On June 1, 2026, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Pontifical Mission Societies with a message that resonated far beyond the walls of the Vatican; a call to go outward, to the margins, to the people who have not yet encountered the living God. His words were a reminder that the Church is not a fortress but a field hospital, not a monument but a movement.
For those of us preparing to travel to Peoria, Illinois for the Beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, the Pope's remarks feel like a personal commission.
A Church That Goes Forth
Pope Leo XIV reminded the Pontifical Mission Societies that missionary work is not the work of specialists, it is the vocation of every baptized Christian. He called on the faithful to embrace a "going forth" that is both geographic and spiritual: to cross borders of comfort, culture, and indifference in order to bring the Gospel to those who hunger for it.
This is precisely the spirit that animated Fulton Sheen throughout his life. Long before social media, before podcasts, before the age of digital evangelization, Sheen understood that the Church must meet people where they are. He took to the airwaves — radio, then television — and brought the faith into living rooms across America. He was, in every sense, a missionary to the modern world.
The Pilgrim as Missionary
A pilgrimage is never just a trip. It is a deliberate act of faith, a physical expression of the soul's longing for God. When we travel to witness the Beatification of Fulton Sheen, we are not merely attending a ceremony. We are participating in the Church's ongoing act of recognizing holiness in the world, of saying: this is what a life surrendered to God looks like.
Pope Leo XIV's words to the Mission Societies apply equally to the pilgrim. We go not only to receive, but to witness. We carry the story of Sheen's life back to our families, our parishes, our communities — and in doing so, we become missionaries ourselves.
Sheen's Own Missionary Heart
Fulton Sheen served as the National Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith — one of the Pontifical Mission Societies — from 1950 to 1966. During that time, he raised millions of dollars for the missions and personally corresponded with missionaries around the world. He understood, deeply and practically, what it meant to support the Church's outreach to the peripheries.
It is a beautiful convergence that on the very day Pope Leo XIV speaks to these same societies, the faithful are preparing to honor the man who gave so much of his life to their mission.
Equip Yourself for the Journey: Three Sacred Stops
For pilgrims making the full journey in honor of Blessed Fulton Sheen, the route itself is a prayer. Three cities mark the arc of his life, and each deserves to be entered with intention.
El Paso, Illinois — the small prairie town where Fulton John Sheen was born on May 8, 1895. It is where his story began, where a family's faith planted the seeds of a vocation that would reach millions. To visit El Paso is to stand at the origin of something extraordinary.
Peoria, Illinois — the diocese where Sheen was ordained a priest in 1919, and where his earthly remains now rest at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception. Peoria is both beginning and resting place of his priestly life.
St. Louis, Missouri — the city where the Church will formally raise Fulton Sheen to the altars, declaring him Blessed before the faithful gathered from across the country and the world.
At Belén Studios, we believe that what you wear on pilgrimage is part of how you carry the faith. Our Fulton Sheen collection is designed for the pilgrim who wants to arrive at each stop not just as a tourist, but as a witness, someone who wears their devotion with pride and purpose. Whether you're walking the streets of El Paso, kneeling at Sheen's tomb in Peoria, or raising your voice in St. Louis, let your merch tell the story before you say a word.
Dress for the mission. Travel with intention. Carry the light.
An Invitation for the Journey
As you prepare for your pilgrimage to the Sheen Beatification, carry the Pope's words with you: Go forth. Be missionary. Bring the light.
Whether you are traveling from across the country or watching the ceremony from home, this moment is an invitation to renew your own missionary vocation — to ask, as Sheen himself asked every day: How can I bring Christ to the people around me?
The Church is alive. The saints are being raised up. And the mission continues.
Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us.
