Shelli Dankoff of OSF Healthcare at the Sheen Beatification

You know, to me, also what was interesting, and again, I'm working today, so I'm only listening here and there while it started.

You know, I heard it from our newsroom, and then I'm in here, and I'm looking up.

But the one part where, and it was, there was a lot of Catholic Mass-type stuff going on, but...

It seemed to be there was also some biography going on about Fulton Sheen.

Would that be? That's accurate.

At the

very beginning, they started off with it.

Actually, I literally have the program in front of me.

But, oh, no, it was super well spelled out.

So what they had to do right at the very beginning, the request for beatification, you know, after they did the processional, then they did the request for beatification, then his great-nephew, Paul Cunningham came up and gave a short biography, and then there was the reading of the Apostolic Letter in Latin, and then there was the reading of the Apostolic Letter in English, which was done by Bishop Louis Tilka from Peoria.

So all of that started before you got into the more traditional mass parts.

They did all of that up front.

And the part that really touched me the most was the Engstrom family, so James, who is the miracle baby who was brought back to life through the intercessions of Fulton Sheen.

And to be beatified, there has to be at least one confirmed miracle, and that was the miracle.

Yes, and he presented Fulton Sheen's relics.

And so he came carrying it with the whole family.

The whole Engstrom family came up.

And again, it's up the aisle, and there's 50,000 people here.

I mean, that's a lot.

And James just turned 50.

He had his golden birthday here last week.

He turned 16 on the 16th.

And so it was just really neat to see him and his family come up and present the relic.

It was just really neat.

And that probably touched me the most of the entire ceremony.

You know, to me, also what was interesting, and again, I'm working today, so I'm only listening here and there while it started.

You know, I heard it from our newsroom, and then I'm in here, and I'm looking up.

But the one part where, and it was, there was a lot of Catholic Mass-type stuff going on, but...

It seemed to be there was also some biography going on about Fulton Sheen.

Would that be? That's accurate.

At the

very beginning, they started off with it.

Actually, I literally have the program in front of me.

But, oh, no, it was super well spelled out.

So what they had to do right at the very beginning, the request for beatification, you know, after they did the processional, then they did the request for beatification, then his great-nephew, Paul Cunningham came up and gave a short biography, and then there was the reading of the Apostolic Letter in Latin, and then there was the reading of the Apostolic Letter in English, which was done by Bishop Louis Tilka from Peoria.

So all of that started before you got into the more traditional mass parts.

They did all of that up front.

And the part that really touched me the most was the Engstrom family, so James, who is the miracle baby who was brought back to life through the intercessions of Fulton Sheen.

And to be beatified, there has to be at least one confirmed miracle, and that was the miracle.

Yes, and he presented Fulton Sheen's relics.

And so he came carrying it with the whole family.

The whole Engstrom family came up.

And again, it's up the aisle, and there's 50,000 people here.

I mean, that's a lot.

And James just turned 50.

He had his golden birthday here last week.

He turned 16 on the 16th.

And so it was just really neat to see him and his family come up and present the relic.

It was just really neat.

And that probably touched me the most of the entire ceremony.