The procession seemed to go on forever.

Seminarians and clergy process into the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis for the Sept. 24 beatification Mass of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. (Catholic Herald photo by Michael J. Smith)

Seminarians, deacons, priests, religious and bishops made their way through the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, where tens of thousands of Catholics had gathered Sept. 24 for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Among the 89 bishops, I saw a familiar face, our own Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee. But what struck me most was the sheer number of clergy, particularly the young men preparing for the priesthood.

As a lifelong Catholic, I found it enormously encouraging.

I had traveled to St. Louis on behalf of the Catholic Herald expecting to witness a historic event. What I hadn’t anticipated was how much I would learn about a man I thought I already knew.

I should explain something. I’m a Catholic whose faith continues to develop. Despite working for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, I’m no religious scholar.

I remember seeing Fr. Sheen on television as a young boy. I wasn’t paying much attention to his message then, but I remembered the face, the distinctive voice and the commanding presence.

When his beatification began making headlines, I recognized him immediately. But I had little appreciation for the extraordinary influence he had on generations of Catholics, or how far beyond America’s television screens his ministry extended.

That changed in St. Louis.

Almost immediately, it seemed the entire city was talking about Archbishop Sheen. Hotels, restaurants and Ubers were filled with visitors. Everywhere we went, someone seemed to ask, “Are you here for the Sheen event?”

It felt like the biggest thing happening in town.

The evening before the beatification, I attended vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. I have visited some magnificent churches, but this was among the most beautiful buildings I have ever entered.

The soaring architecture, elaborate mosaics and enormous scale reminded me of what I imagine experiencing at the Vatican. With the cathedral filled and the choir adding its majestic sound, I found myself simply in awe.

Before the beatification Mass, I visited the Catholic expo at America’s Center. I’ve attended plenty of conventions during my career, but nothing quite like this. People jammed the aisles between seemingly endless rows of exhibitors offering Catholic books, devotional items, educational resources, clothing and just about anything else imaginable.

There was even a miniature Fulton Sheen figure made with LEGO-style pieces.

A Fulton Sheen building-block figure was among the many items available at the Catholic expo preceding his beatification Mass. (Catholic Herald photo by Michael J. Smith)

I had to smile. The television priest I remembered from childhood had become a building-block collectible.

But beyond the merchandise was something more meaningful: the remarkable number of families attending. Parents with young children, some with six or seven in tow, were everywhere.

Many of those parents appeared considerably younger than me. I wondered how they had discovered a bishop whose television heyday preceded their births by decades.

Clearly, Archbishop Sheen’s influence hadn’t ended when the cameras stopped rolling.

That became even more apparent during the Mass.

Approximately 50,000 people attended the beatification, according to news reports. The procession included hundreds of seminarians and religious, hundreds of deacons, about 1,000 priests and 89 bishops.

Watching that procession stretch across the arena was one of the most memorable experiences of my trip.

Equally impressive was the organization required to celebrate Mass with such an enormous congregation. The distribution of Communion to tens of thousands of people was handled with remarkable efficiency and reverence.

Yet the most important discovery I brought home concerned Archbishop Sheen’s missionary legacy.

Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee joins 88 other bishops in the procession for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification Mass in St. Louis. (Catholic Herald photo by Michael J. Smith)

From 1950 to 1966, then-Bishop Sheen served as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies. He used his extraordinary communication skills to build awareness and support for missionaries serving around the world.

He traveled to mission territories, shared their stories through his broadcasts and publications and contributed millions of dollars of his own earnings to the

missionary cause.

In 1951, he introduced the World Mission Rosary, with five differently colored decades representing regions of the world: Africa, the Pacific, Europe, the Americas and Asia (See page 11). His idea was simple but profound. Catholics praying the Rosary could embrace the entire world in prayer, remembering people and missions far beyond their own communities.

For someone attending the beatification while preparing a World Mission issue of the Catholic Herald, that connection was especially meaningful.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis hosted vespers on the eve of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification. (Catholic Herald photo by Michael J. Smith)

Archbishop Sheen wasn’t simply a gifted television personality or celebrated preacher. He understood the power of communication to connect Catholics with people they might never meet and places they might never visit.

In that respect, his mission remains remarkably relevant.

I went to St. Louis knowing Archbishop Fulton Sheen as a familiar face from my childhood. I returned understanding why so many people, including generations born long after his television programs aired, continue to admire him.

I also returned encouraged by what I witnessed: young seminarians, devoted families, extraordinary crowds and a Church gathered in celebration.

It isn’t every day a Midwesterner gets to witness another Midwesterner take a step toward sainthood.

I’m grateful I was there.