Beatification service held for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, putting him a step away from sainthood

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the former Auxiliary Bishop of New York, is one step away from sainthood in the Catholic Church after Thursday's beatification service.

The occasion was both solemn and joyous as the faithful filled an arena in St. Louis.

Sheen's status one step below sainthood became official when Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle read a letter from the pope recognizing sheen as a "blessed," worthy of the belief he's in heaven.

Sheen, who died in 1979, originally was buried in the crypt at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, but because Catholics in the Midwest led the charge for his beatification, his body was moved to his hometown of Peoria, Illinois.

Before the Mass, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, New York Archbishop-Emeritus, spoke on behalf of the New York Archdiocese.

"Thank you, dear Jesus, for calling Fulton John Sheen to serve you and your church," he said.

Former CBS sitcom star Kevin James praised Sheen's use of mass media for a higher purpose.

"He reminds us that our job as Catholics isn't simply to just complain about the darkness, it's to turn on the light," James said in a prerecorded video.

The ceremony had many beautiful touches. The robe of each priest was embroidered with "JMJ" in Sheen's handwriting. It was his shorthand for "Jesus, Mary and Joseph."

James Engstrom, 15, helped present a relic from Sheen's remains. James was born with no pulse for 50 minutes. His parents prayed for Sheen's intercession, and the church says it's a miracle James recovered and survived.

By one estimate, Sheen brought more than 50,000 converts to the Catholic Church over the course of his ministry. Thursday, Sheen was declared blessed. The church requires a second miracle for the next step, sainthood.