A figure who spent years preaching, teaching, and evangelizing in New York will soon be raised to the altars.

Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified on September 24 in St. Louis, following an announcement March 25 from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

For Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, the news carries both personal and spiritual significance.

“I was super excited for multiple reasons when I heard this morning that September 24th is going to be the day in which my predecessor, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen… is going to be raised to the altar September 24th in Saint Louis,” he said in a March 25 phone interview with The Good Newsroom.

“First, because Sheen deserves to be beatified and he’s a hero to people all over the globe.

“Second, that this clearly is going to demonstrate the fundamental missionary thrust of his entire existence, that he lived and he died in order to bring Jesus to others.”

A date rich in meaning
Monsignor Landry also pointed to the deeper meaning behind the date chosen for the beatification.

“Curiously, it was chosen on Thursday, September 24. But Thursday is the day in which the Church always focuses on the Eucharist… and Fulton J. Sheen is the greatest preacher of the Eucharistic holy hour in the history of the Church.

“He spent all 61 years of his priesthood with a daily holy hour, encouraging us to do the same.”

The timing of the beatification also carries historical significance.

“When I had a chance to meet with Pope Leo for the second time last October, I told him I was praying that one Illinoisan would have the privilege to be able to raise to the altar another Illinoisan in Illinois in the 250th anniversary of our country. He knew exactly what I was talking about with Sheen. And he said, ‘We’ll see.’ But he smiled mischievously. I think he already knew what he was doing.”

The beatification Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a leading figure in the Church’s global missionary efforts, on September 24 in St. Louis, Missouri.

“If we’re not able to have Pope Leo, I’m super happy it’s Cardinal Tagle,” said Monsignor Landry. “Cardinal Tagle has some of the same Holy Spirit’s charism that Fulton J. Sheen did… Cardinal Tagle has a reputation for being one of the best preachers in the English language in the Catholic world.”

Sheen’s deep connection to New York
While Sheen’s influence was global, Monsignor Landry emphasized that New York has a unique claim to his legacy.

“He lived here between 1950 and 1966… and in New York, this is where he wanted to be.”

“It’s from here that he was able to travel all over the country and the world.”

Monsignor Landry also noted that “even after serving as bishop of Rochester, Sheen chose to return to New York, where he continued his ministry and ultimately desired to be buried. And so, he very much is a New Yorker,” adding that it was in the city that Sheen “really poured out his best,” including decades of preaching on Good Friday that shaped generations of Catholics.

New York plans to commemorate Sheen’s legacy
As the Church prepares for his beatification, New York institutions are already planning ways to commemorate his legacy. The Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Manhattan will be hosting a discussion on Archbishop Sheen’s ministry with panelists on September 20.

“We here at the Sheen Center are very excited for our namesake’s upcoming beatification, and will be hosting a live panel discussion to commemorate his ministry,” said MaryLou Pagano, executive director of the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, in a March 25 phone call with The Good Newsroom.

“We chose September 20 [before his beatification] because that was the day he was ordained a priest and this opens us up to talk about his full journey of evangelization.”

For many in New York, the moment is both a recognition of Sheen’s global impact and a celebration of a legacy rooted in the city.

Today, that legacy moves one step closer to sainthood.

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The Good Newsroom’s Patrick Grady contributed to this article.