We have fought for this moment. We have been on the battlefield, loving Fulton Sheen and fanning the flame even when it was not popular to do so, and so many of you have been with us through it all.

You have waited, prayed, taken Holy Hours, joined us at rallies, supported this Movement, and stood beside us through years when we had no idea when, or even how, this moment would finally come. Some of you were even with us in Rome as Dr. Howard carried our petition to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints last September.

And now, the tide of grace has come. Sheen is being unlocked, unpaused, and unleashed for the world and for souls.

We do not seek credit for this moment. We are happy to remain what we have always been, a lay-led, grassroots Movement that has welled up out of a deep passion and love for Fulton Sheen and a desire to bring him to as many souls as possible.

At its heart, this Movement is about souls. In the spirit of Sheen, if souls are saved, everything is saved.

We dedicate this conference first and foremost for the glory of God and for the good of souls, and most especially to Our Blessed Mother, who has been our faithful advocate throughout these many years of trying to bring Fulton Sheen to the world.

She is the Mediatrix of all graces, and more than once we have watched her mediate for us remarkable, miraculous, and seemingly impossible blessings. Doors have opened that should not have opened, help has arrived when there seemed to be none, and grace has met us again and again at precisely the moment we needed it.

And naturally, we dedicate this day with profound gratitude to Fulton Sheen, soon to be Blessed, in thanksgiving for his spiritual fatherhood and his faithful companionship throughout this journey. He has taught us, challenged us, consoled us, and continually pointed us back to Christ.

We have waited for this moment for a long time, and now it is here. Sheen is rising, and we believe this is only the beginning.

Dr. Peter and Chantal Howard
Fulton Sheen Movement

When we decided to hold this conference, the Fulton Sheen Movement had no more than $2,000 in its bank account. Despite what some may think, we have never been in this for the money. Much of this Movement has been personally funded by our family, along with a few rally raffles and a faithful handful of people giving $25 or $50 each month.

And yet, here we are.

Events like this, and the larger vision we believe we have been entrusted to carry forward for souls, are not inexpensive. This conference exists because people stepped forward in faith before every answer was in place, and because generous souls were willing to believe with us that Fulton Sheen needed to be brought forward for this moment.

We are deeply grateful for the people who sent $20 bills, for those who gave from their retirement accounts, for those who stepped forward quietly and anonymously to cover significant expenses, for the families who answered our matching challenge, and for those who will choose even today to invest in the mission ahead. Every gift has mattered because every gift has helped us continue placing Fulton Sheen before souls.

We are a small and simple Movement, and we want to remain that way: nimble, innovative, uncomplicated, and free to bring Sheen wherever we can. Yet this little Movement has already begun reaching far beyond us, and we are profoundly grateful for the growing communities carrying Sheen in Italy, Ireland, Brazil, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Greece, Canada, England, throughout the United States, and beyond.

Our Principal Partners

We are especially grateful for our three Principal Partners, each of whom stepped forward in a significant way to help make this historic gathering possible. First, to Catholics for Catholics and John Yep, thank you for stepping forward early, believing in the vision, and helping give us courage at a critical moment. To Michael Hichborn and the Lepanto Institute, thank you for your friendship, your support, and your willingness to stand with us in championing Fulton Sheen and the mission entrusted to this Movement. And to Kelsey Reinhardt and CatholicVote, thank you for coming alongside us so generously and helping us carry Sheen's voice to a much wider audience. We are profoundly grateful for the confidence each of you has placed in us.

Our Sponsors and Benefactors

To Debbie and Terry Kopp, you have been steadfast in believing that we could pull this event off even when it seemed impossible. You stepped into the gap like few others, and your faith in us and in this mission has fueled us more than you know.

To Tricia and Ted Nelson, and to our dear anonymous family who helped make our matching-fund challenge possible, thank you for believing in the work and helping us move it forward.

To Sterling Jaquith, Catholic mom entrepreneur, sponsor, rosary maker, and Board representative, thank you for bringing not only your gifts and creativity, but your heart, generosity, and steadfast belief in this mission.

To every sponsor and benefactor represented here today, whether your name appears prominently or is known only to us and to God, thank you. We hope every person attending this conference will take the time to get to know the organizations represented here, discover their missions, and support the good work they are doing in the Church and in the world.

Our Speakers

To each of our speakers, thank you for choosing to be here so generously. You have sacrificed your time, rearranged schedules, traveled, covered costs, prepared your hearts and your talks, and stepped into this conference because, quite simply, you love Fulton Sheen. That generosity has not been lost on us — the fact that so many remarkable people were willing to come alongside this little Movement and give themselves to this day is itself a tremendous gift. You have helped us create something that is not simply a conference about Sheen, but a gathering meant to carry his voice into the future.

Those Who Built This With Us

To Kate Sell and Carrie Kline, thank you for the time, energy, talent, and heart you have poured into helping us bring this together. To Colleen, Jessamyn, and our Advanced Mission Partners, thank you for carrying the work alongside us and helping hold together so many pieces behind the scenes. A tremendous thank you to Cindy Huger, who became our boots on the ground here in St. Louis and helped us navigate the thousand practical details that could never have been managed from afar.

To Che Alonzo, our amazing tech support expert, who has tirelessly aided in the development of this event for everyone to experience.

To Hugh Macken, Sven Bjorn, and Canterbury Pilgrimages, thank you for walking with us through the many logistical pieces of bringing our pilgrims here and helping turn an ambitious vision into something real. To Barbara Mancuso for hotel management, to Alicia Simat, and to every person who stepped into the endless details required to make a gathering like this possible, we are deeply grateful.

To Vicki Smith, Victoria Defensor, and Joel Defensor, thank you for giving your time and energy so generously as volunteers. And to all of our volunteers serving here today, welcoming guests, moving materials, answering questions, helping with registration, solving problems, praying for us, and doing countless things that may never be noticed, thank you. An event like this is built not only by the people on the stage, but by those willing to serve quietly when no one is watching.

To our Board, who fanned the flame, believed in the vision, and gave us the green light to move forward even when this seemed far larger than our resources, thank you for trusting us enough to say yes.

Our Clergy and Religious

To the priests, bishops, religious sisters, and spiritual fathers and mothers who have supported this Movement, prayed for us, encouraged us, corrected us when necessary, and continually reminded us to keep Christ at the center of everything, thank you. To Sr. Dede and her sisters, thank you for the gift of your prayer, your presence, and your religious witness. And especially to Bishop Joseph Coffey and Fr. Thomas Loya, thank you for giving so generously of yourselves to our pilgrims and to this Movement, and for bringing together the beauty of East and West in a way that reflects something so essential in Fulton Sheen himself. You have helped us experience the fullness of a man formed by both Roman and Byzantine spirituality and utterly devoted to the universal Church.

A Family Affair

And finally, we have to thank our children. The Fulton Sheen Movement has truly been a family affair — the whole Howard family has been instrumental in carrying this mission, often in ways most people will never see.

To Gemma, who is serving as our photographer and videographer today, thank you for using your artistic eye to preserve this extraordinary moment and tell its story through images. To Jacinta, thank you for pouring your creativity into the swag designs and helping give visual life to the Movement. To Elia, who is singing in the choir today and has become such an important backbone of AromaRosary, thank you for the beauty, steadiness, and heart you bring to everything you touch — be sure to visit AromaRosary today and see the beautiful Fulton Sheen rosaries created with such love. To Becket, thank you for having the courage to step onto the stage and share your heart, your own experience of the Holy Hour, and the way Fulton Sheen has been present within the life of our family. To Philomena and Petra, our little "mini mamas," thank you for helping care for our one-year-old and supporting me in the countless practical ways that allow a mother to stand on a stage and help lead a conference while still very much being a mother. And to my 80-year-old mother, whose mystical heart and prayer have quietly accompanied so much of this journey, thank you for creating the beautiful handcrafted plaque icons of Fulton Sheen that bring such a personal and prayerful touch to this gathering.

This Movement has never been separate from our family life. Our children have prayed, traveled, designed, photographed, sung, served, held babies, carried boxes, and sacrificed alongside us. Fulton Sheen has always been somewhere in the background of our family, and this Movement has grown right in the middle of ordinary family life. It really is a family affair, and we would not be here without them.

To Those Who Remain Hidden

Finally, there are people whose names may never appear on this page. Some prayed for us every day. Some gave anonymously. Some opened a door, made a phone call, introduced us to precisely the right person, spoke an encouraging word at the right moment, or quietly carried part of the burden without ever asking for recognition. There are also, inevitably, people deserving of our gratitude whom we will unintentionally fail to name.

To anyone who has slipped past this moment of gratitude, and especially to those who deliberately chose to remain hidden, please know that we are profoundly grateful. God knows what you have given, and we pray that every sacrifice made for this Movement will bear fruit in souls.

Thank you for believing in Fulton Sheen. Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for helping us carry him to the world.