October 14, 2026

By Mary Beth Bracy, consecrated virgin
North Country Catholic

It was a dream come true. Newly ordained Father Tyler M. Fitzgerald of Holy Cross Parish in Plattsburgh was among the over 1,000 priests who concelebrated the Beatification Mass of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen at the Dome in America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri on September 24. An estimated 50,000 faithful attended the celebration and hundreds of thousands tuned in via livestream.

“Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has played a role in my life since I was young,” Father Fitzgerald explained. “When I was perhaps nine or ten, I discovered reruns of Life is Worth Living on EWTN and I was immediately intrigued. Sheen’s style, humor, and dynamic way of preaching captivated me. While I did not understand everything he was saying, I nonetheless became hungry for more. For a young boy who knew he wanted to be a priest, Sheen became an inspiration and role model. When I began being bullied at school for my faith and desire to become a priest, he became more than a mere inspiration or role model, he became a friend. I was inspired by his zeal and love of the faith. Because of Sheen, I slowly became unafraid to speak about my faith and stand up for the Church’s teachings. In an era when more and more priests and bishops were beginning to make an appearance on social media, I saw Sheen as a pioneer in using new technology to bring the Good News of Salvation to as many as possible.”

Father Fitzgerald’s admiration for Sheen continued to grow.

“By the time I began to apply for seminary, I could not get enough of his writings, speeches, sermons and programs,” Father Fitzgerald said. “For me, the scariest prospect of becoming a priest was preaching. I never thought I could stand in front of people and preach. I did not want to be a carbon copy of Fulton Sheen or mimic his style, but I admired his ability to explain the dense and lofty to ordinary people so much that I wanted to do it as well. As I got older, I learned more about Sheen the man and priest – his hobbies, interests, own vocation story and struggles. My love for history and the North Country led me to research Sheen’s presence in our diocese. In fact, one of my favorite pictures of Sheen is of him preaching at our cathedral in 1954. It sits framed in my room and I look at it every day.”

The young priest recounted a personal encounter with the archbishop.

“Right before I was to move on to major seminary, I made a pilgrimage to his tomb in Peoria, Illinois. Moved to tears when I approached his simple marble tomb placed under an icon of Mary, the only words I could muster out were, ‘Hi, Bishop Sheen.’ It felt as if I were greeting an old friend; we were not strangers. It is a feeling I will never forget. I had the opportunity to return to his tomb before my ordination to the diaconate, and it was no surprise the same feeling returned.

“All of this is to say that, when I heard Fulton Sheen’s beatification had been set for September 24, 2026, I knew I had to be there. I needed to experience, in person, the moment this holy heavenly helper was formally declared Blessed. I needed to be there for my friend Fulton, because he has always been there for me.”

And Sheen was certainly with Father Fitzgerald during his pilgrimage. “My trip to St. Louis for Sheen’s Beatification was entirely enrobed in providence. After booking the hotel, I contacted the pastor of the nearby Catholic parish and asked if I could join for daily Mass while I was in town for the week. However, I received an email back asking if I would be interested in helping cover daily Masses that week since one of their priests would be out of town.

“Turns out, I sent my initial inquiry email right when they were trying to figure out who could cover Masses,” Father Fitzgerald said. “Excited for such an opportunity, I agreed and we made plans to meet for dinner my first night in town. I arrived at the hotel and was confronted with two problems – there were no rooms available, and the front desk clerk was rather miserable about it. Despite confirming before traveling that the room was set, something apparently went wrong. From the lobby, I began trying to find other hotels, but with 50,000 people flooding the city, nothing was available. I called the pastor who was taking me to dinner and explained that I would be a bit late since the hotel fell through. He nonchalantly replied, ‘Oh, just stay with me at the rectory.’ I thanked him for his generosity and asked if there was room for my best friend – who was flying in the next morning from Pittsburgh – as well, since we had made the hotel accommodations together. ‘Not a problem.’

“Normally, a situation like this would put me in a rather perturbed and downright angry mood, but I surprised even myself with how calm I was. The situation just felt so providential. I knew Sheen was orchestrating the whole ordeal. In fact, he once told the story of being a poor student in Belgium and deciding to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Sure of Mary’s care for him, he decided to check into the most expensive hotel in Lourdes, because as he said, ‘If Mary can pay for a cheap hotel, she surely can pay for an expensive one too.’ Confident that Mary wanted him in Lourdes, Sheen made a novena but got very nervous on the ninth day when there was still no sign of any funds coming his way to pay the bill. Late at night, he met an American man in the grotto who asked him a series of questions, ‘Are you an American priest? Do you speak French? Can you show my family around Paris tomorrow?’ But the greatest question was, ‘Have you paid your hotel bill yet?’ Mary provided. For me in St. Louis, Sheen provided!

“The Providence did not stop there, it followed me to the rectory. I also have a great devotion to St. Thérèse. She often follows me around and pops up randomly during the day. I had a great smirk on my face when I opened the nightstand drawer in my room and staring me in the eyes was a Thérèse rosary. Providence helped with modes of travel too. I did not know I was staying in a neighborhood with a metro station just a few blocks from the rectory, with a train running directly to the Convention Center.”

The adventure was only beginning. “It was an incredible day. To sum it up … apart from my ordination, it was the most exciting experience of my life. Processing into a stadium full of 50,000 pilgrims, lined up four by four as one of 1,300 priests, is a feeling I will never forget. It pulled on the heart strings and set my soul on fire. I have always known that Fulton Sheen was and is a well-known figure, but physically seeing the crowd gathered to celebrate his legacy put it into a whole new perspective.

“The energy of the priests was sheer excitement – downright, genuine, honest to goodness, joy. I couldn’t contain my emotions when the official decree naming Fulton J. Sheen as Blessed was read, first in Latin then English. It was real. It was happening. My friend Fulton was now Blessed Fulton. The man who embraced new methods of media to bring the Gospel to the world. The priest who filled my young heart with zeal to teach and preach. Mary’s priest who referred to her as ‘The Woman I Love.’ One of my biggest role models and intercessors. The inspiration I turned to during tough times growing up and during seminary. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. And there I was … not even four months ordained, shedding tears as tens of thousands of people applauded and cheered for ‘America’s Apostle.’ Just as visiting his tomb, I felt as if I were greeting an old friend.

“Concelebrating with over a thousand other priests was powerful. I offered my intention and prayed hard for an increase in vocations to the priesthood for our diocese. I had the opportunity to help distribute Communion. After receiving, we were instructed to grab a ciborium and follow the seminarian leading us. It was an impressive sight. Honestly, it was a pretty smooth process considering how many communicants were in attendance. When I approached for Communion, I looked into the sanctuary and saw a very familiar face—Bishop Lucia! We did not get an opportunity to connect in person, but it was such a ‘small world’ feeling.”

Father Fitzgerald described how the crowd was filled with energy. “So many things stood out, but the one of the most memorable was the number of young people. Young priests, seminarians, pilgrims, families. I was amazed by the number of men in suits and women in dresses. It was amazing.”

The legacy of the beloved Archbishop is just beginning to touch a new generation of hearts and news of his intercessory power is spreading. “Fulton Sheen has concretely impacted my life in a threefold way—his zeal for teaching, love for the Blessed Mother, and use of new means of communication.”