Archdiocese of New York To Receive First-Class Relic of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen
By: The Good Newsroom
Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria will offer the homily at a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Ronald Hicks
One week after his beatification, a relic of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen will arrive in New York.
Catholic New Yorkers will have the opportunity to venerate Blessed Sheen’s relic at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday, Oct 1. The former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York was formally beatified with a Mass in St. Louis on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Relic reception, veneration, and installation
The sacred relic will be formally received at 2 p.m. at the doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan. Midday Prayer will follow immediately afterward.
Public veneration will take place from approximately 2:30 to 5 p.m. During that time, the cathedral will remain open for the faithful to come forward to venerate the relic at the sanctuary.
Following public veneration, Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria will offer the homily at an evening Mass, which will be celebrated by Archbishop Ronald Hicks of the Archdiocese of New York. The evening Mass will take place at approximately 5 p.m.
At the conclusion of the Mass, the relic will be carried in procession to the Altar of the Holy Face, where it will remain.
About Blessed Fulton Sheen
Born Peter John Sheen in 1895 in El Paso, Ill., he later adopted his mother’s maiden name, “Fulton,” as his own in his youth. The future Blessed Fulton J. Sheen was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, in 1919.
While teaching at Catholic University, then-Father Sheen’s ability to engage with modern society on any number of issues and bring the light of the Gospel to them, quickly gained attention. He then rose to fame first through his radio show “The Catholic Hour” and then the Emmy-winning television program “Life is Worth Living.”
He was ordained and named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951 before being appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1966. Upon his retirement in 1969, he received the title of archbishop from St. Paul VI. He continued to preach and give retreats, and died at age 84 in 1979. Blessed Fulton Sheen was beatified on Sept. 24, 2026.