Bishop Dennis Walsh presided at a Mass at St. Mary Cathedral in Peoria, Ill., July 24. Here he is pictured at the tomb of Venerable Fulton Sheen who is to be beatified this fall. From left are Father Dale Mallory, Father Peter Amoah, Father David Wilkening, Father James Flattery, Bishop Walsh, Father Joseph Momminee and Father Scott Perry, both from the Toledo, Ohio, Diocese, Father Hai Dinh and Deacon Mike Linnenbrink.
By Dan Russo
The Catholic Messenger
PEORIA, Ill. — About 70 people from across the Diocese of Davenport and beyond recently walked in the footsteps of one of the greatest evangelists in American history.
The laity, women religious and clergy who took part in The Catholic Messenger’s Archbishop Fulton Sheen pilgrimage rolled into downtown Peoria, the prospective saint’s hometown, on July 24 — exactly two months before the beatification Mass scheduled for Sept. 24 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Father Peter Amoah, a native of Ghana, had arrived in the United States only days before the journey and was asked to lead the rosary on a bus loaded with pilgrims that left from a parking lot near the St. Vincent Center in Davenport. During the trip, the priest found inspiration.
“I definitely have read about (Archbishop) Sheen and seen documentaries, but coming to a place like this where you can physically see some of the pictures, see the artifacts from his life, like his chalice and vestments,” was powerful, Father Amoah reflected.
One of the newest Catholic missionaries to leave Africa for Iowa was surprised to learn that the American archbishop, who was tireless in raising millions of dollars for foreign missions as head of the national Society of the Propagation of the Faith, was baptized with the same name as him.
“I got to know he’s also a Peter,” said Father Amoah. “He will be an intercessor for me as I begin my ministry here.”
Born on a farm outside Peoria, Archbishop Sheen was christened Peter John Sheen; the nickname “Fulton” was given later. He served as an altar boy at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral after his family moved to the city and was later ordained there.
A statue donated
Staff from the Peoria Diocese guided pilgrims through a museum dedicated to the archbishop. It contains a cornucopia of items, many donated by people who knew him. There are personal letters, Archbishop Sheen’s typewriter, his couch and many other things.
A retired priest on the pilgrimage who did not wish to be identified asked earnestly for “the curator” soon after he walked through the museum doors. He later gave a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue to the museum, which he said he had obtained after the closure of St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota, where the archbishop studied for the priesthood.
“I went to St. Paul Seminary (in the 1970s),” said the Davenport Diocese priest. “When they tore down the old refractory, I got the statue. It stood in (Cretin) hall for 50 years. I lived in the same residence hall as (Archbishop Sheen) did and I believe this statue was there when he was.”
Museum staff accepted the gift, which the priest had carried in an unassuming bag on the bus from Davenport with about 50 other people. The chapel in Cretin Hall is believed to be the place where Sheen, as a young seminarian, began his now famous practice of doing a holy hour each day.
Three groups converge
Catholics from The Catholic Messenger’s Archbishop Fulton Sheen pilgrimage to Peoria, Ill., pray at the tomb of Archbishop Sheen at St. Mary Cathedral July 24.
Deacon Mike Linnenbrink led a group of seven from St. Mary-West Point and St. Boniface-Farmington, who joined the main group in Peoria. Father Hai Dinh led a third group from All Saints-Keokuk that also took part.
“I remember watching Archbishop Sheen on TV as a kid,” said Deacon Linnenbrink, as he stood in the museum, which is managed by the Archbishop Sheen Foundation. “Having something like this so close, how often can we be a part this process (of canonizing saints)? It’s historic.”
After the museum tour, the pilgrims ate lunch together and watched a film on Sheen’s life. Afterwards, some walked or drove about two blocks down the road to tour St. Mary Cathedral. The first thing many of the faithful wanted to do was pray at the tomb of Archbishop Sheen.
“My favorite thing is to greet people from all over the world,” said Marian Purtscher,” one of the cathedral’s volunteer tour guides, who served that day. “I enjoy meeting all the families who have named their children ‘Fulton.’”
A holy five minutes
After the tour, Bishop Dennis Walsh presided at Mass in the cathedral, with clergy from the dioceses of Davenport and Toledo, Ohio, concelebrating.
Bishop Walsh thanked the Peoria diocesan staff and volunteers for their “extraordinary hospitality.”
“Before Mass, they gave me Archbishop Sheen’s pectoral cross to wear,” said Bishop Walsh with a wry smile. “After Mass, I’ll need someone to help me sneak it out the door.”
Bishop Walsh’s homily focused on learning to trust in the Lord. He used an example from “The Martian” to illustrate his points. In the fictional movie, an astronaut stranded on Mars must figure out a way to grow potatoes in the exotic soil so he can stay alive until a rescue mission arrives. He fears the soil may be incapable of supporting life. However, he “trusts the process.”
“Do you trust the Lord enough to let him plant?” asked Bishop Walsh. He urged people not to let hardened hearts or other obstacles prevent a great harvest.
“God wants to plant his word in us,” he said, later drawing on the life of Archbishop Sheen.
“(Archbishop Sheen) became a great evangelist because he was authentic. He surrendered his soul (to God) … Look at what it produced.”
The pilgrimage took place on the feast day of St. Charbel, a Lebanese monk who, unlike Archbishop Sheen, did not attain international fame during his lifetime.
“(St. Charbel) had no TV show, no public ministry,” yet “more miracles are attributed to Charbel than any other saint,” the bishop said.
Bishop Walsh encouraged pilgrims to take a page out of Archbishop Sheen’s book.
Bishop Dennis Walsh talks with Deacon Mike Linnenbrink, Jade McVeigh and her mother Sarah during The Catholic Messenger’s Archbishop Fulton Sheen pilgrimage to Peoria, Ill., July 24.
“Work yourself up to a holy hour a day,” he said. “Start with a holy five minutes. Allow God to work in you in the silence … Surrender to what God wants to do with your life.”
Sarah McVeigh and her daughter Jade, 19, members of the Keokuk parish, came on the pilgrimage together to deepen their faith, learn more about Archbishop Sheen and also to pray for family members who have stopped practicing Catholicism.
“I didn’t know who Archbishop Sheen was before this,” said the teenager.
Keri Walter, a teacher at Assumption High School-Davenport, came searching for a greater connection to her grandfather, who she said had a strong faith that was fueled by watching the archbishop’s “Life is Worth Living” TV show.
“Thirty million people used to watch Archbishop Sheen every week,” she said. “I can’t think of 10 people I know that know him today.”
She said attending the pilgrimage gave her a sense of “the magnetism that everybody felt” when they heard Archbishop Sheen speak. “The truth of the message is still there,” said Walter.
A portion of the proceeds from the pilgrimage were donated to the cathedral and museum.
Other funds will be used to support The Catholic Messenger. One more church-approved miracle must be attributed to Archbishop Sheen before he is canonized a saint.
Beatification is Sept. 24
For more on the upcoming beatification events in Peoria and St. Louis, visit celebratesheen.com
See more images below, click for larger versions.
