PEORIA, Ill.—A Dec. 11 Mass in Peoria, Ill., marked the official conclusion of an investigation tribunal into an alleged miracle that many attribute to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Since Sept. 7, the tribunal has looked into the alleged miraculous healing of James Fulton Engstrom, a 1-year-old born without a pulse last year, whose parents credit his survival to the late archbishop.
The Mass, open to members of the public, was held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, where Archbishop Sheen was an altar server when he was a boy.
Official tribunal documents were sealed at the Mass by Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria and Msgr. Stanley Deptula. Msgr. Deptula is the executive director of the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation, which is the official promoter of the archbishop’s cause for sainthood.
The documents will now be shipped to the Vatican for consideration.
If the alleged miracle is approved by the Pope, U.S. Catholics could witness the first-ever beatification on American soil in the Diocese of Peoria, said the foundation.
On Sept. 16, 2010, Bonnie Engstrom and her husband, Travis, prayed fervently to Archbishop Sheen after she delivered a stillborn son.
The baby, whom they named James Fulton after the archbishop, had no pulse for 61 minutes after he was born.
As doctors prepared to declare the time of death, however, his heart started beating. Although the physicians predicted serious medical problems, James Fulton is now a happy, healthy 1-year-old.
In addition to serving as an auxiliary bishop of New York and bishop of Rochester, N.Y., Archbishop Sheen was best known for his weekly radio broadcast, The Catholic Hour, and his later weekly television program, Life Is Worth Living.
The archbishop died in 1979, and his cause for sainthood was opened in 2002.
A second approved miracle will be necessary before Archbishop Sheen, currently called a Servant of God, will be declared a saint.
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St. Fulton Sheen has a nice ring, yes.
However, Archbishop Sheen’s memory also plays as an archetype for the modern male. For those of us that need a role model, he fits present-day Americans perfectly.
First God gave the Americas Our Lady of Guadalupe and now he gave us Fulton Sheen. For so many years I felt as if though God had little concern for our part of the world. Archbishop Sheen changed my mind.
My father in law wasn’t Catholic and never attended any church, was a good father and husband. He was a machinist and worked for the same company for 48 yrs until he retired.
He never missed a Bishop Sheen show, Iknow he and Bishop Sheen are buddies now and listening very intently what the Bishop has to say.
I am all for the cause for Archbishop Sheen to become a Saint. He is and always will be for me. He gives me such inspiration and I love to hear him speak. I have many of his books. He is a Holy Man. I love him so. Let us pray that he becomes a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen was destined to be a Saint; this is his birthright.
Sainthood is everyone’s birthright, Yousif. Saints are those who manage not to squander it; or if they do, regain it. (Both options depend, of course, on the grace of God.)
As i read the little book ‘seven last words’ years ago, i told myself that the author has to be a saint to have such understanding & level of relationship with God. To me, only a saint could simplify complicated faith teaching/understanding. I did not know about Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen then. Praise be to the Holy Trinity for this holy priest. SERVANT OF GOD, pray for us!
St. Fulton Sheen does have a very good sound to it, I would have to agree. I fell in love with Archbishop Sheen after discovering him in Meet Fulton Sheen. He truly was a devout holy Man and he is in heaven a Saint already, but, it will be a blessing to the America’s to have him as our Patron Saint. He will always be a Saint to me and I simply love him so very much. He gave us the light and he gave us hope in Jesus. And he gave us a love for our heavenly Mother, Mary. May the Lord grant His Sainthood. Amen.
I hope the Vatican approves. Fulton Sheen still has quite a ways to go before be declaring a saint. That being said, I think it will definitely be within the decade maximum.
I remember once in a homily that bishop Sheen gave that, he stated he was introduced to a woman who had an extreme drinking problem. She wasn’t catholic and was advised to see the bishop by mutual friends who believed that he was the only one capable of assisting and healing her terrible habit. In short, after a rather lenghty talk ,he gave her this advise. He said to her. ‘When do you have the urge to drink.? She replied,‘whenever I pass a bar.’ Which then the bishop replied,‘whenever you get the urge and begin to grab the door handle of the bar, immediately say to yourself,Do I love alchohol more than God, or do I love God more than alchohol.’ Month’s later she wrote to him that she did indeed have that moment and defeated the devils temptation by saying the words that the bishop prescribed. The woman never again touched a drop of alchohol again. After I heard that, I also applied it to my evil urges as well. It really does put your priorities of life into perspective and it most certainly does work. I pray everyday for the help of bishop Sheen and other saints in assisting me to become closer to Jesus.
I am alive because of one miracle he performed. How can anyone ever repay that?
Yes, the cause still has a ways to go. Hopefully next December he may be declared venerable.
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