Fulton Sheen Beatification: September 24, 2026

   Below is an excerpt from the introduction to Praying in the Presence of the Lord with Fulton Sheen , edited by Michael Dubruiel, originally published in 2002. 

Excerpts from the book will be published in this space over the next few weeks, in honor of Archbishop Sheen's beatification on September 24, 2026. 

How to use this book (part 1) 

This book is arranged into three main sections, each of them dealing with three immense blessings that Bishop Sheen believed we would receive if we practice regularly praying in the presence of Our Lord. These blessings include:

* Sharing in Our Lord’s work of redemption.

 * Fulfilling Our Lord’s desire for our companionship.

 * Growing into the likeness of Our Lord.

Each of these sections contains ten meditations drawn from Bishop Sheen’s works. Along with the bishop’s words, the following are included: Scripture, a reflection, points to ponder, and a closing prayer.

There are two appendixes in the book.

The first is dedicated to Bishop Sheen’s thoughts on war and the power of God that presents material in a similar style as the rest of the book. This section was added after September 11, 2001, when foreign terrorists hijacked four American commercial air- liners, ramming two of them into the World Trade Center towers in New York, another into the Pentagon, and crashing a fourth in Pennsylvania when some of the passengers evidently fought with the hijackers. Bishop Sheen penned the material in this appendix over sixty years ago; but like the other material in the book written by him, it is as relevant today as it was then and to whatever the future might hold.

The second appendix contains two prayers. One is a prayer to be used in order to obtain a favor through the archbishop’s intercession, while the other is for his canonization. This appendix also includes contact information to report any favors received or any material the reader might have to offer in the investigation into Bishop Sheen’s life.