Beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen
My Dear Parishioners,
Our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving open our hearts even wider to Jesus and then help us enter ever deeper into His Most Sacred Heart. Hopefully, we have been faithful and are feeling the effects of Jesus’s Love for us. If, however, we have found ourselves slipping in our Lenten Practices, then we should think of this weekend as a brand-new start. We can even come to Confession to concretely make this a brand-new start. Jesus’s Sacred Heart is waiting for us, so we have an ocean of endless love in which to submerge ourselves. All we have to do is jump.
We rejoice in the news of the approval of the Beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. Many of our more seasoned parishioners may remember being gathered around the TV set to listen to him, in prime time.
I had no doubt this day would come. Bishop Sheen not only led the way for Evangelization in our electronic age, but he was a firm and fierce voice against Communism and Secularism. He exposed these atheistic philosophies as empty and dehumanizing and the work of the devil. He affirmed that Truth and true happiness and true fulfillment can only be found in Jesus Christ and His Church. Here is the story of the miracle behind Bishop Sheen’s Beatification: With the exciting news of the Vatican’s green light to schedule the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the Travis and Bonnie Engstrom family — who live in the Peoria, Illinois, diocesan area from which Sheen hailed — is leading the cheering section. Son James Fulton was the miracle recipient for Sheen’s beatification to be given the go-ahead.
That miracle happened on Sept. 16, 2010, when James came back to life after being stillborn and not breathing for 61 minutes.
What could be a more heartwarming, inspiring, triumphant story than one about a baby brought back to life from being dead for more than an hour? A baby healed of abnormalities in a way medical science could not explain, except for doctors and nurses to say, many times over, “He shouldn’t be like this. It’s amazing. … It’s astounding and really, really wonderful … I’d say a miracle”?
Today, James Fulton is a happy and healthy 15-year-old freshman in high school. James loves listening to music, says his mom, who added that he is very interested in the weather. “He loves talking about it with anyone who will listen.” Sports are on his schedule too. “His dad is a coach for the freshman football team and James worked with him as the team manager this past fall, which he really enjoyed.” James also appreciates God’s creation. He enjoys working outside, and he is employed by fellow parishioners to mow and do yard work, reports his mom, who added that he also volunteers with the rest of the family at the parish to do mowing and some groundskeeping (Joseph Pronechen, February 16, 2026, National Catholic Register).
The soon to be Blessed Fulton J Sheen leaves us a rich and inspiring collection of videos, audio recordings, and writings. His most famous book is probably “Life is Worth Living” which is based on the television series of the same name.
I would say that his most important work is his “Life of Christ.” The “Life of Christ” explains that every moment and every event in the Life of Christ is pointed to the Cross: if we leave the Cross out of the Life of Christ, we have nothing left, and certainly not Christianity. For the Cross is related to our sins. Christ was our “stand-in” on the stage of life. He took our guilt as if He were guilty and then paid the debt that sin deserved, namely death. This made possible our resurrection to a “new life” in Him. Christ, therefore, is not just a teacher or a peasant revolutionist, but our Savior……The point I sought to stress most clearly and most strongly was that the shadow of the Cross fell over every detail of the Life of Christ from the beginning. It fell across His Crib. His Baptism was not just a call to teach, but to be the Victim prophesied by Isaiah; it was the whole burden of Satan’s temptation on the Mount; it was hinted in the cleansing of the Temple when He challenged His enemies to destroy the Temple of His Body on Good Friday and He would rebuild it on Easter; it was hidden in the title of Savior He accepted when He forgave the prostitute’s sins; it was implied in the Beatitudes, for anyone who would practice the Beatitudes in this world would be crucified; it was prophesied clearly three times as He gave details of His Death and Resurrection; it was hidden in the seven times He used the word “Hour” in contrast of “Day” which stood for His conquest of evil (Preface, Life of Christ, 1958, 1977)
His ”Life of Christ” then continues as a commentary on the Scriptures and how the Life of Christ and His Teachings apply to the modern world. For instance, Bishop Sheen’s commentary on the Woman at the Well sharply addresses those of today’s world who try to avoid True Religion or who have deceived themselves into thinking that they are above True Religion: He (Jesus) intended to bring out her sense of shame and sin. “Go…, come…. Go and face the truth of the life you live; come and receive the waters of life.”……. The woman felt Our Lord was “meddling.” He was probing into her morals and behavior and implying that she could not receive His gift because of the way she lived. She then did what millions of people have done ever since when religion demands a reformation in their conduct: she changed the subject. She was willing to make religion a matter of discussion, but she did not want to make it a matter of decision…… The words of Our Lord carried the poor sinner into deeper waters than she could conquer, and transported her into a realm of truth too great for her understanding. But one thing that He said, about an hour coming when there would be true worship of the Father, she dimly grasped, for the Samaritans themselves had some belief in the Messiah……. In contrast to this woman were the Pharisees. They denied sin, but they had all the effects of sin: terror, anguish, fear, unhappiness, and emptiness; by denying the cause, they made the cure impossible. If the starving deny famine, then who shall be the bearer of bread? If the sinners deny sin and guilt, then who can be their Savior? (Life of Christ, Chapter 8, Savior of the World).
The Cross truly is the key that unlocks Heaven. Yet, it is a key that is only available for those who know that they need it. Blessed Fulton J Sheen always embraced the Cross and taught others to do the same. Let us rejoice that we too are counted among those who know that we need it. We Adore You O Christ, and we Bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!
St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, and our Patron, pray for us!
Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor