By Elizabeth Gresosky
On Monday, Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria published a statement in gratitude for the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo XIV in a private audience and present him with a relic of Blessed Fulton Sheen.
Sheen was beatified on September 24 during celebrations in St. Louis, Missouri. Around 50,000 people were in attendance. Catholics for Catholics was present for the Fulton Sheen America’s Saint Conference that preceded the beatification, and president John Yep was a featured speaker at the event.
The bishop mentioned how the meeting was particularly special since both Leo XIV and Fulton Sheen hail from Illinois.
“I am deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s interest in Blessed Fulton Sheen and for his support that allowed us to celebrate this long-awaited Beatification. To place a relic of this son of the Diocese of Peoria into the hands of the first American pope, both of whom are from Illinois, was an especially moving moment,” Bishop Tylka wrote.
Catholic for Catholics @CforCatholics made a special stop this morning in Peoria to pray for all of you at the tomb and relic of blessed Fulton Sheen. @USAYep https://t.co/9BOxsym0Y3
— Catholics for Catholics 🇺🇲 (@CforCatholics) September 25, 2026
“My hope is that this relic will serve as a reminder of who Fulton Sheen was and of the mission he embraced so completely: to bring Jesus Christ to the world. The Holy Father’s own interest in Archbishop Sheen reminds us that his witness continues to speak to the Church today and challenges all of us to proclaim the Gospel with the same conviction and joy.”
The pope recently shared with members of the media stories of his childhood watching Archbishop Sheen on television with his family, and said that he wished he had been able to attend the beatification.
He also previously described Sheen as “a light of faith, hope and love that shone through the radio and television media for decades.”
Monsignor Jason Gray, the Executive Director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, also shared a statement in conjunction with the bishop.
“After working on the Cause of Blessed Fulton Sheen for 24 years since it opened in 2002, it was a great joy to participate in the recent Beatification and to share today the fruits from that joyful celebration with the Holy Father,” he wrote, also sharing that he “felt that Archbishop Sheen was with us in spirit when greeting Pope Leo.”
This afternoon at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, I had the honor of receiving a first-class relic of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen from Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria. If you’re in the neighborhood, I invite you to join us for Mass tonight at 5pm at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. https://t.co/dqLisXYk4k
— Archbishop Ronald Hicks (@AbpNewYork) October 1, 2026
