Venerable Fulton Sheen to be beatified in St. Louis on 24 September

The late American Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified at a Mass presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri, according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov and Robin Gomes

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen of the United States is set to be beatified on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will preside at the beatification Mass, representing Pope Leo XIV.

After his heroic virtue was recognized, Fulton Sheen was declared Venerable in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. In 2019, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing a miracle through his intercession.

This recognition cleared Archbishop Sheen for beatification, after which he will have the title "Blessed."

The future Blessed Fulton Sheen was known for his dynamic preaching, especially on television and radio.

Born to an Irish family in El Paso, Illinois, on May 8, 1895, Sheen discovered his call to the priesthood at the age of 24 and was ordained a priest in 1919.

He pursued higher studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington (US), the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. 

He returned to the U.S. in 1926 and began teaching at the Catholic University of America, a position he held until 1950. Sheen served as the Bishop of Rochester, New York, from 1951 to 1969, and Pope Paul VI later appointed him as the Titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales, in 1969. 

A gifted teacher and speaker, Sheen’s homilies were much appreciated. In 1930, he began participating in the Sunday radio program entitled “The Catholic Hour," which reached an estimated four million listeners at the height of its popularity.

In 1951, he began hosting a weekly television series, “Life is Worth Living," on matters of faith that attracted some 30 million viewers.    

He died in New York at the age of 84, on December 9, 1979.

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Pope Leo XIV on liturgy: Priests must remain faithful to Mass rubrics

Pope Leo sent a letter to Cardinal Arthur Roche for a conference on liturgical formation at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon Aug. 14–19.

By Ishmael Adibuah·Vatican Bureau

VATICAN — Pope Leo XIV has emphasized the need for priests to remain faithful to the texts and instructions of the Mass and to receive the proper formation to celebrate the sacred liturgy with dignity.

“I have called attention to the respect that all those called to prepare the celebration of the divine mysteries, and priests in particular, must show toward the rites promulgated by Pope Saint Paul VI and Pope Saint John Paul II,” the pontiff wrote in a letter addressed to Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, published Aug. 14.

“It is vital that this respect ‘springs from an inner attitude of openness and trust in God, manifesting humility before his greatness and sincere fidelity to ecclesial communion,’" Leo added.

Roche is participating in a conference on liturgical formation organized by his dicastery at the Benedictine Abbey of Mount Angel in Oregon from Aug. 14–19. Other participants include cardinals, bishops, and laypeople with diverse Church experiences.

According to the dicastery, the meeting is intended to be “a joint reflection with the aim of defining shared, concrete, and practical proposals.”

“The choice of a monastic community signifies the intention to engage in dialogue within a prayerful setting,” the press release states. “Rather than a scholarly conference, it will be a time of spiritual discernment on the theme of liturgical formation, to continue along the path charted by Sacrosanctum Concilium.”

In Leo’s letter, he stressed the need for clergy and laity to receive ongoing liturgical formation, citing Pope Francis’ apostolic letter on the liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi.

“In his Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi … Pope Francis emphasized the need for an attentive and ongoing formation of clergy and laity alike in revitalizing the liturgical life of the universal Church,” Leo said. “I would therefore encourage you to explore concrete paths for liturgical formation at every level in the Body of Christ.”

One practical opportunity for liturgical formation, he said, is in the regular gathering for Mass on Sundays.

“These celebrations are anchored in the annual rhythm of the liturgical year, with the Paschal Mystery at its center. For this reason, it is essential that they also be profoundly formative, promoting an ever deeper understanding of the ars celebrandi, expressed not only by the celebrant of the liturgy, but also by the entire assembly,” the pope said. “In this way, through proper education and reverent worship, Catholics will be formed both for the liturgy and by the liturgy.”

As the pontiff also noted in his letter, his remarks follow his recent addresses on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, during Wednesday general audiences.

Pope Leo XIV: Attendance at Sunday Mass cannot be replaced by virtual participation

The pontiff’s Aug. 12 general audience focused on the importance of the liturgical year.

By Ishmael Adibuah·Vatican Bureau

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholics to prioritize attending Sunday Mass, warning that active participation in the Eucharist cannot be replaced by virtual gatherings.

“I urge everyone to seek the best possible conditions so that even those who are unable to take time off work on Sundays may take part in holy Mass,” Leo said.

In his address during his general audience at the Vatican on Aug. 12, the pontiff continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

As on Aug. 5, his general audience was held inside St. Peter’s Basilica due to Rome’s high summer temperatures.

The liturgical year according to Pius XII and Prosper Guéranger

Leo explained the importance of the liturgical year, referencing his predecessor Venerable Pope Pius XII as well as Servant of God Abbot Prosper Guéranger, OSB, the first abbot of Solesmes Abbey in France and a key figure in the liturgical movement.

It is “important to note that this way of referring to the cycle of Christian feasts as the ‘liturgical year’ became widespread in ecclesiastical language thanks to the work of the Servant of God Abbot Prosper Guéranger,” Leo said in his remarks.

The faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica during Pope Leo XIV’s general audience on Aug. 12, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

The pope also stressed that the liturgical year is not merely a remembrance of past events but, as Pius XII wrote in his encyclical Mediator Dei, “Christ himself, who is ever living in his Church.”

“The liturgical year should thus be understood as a constant renewal of the work of salvation which Christ accomplishes in history,” the pope said. “As she journeys through this temporal cycle, the Church remains in contact with the Lord’s redemptive action, so that all the faithful may be filled with his grace.”

The importance of Sunday Mass

Leo also explained that the Church has always regarded Sunday as a weekly celebration of Christ’s resurrection: the “dies Domini” (“the Lord’s day”).

He urged Catholics to attend Sunday Mass and warned against using virtual gatherings to substitute for in-person attendance.

“To sanctify Sunday, it is essential to celebrate the Eucharist,” Leo said. “This
assembly cannot be substituted by a solely virtual presence, nor can it be reduced to a merely passive gathering.”

“The liturgical assembly is in fact fulfilled through the active participation of brothers and sisters,” Leo added.

Pope Leo XIV Sends Letter to the American People Marking the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States

The U.S. bishops are grateful to the Holy Father for his inspiring message and for his prayers as we commemorate this milestone anniversary of our nation.

WASHINGTON – Marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, Pope Leo XIV has addressed a letter to the American people. The U.S. bishops are grateful to the Holy Father for his inspiring message and for his prayers as we commemorate this milestone anniversary of our nation. 

All are invited to read Pope Leo XIV’s message, available here.

Rekindling the Spirit of 1976

EDITORIAL (National Catholic Register): We would do well to appreciate the vital role that Catholics and the Catholic Church and its institutions and apostolates have had in the founding, defense and strengthening of our Union.

A pair of fevers swept across America a half-century ago. The first was disco, the irrepressible craze that got Americans of all ages into polyester pants and out on the dance floor. The second was the U.S. bicentennial, which triggered a surge of patriotism the nation wouldn’t experience again for another 25 years, following the 9/11 terror attacks.

It’s important to remember that those were troubled times, too. The 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence came just three years after U.S. troops had pulled out of Vietnam — and just two years after the Watergate scandal had brought Richard Nixon’s presidency to an ignoble end. 

Click to read full editorial.