A Humbling Opportunity to Be Sheen for Sheen
Some moments in life come full circle in ways you could never have planned.
More than ten years ago, I had the privilege of serving as communications director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. St. Louis became an important chapter in my professional and personal journey, shaping how I understood the privilege—and responsibility—of communicating the Catholic faith.
So having the opportunity to assist with the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in St. Louis was especially meaningful.
This time, I wasn’t returning as a diocesan communications director. I was returning as the founder of my own Catholic marketing and communications consultancy, with the incredible privilege of helping the Diocese of Peoria communicate this historic moment. Our team, namely Anne Steffens and Chris Mandle, collaborated with so many talented people to help tell the story leading up to and through this sacred celebration.
And what a story it was.
Approximately 50,000 people gathered inside the Dome at America’s Center to witness Archbishop Fulton Sheen become Blessed Fulton Sheen. People came from at least 49 states and more than 10 countries. (St. Louis Review)
Standing in the middle of that enormous crowd, I couldn’t help but think about the remarkable reach of Sheen’s own ministry. He once entered millions of American homes through radio and television. And now, nearly 50 years after his death, tens of thousands of people were physically gathered in one place to celebrate his life, his witness and his message.
As a Catholic communicator, there was something incredibly humbling about that.
I kept thinking about something a colleague mentioned to me days before the beatification: What an opportunity for us to be Sheen for Sheen.
Not to replicate what he did, but to use the tools available to us today to help tell the story of a man who understood the power of communication long before social media, podcasts, livestreams and digital storytelling existed.
And yet, Sheen’s example reminds us that the goal of Catholic communication has never really changed.
It’s not about the communicator.
It’s not about the size of the audience.
It’s not even about the brilliance of the message.
It’s about helping people encounter Jesus Christ.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization, captured this beautifully in his homily at the beatification Mass, reminding us that Sheen’s mission was not ultimately about his fame or his reach, but about proclaiming Christ. (Vatican News)
That feels like an especially important reminder for those of us who have been given the privilege of communicating the faith today.
The technology changes. The platforms change. The audience changes.
But the mission remains.
To communicate in a way that opens hearts to Christ.
To tell stories that make the faith more tangible and accessible.
To use every tool available to us—not for ourselves, but for the Gospel.
That is what made this experience so much more than a professional assignment for me. It felt like a beautiful intersection of my past, my present and the work I feel called to do.
I am deeply grateful to Bishop Louis Tylka, Jessica Bastian, and the Diocese of Peoria for entrusting us with this responsibility to help, and to the many people who worked tirelessly and prayerfully to make this historic celebration possible.
To stand in St. Louis, surrounded by 50,000 people, celebrating a man who dedicated his life to communicating Christ, was a moment I won’t soon forget.
What a gift.
What a responsibility.
And what a blessing to have the opportunity to be Sheen for Sheen.
