Sister Nancy Murphy can recall as a young girl in the 1950s watching television with her family – Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, and the unlikeliest TV star, Bishop Fulton Sheen, who hosted “Life is Worth Living.”
“He was such a colorful figure,” Sister Nancy said. “His voice was endearing. He was easy to listen to.”
When she learned that Sheen was to be beatified in St. Louis – just three hours from her home at Maple Mount – she was excited to attend. She and Sister Nancy Liddy were among the 50,000 people who witnessed Sheen’s next step toward sainthood on Sept. 24, 2026, at the Dome at America’s Center. The site was chosen because there wasn’t a large enough venue in Sheen’s home Diocese of Peoria, Ill.
Sister Nancy Murphy was most impressed by the energy of the crowd, which was made up mostly of young priests, seminarians and women religious.
“There was so much energy, there were so many young priests and sisters. It was unbelievable to see,” she said.
A bag filled with books by or about Bishop Fulton Sheen was available for all 50,000 participants at his beatification.
“There were so many young faces,” Sister Nancy Liddy said. “We were the oldest people there.”
She is not old enough to remember Bishop Sheen’s TV show, which ran from 1952-57, and then “The Fulton Sheen Program” from 1961-68. But having an opportunity to witness a beatification so close by, with her longtime friend Sister Nancy Murphy, was too much to pass up.
“Beatifications are usually in Rome,” she said. “I’ll never get to go to a beatification in Rome.”
Being religious sisters aided them in getting tickets to both the beatification and the vespers, which were held the night before at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Bishop Robert Barron was the speaker during vespers, which Sister Nancy Liddy called “very intimate.”
What the beatification lacked in intimacy, it made up for in energy, the Sisters said. They arrived at 10 a.m. in the football stadium, which was turned into a temporary cathedral. There were a multitude of TV screens, and among the speakers was Cardinal Timothy Dolan. On the back of every chair was a cloth bag with a depiction of Bishop Sheen that contained books written by or about him.
Sister Nancy Murphy has been reading the books since she returned and learning much about Blessed Bishop Sheen.
“He had hardships, he had run-ins with the ecclesiastical higher-ups because of his fame,” she said. “He had a great heart for the missions. I was impressed that he kept a holy hour every day. He promised when he was ordained that he would say a Mass every Saturday dedicated to the Blessed Mother and that he would keep a holy hour every day. He did that until he died.”
After the ceremony, a relic of Bishop Sheen’s was venerated.
“The miracle child was carrying the reliquary. We got to see him in line,” Sister Nancy Murphy said.
To be beatified, there must be a miracle attributed to the candidate. When James Fulton Engstrom was born 16 years ago, he had no pulse. Medical workers were about to declare him dead, when his mother’s prayers to Sheen were answered and he survived. Engstrom carried in the relic as part of a procession.
Sister Nancy Murphy repeated that the energy of the young Catholics was her fondest memory.
“When we arrived at the St. Louis Cathedral, being next to 20 pews of young priests and seminarians, I felt the energy. The next day, when we saw so many young women religious, it was the same energy,” she said. “When they unveiled the picture of Bishop Sheen, there was applause that made you realize that people were very appreciative.”
Sister Nancy Liddy said witnessing the beatification left her inspired about the future of the Catholic Church.
“I’ve never been in an arena where you have 50,000 people and you could hear a pin drop. The whole place erupted during the Gospel Acclimation,” she said. “I felt like the Church is healthy. It gave me a shot in the arm.”
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