed Mother, the priesthood, evangelization, the missions, and on the eve of the beatification, humility and the call to sainthood. Cardinal Tagle preaches the eighth, on the missions, three days before he presides at the Mass.
Family Holy Hour and cathedral tours
Saturday 19 September · Cathedral of St. Mary · 10 a.m. to noon
A Holy Hour shaped for children, with a guided tour of the cathedral afterwards. No ticket needed.
Anniversary Mass of Sheen’s ordination
Sunday 20 September · Cathedral of St. Mary · 3 p.m.
He was ordained in this cathedral in 1919. The Mass marks that anniversary in the week his priesthood is honoured before the whole Church.
The eve of the beatification
St. Louis keeps vigil
Vespers at the Cathedral Basilica, then adoration late into the night at the Old Cathedral.
St. Louis: 23 and 24 September
Vespers at the Cathedral Basilica
Wednesday 23 September · Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis · 5 p.m.
Bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful gather on the eve. Archbishop Rozanski presides and Bishop Barron preaches. Attendance is limited and registration requires a code, but the vespers will be livestreamed.
Holy Hour for young adults
Wednesday 23 September · Basilica of Saint Louis, the Old Cathedral · 7:30 to 9 p.m.
An evening of adoration with music, preaching and confessions, led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, in honour of the Holy Hour he never missed. No ticket needed.
The Beatification
Thursday 24 September · The Dome at America’s Center · doors 8 a.m., Mass 2 p.m.
The centre of the whole week, and the one day with its own page.
Peoria: 25 and 26 September
Masses of Thanksgiving
Friday 25 September · Cathedral of St. Mary · 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Saturday 26 September · Cathedral of St. Mary · 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The first Masses offered in thanksgiving for the new Blessed, in the cathedral where he was ordained and where his tomb now is. The Friday Masses are celebrated by the Bishop of Peoria, the Archbishop of New York and the Bishop of Rochester, the three local churches his life ran through.
Parish talks
Friday 25 September · several Peoria parishes, morning and afternoon
Talks at St. Jude, St. Philomena and St. Thomas the Apostle. No ticket needed, though an RSVP is asked for to help with planning.
The Sheen Awards Gala
Friday 25 September · Peoria Civic Center · 6 p.m.
The first of these awards, honouring people who use film, television, digital media, writing, preaching, music or missionary service to bring others to Christ. A ticket is purchased for this one.
Byzantine Divine Liturgy
Saturday 26 September · Cathedral of St. Mary · 3 p.m.
Celebrated in thanksgiving by the Bishop of the Eparchy of Parma. He had a lifelong love of the Eastern churches, so the week closing in the Byzantine rite is fitting rather than incidental.
Come early, stay longer
Make the journey a pilgrimage
Pray at the tomb. Walk where he was ordained and first sent. Keep at least some of the novena.
© Yousuf Karsh
A pilgrimage is not a conference you attend. Our places to visit page maps the churches and shrines worth the detour in St. Louis and Peoria, and the World Mission Rosary is a good thing to carry with you: he made it so that a single rosary would hold the whole world, which is roughly what this week is trying to do.
This roster follows the official published schedule. Times, venues and registration can change, so confirm before travelling.