Seminarians head to St. Louis for beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen (PHOTOS)

DETROIT — In the early morning of Sept. 23, more than 80 seminarians and formators from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit departed for St. Louis on a pilgrimage to take part in the beatification of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.

The seminarians celebrated Mass at 4:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart's chapel before boarding buses headed to Peoria, Ill., where Archbishop Sheen is buried.

The 83 seminarians, representing 10 dioceses and religious communities, spent time learning about Archbishop Sheen's life and witness, visiting a museum dedicated to his memory in Peoria and stopping to pray with other pilgrims at the blessed bishop's tomb in a side chapel of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

From there, they continued on to St. Louis to join tens of thousands in witnessing the first U.S.-born bishop to be declared "blessed" by the Church. Before the historic beatification Mass, the seminarians stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, where they met St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski and took in the beauty of one of the most iconic and stunning Catholic churches in the country.

The seminarians then made their way to The Dome at America's Center, where Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect in the Holy See's Dicastery for Evangelization, declared Archbishop Sheen to be "Blessed" by the Church on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

Please join us in praying for a fruitful pilgrimage and safe travels, and check back for updates on the seminarians' pilgrimage throughout the days ahead. Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, pray for us!

Seminarians smile as the depart Sacred Heart Major Seminary at 5:15 a.m. early in the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 23, headed for St. Louis for the beatification of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. About 45 seminarians each departed aboard two buses — named "Fulton" and "Sheen" — with a planned first stop in Peoria, Illinois, to visit the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception and the site of Archbishop Sheen's burial.

The pilgrim seminarians stopped Wednesday at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Ill., where soon-to-be Blessed Sheen — who was first ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1919 — is buried in a side chapel.

Seminarians from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit pray at Archbishop Sheen's tomb in a side chapel of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Ill., on Sept. 23, on their way to St. Louis for the beatification Mass.

A group photo with a life-sized cutout of Archbishop Sheen in Peoria, Ill., before heading off to St. Louis for Thursday's beatification Mass.

At the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where Blessed Fulton Sheen is buried.

Artifacts and relics of Archbishop Sheen’s ministry are on display at the museum in Peoria.

Stopping for a rest and dinner before Thursday’s big day.

The pilgrims found room on the bus for a special "guest."

A group picture outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

Greeting St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, second from left, on the morning of the beatification.

Arriving at the Dome at America's Center for the start of the beatification Mass.

Preparing to take part in the Mass!

Bumping into a familiar face: Gary, Ind., Bishop Robert J. McClory, third from right, a former Detroit priest and one of the sponsoring bishops of Sacred Heart Major Seminary.