Dominican sister says Sheen beatification is ‘a gift for the Church’

Dominican Sister Jude Andrew Link is encouraging Catholics to view the beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as a chance to deepen their relationship with Christ rather than simply a historic celebration.

The 2 p.m. CT Sept. 24 ceremony at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis will formally declare Sheen “blessed,” bringing him one step closer to sainthood.

Link, programming director for the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, told Veronica Dudo on “EWTN News Nightly” on July 15 that pilgrims can arrive early for the broader celebration, which includes a nine-day novena of Holy Hours in Peoria, Illinois, leading up to the beatification, along with Masses of thanksgiving and the Sheen Awards Gala afterward.

Sheen was a pioneering television evangelist whose popular media ministry made him one of the most influential American Church figures of the 20th century.

“I think of someone who fell in love with Jesus Christ,” said Link, with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. “He knew Jesus Christ through his study. He knew Jesus Christ in the Church and in the liturgy. But in a really profound way, he knew Christ in the Eucharist. He knew…