Bishop Fulton Sheen

Bishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

The Archbishop Fulton John Sheen Foundation has issued a press release announcing that the medical commission advising on his cause for beatification and canonization has approved the alleged miracle he performed on a still-born baby. The 7-member board of medical experts who advise the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints at the Vatican unanimously approved a reported miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen. In September 2010 the parents of a still born baby sought the intercession of Fulton Sheen after over an hour passed without the child showing any signs of life. Doctors attempted every possible life saving procedure but with no luck. After 61 minutes the baby was restored to full life and made a full recovery. The child, now three years old, continues in good health.
The team of medical experts advising the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints have found no “natural explanation” for the child’s recovery. The case will now be reviewed by a board of theologians and if approved by them, the case could move on to the cardinals and bishops who advise the Pope on such matters. “Finally, the miracle would be presented to Pope Francis who would then officially affirm that God performed a miracle through the intercession of Fulton Sheen.  There is no timeline as to when these next steps might  move forward, the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation press release informs. “Should Pope Francis validate this proposed miracle, Sheen could then be declared "Blessed" in a ceremony that could be celebrated in Peoria, Illinois, Sheen's hometown.  Upon the Holy Father signing the decree for the beatification, an additional miracle would lead to the Canonization of Archbishop Sheen, in which he would be declared a “Saint.”

Bishop Fulton Sheen delivering one of his sermons

Fulton Sheen was born in El Paso in 1895; a priest since 1919, he was sent to study Philosophy at Leuven University. A great apologist, he was given his own radio show in 1930 which he carried on for twenty years, with audience numbers going up week by week. When he became Auxiliary Bishop of New York in 1951, television network DuMont offered him a show that was to go on air every Tuesday at eight in the evening. 'Life is Worth Living' proved so successful that he received an Emmy Award for the show in 1952. When he collected it, Bishop Sheen expressed his gratitude to the authors: “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.” The program was broadcast until 1957, reaching audiences of thirty million people. In 1966 he was nominated Bishop of Rochester in the State of New York. He died in 1979 just a few months after John Paul II praised him for his commitment to the announcement of the Gospel.