Archbishop Fulton Sheen/Photo courtesy of WJBC.com

By Neil Doyle

The Diocese of Peoria is holding a special prayer service to move forward with the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

In a news release, the diocese said it will hold a nine-day novena, or prayer services, to “petition God unceasingly” to move forward with beatification, a title achieved before one can become a saint in the Catholic Church.

Sheen’s beatification was supposed to happen Dec. 21 but was postponed earlier this month. Bishop Daniel Jenky says the novena will start Thursday and will include daily meditations on reflections from Sheen.

The diocese said the novena will be televised on Catholic television networks and social media.

An El Paso native, Sheen’s accomplishments were many. In the 1920s, he was nationally recognized for his contributions to theology and philosophy and he taught courses in those fields at the Catholic University of America while also serving as a parish priest. He is best known to most Americans for his work in media, having hosted award-winning religious programs on both radio and television. From 1930 to 1950, he hosted The Catholic Hour on NBC radio. In 1952, he began working in television and finally stopped producing programs in 1968. Sheen died in 1979. His remains were returned to St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria earlier this year, the same place he was ordained as a priest 100 years ago.