St. Francis’ relics open to public for first extended veneration in 800 years February 23, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, World News For the first time in eight centuries, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi are being exposed for an extended period of public veneration, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world to pray before “the Little Poor Man of Assisi.”
What can the Year of St. Francis do for the world? A lot, say these Franciscans February 21, 2026By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Saints, World News After Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Jubilee Year of St. Francis from Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary also issued a decree granting a plenary indulgence to mark the 800th anniversary year of the popular saint’s death.
Georgia martyrs expected to be beatified in Savannah this Halloween February 18, 2026By Maria Wiering OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, World News A date for the beatification of five Franciscans known as the Georgia martyrs has been set for Oct. 31, according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints’ website. It lists Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto as the beatification Mass’ celebrant.
Who was Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman? February 15, 2026By Michael R. Heinlein OSV News Filed Under: Black Catholic Ministry, Commentary, Saints Servant of God Thea Bowman (1937–1990) was a trailblazer in almost every role: first African-American religious sister from Canton, Mississippi, first to head an office of intercultural awareness, and the first African American woman to address the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s cousin credits him with her life February 15, 2026By Katie Yoder OSV News Filed Under: Marriage & Family Life, News, Saints, World News Rosemarie Costello says she is alive today because of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, her cousin. He introduced her parents, after all.
How Archbishop Sheen embodied the 7 key virtues February 14, 2026By Michael R. Heinlein OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Evangelization, Saints With his beatification once again on track, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be memorialized in the Church for reasons far beyond his contributions to the Church’s intellectual life or his evangelical zeal, incredible and legendary though they are.
Tributes salute Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as beatification moves ahead February 13, 2026By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Evangelization, News, Saints, World News Catholics in the U.S. are sharing their gratitude for Venerable Fulton J. Sheen following the announcement Feb. 9 that the Vatican has permitted the cause of the late American archbishop and televangelist to proceed to beatification, the final step before canonization.
Biographer: Archbishop Sheen challenged U.S. with love he lived, fed by Eucharist February 12, 2026By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Books, News, Saints, World News With the Feb. 9 announcement from the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., that the Vatican has authorized the beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen to move forward, OSV News sat down with Cheryl C.D. Hughes, author of “Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Convert Maker” (Ignatius Press, 2024), to reflect on the life and legacy of the late theologian and evangelizer.
Assisi relic arrives in Southern Arabian vicariate February 11, 2026By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, World News A stone from the Porziuncola, the small church in Italy where St. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan order and where he died 800 years ago, arrived in the Arabian Peninsula.
10 books by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to add to your reading list February 11, 2026By Megan Marley OSV News Filed Under: Books, News, Saints, World News Venerable Fulton J. Sheen remains one of the most compelling Catholic voices of the 20th century, and he left a sizeable body of written works in addition to his famous radio and television appearances.
Pope Leo XIV expected to visit Assisi during Year of St. Francis, archbishop says February 10, 2026By Courtney Mares OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, Vatican, World News The Italian hill town of Assisi is anticipating a visit from Pope Leo XIV during the special Jubilee Year of St. Francis as the city celebrates the 800th anniversary of the death of its most famous saint.
Sheen beatification is back on — and Engstrom family says it will be ‘a little piece of heaven’ February 10, 2026By Jennifer Willems OSV News Filed Under: News, Saints, World News James’ heart started to beat just as the medical team at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria decided they were out of options. The newborn’s healing, which doctors could not explain, was attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Sheen. It became the miracle that cleared the way for his beatification.
