Early on September 24, 2026, 12 St. Anthony students set off for St. Louis with their theology teacher and principal to witness a beatification. Nearly 47 years after his death, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the pioneering Catholic broadcaster, was still reaching a new generation— including students who had first encountered him through a classroom video.
A Holy Man
The beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen stands as a historic event, altering Sheen’s title to “Blessed” and sending him on the path to become the first American-born canonized bishop in history. Looking at the life of Fulton Sheen, his case for beatification becomes clear; from humble beginnings in Illinois, Fulton rose to become a priest, a renowned professor and theologian, and eventually a bishop. Sheen was a devout and highly gifted man. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much” are words of Christ that Fulton obeyed in his life, giving his gifts back to the public in the creation of several radio and television programs that were tuned into by as many as 30 million people every week. In these programs he taught people about Christ, His church, and occasionally how to tell a good joke too.
Ben Sudkamp, a freshman at St. Anthony, remembered first being shown a clip of Fulton Sheen telling a joke in Mr. Zuber’s class. He found it funny. This was just the beginning for Ben though. Learning more about who Fulton Sheen was caused Ben to want to go to his beatification, saying, “I thought it would be a great way to grow my faith. Hearing about his life was a good example for me.”
Ben Zuber, the theology teacher who went with the students, recalled his own excitement to go on the trip as well, “I’ve been a fan of Fulton Sheen for several years and have been tracking his cause for sainthood. When they announced that they were moving forward with the beatification Mass, I was like, ‘Oh,’ and then I found out that it was going to be in St. Louis. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The Journey
Around 8 in the morning, the group set off for the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri where nearly 50,000 Catholics would gather. They arrived around 9:30. “Going through the hallways, they had Adoration, Reconciliation, and merch tables for us to look through,” Ben Sudkamp recalled. Stopping at a table, he bought a bracelet that said “Life is Worth Living,” the name of one of Fulton Sheen’s TV series. It was clear Ben had worn it often since the event.
As the group of 14 worked their way through the bustling event center, they ran into Fr. Chase Hilgenbrink, a former professional soccer player turned priest from the Diocese of Peoria. His story rose to popularity through speaking engagements like SEEK 2026 and had the students excited for a picture with him.
Eventually, they made their way toward the entrance of the stadium. Once inside, they were shocked to find themselves walking closer and closer to the stage. Row 40 passed, then 30, 25, and 20 until finally they arrived at row 17— excellent seats near the stage. There, they were surrounded by many popular Catholic content creators including Joe Heschmeyer with Catholic Answers (who Mr. Zuber was excited to get his picture with). Such close seats made for an excellent view of the program ahead.
Celebrating Sheen
At 10 a.m., the “Celebrate Sheen Show” began— a program including prayer, music, and reflections. Participants included Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Msgr. Roger Landry, Katie Prejean McGrady, Sr. Josephine Garrett, and Matt Maher. These speakers gave talks on Fulton’s life and faith, with one mentioning the relic of his jaw which was at the event— later processed in in a reliquary carried by Joseph Tuttle, a seminarian assigned to St. Anthony’s a number of years ago! Joseph was just one part of the massive procession the students saw there.
At 1:30 p.m., 89 bishops, 1,000 priests, 260 deacons, and 850 seminarians processed in for nearly 40 minutes before Mass started around 2 p.m. Around 850 religious were also in attendance. 50,000 Catholics then began to celebrate Mass together. In their numbers was the teen, James Fulton Engstrom, who was stillborn and miraculously healed after his mother asked for the intercession of Fulton Sheen. In fact, it would be James that would present Sheen’s jaw during the Mass.
As the day wrapped up, Ben Sudkamp recalled “The room was just so full, it’s just so full. You look back and you see just thousands of people, all for one man,” one man who shared Christ with millions of people, and that day, a group of St. Anthony students too.
