Behind an event that hosts 50,000 people there is inevitably a throng of unsung heroes who make it happen. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification Sept. 24 was no exception and it was my great privilege to participate as a volunteer.
My experience shows what Archbishop Sheen, whom I already consider a saint and largely recognized for his vast media presence, can teach us about the hidden heart of all labor, whether it be the humble behind-the-scenes work of a volunteer or the forward-facing work of those evangelizing through media.
The day before the beatification, I arrived and immediately entered into a sea of helping hands assembling welcome bags for every one of the 50,000 participants. It took three full days and dozens of volunteers to make that happen, an incredible feat. After spending some time helping there, I moved to a new shift where I covered the main entry door designated for the entry of those involved in the back end of the event. Musicians, seminarians, clergy, bishops, volunteers, production, security, exhibitors, sponsors and many others constantly flowed in and out of this door. The day of the beatification, I helped usher and then transitioned to be a “runner” helping host some of the suites for sponsors.
Over the course of my days volunteering, my roles boiled down to humble tasks like stuffing bags, directing and redirecting people, and running ad hoc errands. It was work anyone else could do, and most activities went largely unknown and unrecognized. Yet, the constant activity and to-do lists reminded me of what Archbishop Sheen must have experienced with his own busy schedule. It invited me to look to his example and ponder the source of his tirelessness.
Archbishop Sheen reveals the secret to facing any day of work in such a way as to become a saint. For 60 consecutive years he made a daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament. His own account of this practice is, “I do not know how I could live without my daily holy hour. It is the hour that makes my day.”
In fact, the miracle that led to his beatification testifies to this exact sentiment. Sixteen years ago, a baby boy was born without a heartbeat, pulse or respiration. For one long, agonizing hour his family and friends prayed to Archbishop Sheen for a miracle. After their own holy hour, the minute after it was completed, little James Fulton’s heart began to beat, his pulse quickened, his breath started. This child could truly echo his namesake and say, “I do not know how I would be alive without the daily holy hour. It is the hour that saved my life.”
It is no accident that Archbishop Sheen’s beatification miracle points directly to his daily source of strength: the Eucharist. This is the source and summit of the Christian life and we are each invited to tap into this same source of strength every day. Most of us will not be media stars and we may not all have the capacity for a daily holy hour, but Archbishop Sheen isn’t a saint in my mind because he was a media star or because he spent a particular number of minutes before the Eucharist. He is a saint because he practiced daily fidelity to Christ through the means available to him and sanctified his work through this fidelity.
My own humble work volunteering at the beatification was the place where Archbishop Sheen, chalk piece in hand, pointed to the Eucharist and showed me that sanctity is possible through any type of work rooted in the Eucharist. And this fidelity will bring about the miracle of saving more lives, starting with my own.
Youngblood is a parishioner of St. Agnes Church in Arlington.
