As the Church prepares for the Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, we are invited to rediscover a life that inspired millions. Through his preaching, writing, and television ministry, he brought clarity to the faith and led countless souls closer to Christ. Learn more and follow along with this historic moment at celebratesheen.com. The Beatification will take place on September 24th in St. Louis, Missouri.
In February 1951, the late venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, while the National Director of the Propagation of the Faith, designed the World Mission Rosary. “We must pray, and not for ourselves, but for the world”, the Archbishop said. Those words resound today with evermore urgency. Each of the five colors represents a different continent and mission territory. For Sheen’s beatification on September 24th, the Pontifical Mission Societies ran a campaign to collect 75,000 world mission rosaries to be blessed and distributed to all the pilgrims attending the beatification Mass. The Rosary Making Ministry at Christ the King accepted the challenge and pledged to make 1000 rosaries. The beatification ceremony will open with the recitation of the rosary.
From the beginning, this project took on a life of its own, connecting four States and as young as twelve years of age up to eighty year olds participating. Some very familiar people to complete strangers, male and female, helped us reach our goal. We all have our own stories that developed organically around the people drawn into this project. Adjectives like peaceful and blessed were heard to describe their experience. Others took a more competitive spirit determined to reach the goal. Some were just willing to contribute to a good cause while others joined in with cord and beads in hand because of their creative talents. Catholic and non-catholic beaders and knotters worked side-by-side without any demarcation lines present. And let us not miss to mention those who prayed for the project and those family members who encouraged the makers. While beading and knotting, many moments for evangelization opened up. “What is this for? Who is Sheen?, were some of the basic questions voiced by generations who never heard of Fulton Sheen. Moments like these led to serene conversations much like the nature of missionary work. The grand total of world mission rosaries made on behalf of Christ the King and shipped to Peoria, Illinois for the Beatification is 1075!
The Beatification ceremony will be broadcasted and live-streamed for those who are not able to attend. The following link lets you know how to watch the events of this historic event: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/how-to-watch-the-beatification-of-archbishop-fulton-j-sheen/
Dolores Mozzillo is the Director of Religious Education & The Rosary Ministry