"...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."
-Declaration of Independence
September 24th, 2026:
Beatification of America's Bishop, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Watch this video about the Beatification of
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Chris Stefanick sat down with Bishop Tylka, Bishop of Peoria and the man behind the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, to dive into what this historic moment will look like, how we got here, and why it matters for the whole Church.
Chris and Bishop Tylka talk about the miracle that made it all possible — a baby born with no pulse who came back to life after 61 minutes, with no medical explanation. We walk through the entire beatification process, what happens inside a beatification Mass, and why Bishop Tylka believes God's timing in 2026 is no accident — America's bishop, beatified by the first American pope, during the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“The Holy See has informed me that the Cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to Beatification. The next step in the process is the celebration of the Beatification, in which Fulton Sheen would be declared Blessed.”
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage: June 28th, 2026
In honor of America’s 250th year, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will carry the theme One Nation Under God. One Nation Under God is not a slogan—it’s an invitation to realign our lives, communities, and country under the sovereignty of Christ. It’s a call to build unity through prayer, and to let Jesus, present in the Eucharist, renew and heal the heart of our country, one soul at a time.
As pilgrims on this route, we walk with Christ so that His love might draw our nation back to Him. You’re invited to join us, in person or in spirit, and offer prayers and sacrifices for the renewal of America.
The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is making stops in Massachusetts during the last weekend in June.
All Saint Michael parishioners and our community members, particularly our young adults, are invited to join the Pilgrimage on Sunday, June 28th.
- 2:30pm gather in the large lower parking lot at Saint Michael Parish
- 2:45pm depart by car pooling to Saint Brigid Parish, 1995 Mass. Ave., Lexington, MA
- 3:30-4:30pm Reconciliation
- 5:00pm Mass at Saint Brigid Parish, 1995 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, MA
- 6:00pm short procession (0.25 mi) to the Battle Green
- 6:30pm Adoration.
- We look forward to having you join us! Please just show up on the day to carpool - feel free to contact Deacon Chuck with any questions.
Religious Freedom Week: June 22nd thru June 29th
Pray, Reflect, and Act to promote Religious Freedom.
Celebrate Religious Freedom Week beginning June 22nd.
Religious freedom means that all people have the space to flourish. Religious freedom is both an American value and an important part of Catholic teaching on human dignity.
When we promote religious freedom, we promote the common good and thus strengthen the life of our nation and the community of nations.
Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all.
Beginning June 22, the feast of Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invites Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) invites Catholics to Pray, Reflect, and Act to promote religious freedom.
Visit the USCCB website to view the “Pray-Reflect-Act” pages for each day on various religious liberty topics, accompanied by daily prayer intentions, focused on the current year's theme.
Our Founders' True Meaning of
"Separation of Church
and State"
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus- June 11th Consecration
Watch the Consecration of the Nation on June 11th
Consecration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
On June 11th at 4:00pm, the United States Catholic Bishops will consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida.
This historic event commemorates the nation's 250th anniversary in anticipation of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12th.
You can tune into public sessions and Mass broadcasts by checking USCCB.org for schedule updates or by accessing Mary, Queen of the Universe for local streaming.
Enthronement of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Home
Rooted in the Church’s early meditations on the pierced side of Christ, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus gained significant momentum in the 17th century when Jesus revealed his Heart, burning with love for humanity, to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
The ceremony of enthronement contained in this booklet, which can be used by families to dedicate themselves and their homes to the Sacred Heart, is based on a version widely promoted in the early 20th century through the work of Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC., who emphasized the role of enthronement in fostering a Christ-centered family life.
By enthroning the Sacred Heart, families commit to living according to Christ’s teachings and embrace a way of life rooted in his love, mercy and blessings.
Rededication of America's 250th Anniversary
The Rededicate 250 event was a daylong prayer celebration held on May 17, 2026, on the National Mall, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. It aimed to reflect on the faith of America's founders and to rededicate the nation as "One Nation Under God" through prayer, music, and testimonies.
Watch Bishop Barron at the Rededication of America's 250th Anniversary
One Nation Under God
About the Gettysburg Address
On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history: the Gettysburg Address. The Union victory at Gettysburg was a key moment in the Civil War—thwarting General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North. President Lincoln offered this brief speech in a dedication ceremony for a new national cemetery near the Gettysburg battlefield.
In his powerful address, Lincoln embraced the Declaration of Independence, recalling how the nation was “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” By resurrecting these promises, Lincoln committed post-Civil War America to “a new birth of freedom.”
Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction Amendments—the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments—abolished slavery, wrote the Declaration of Independence’s commitment to freedom and equality into the Constitution, and promised to ban racial discrimination in voting. In so doing, the amendments sought to make Lincoln’s “new birth of freedom” a constitutional reality.
The Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
