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TV Priest's Path to Sainthood Nears Climax
24 Sep
Summary
- Archbishop Fulton Sheen will be beatified, moving one step closer to sainthood.
- Tens of thousands are gathering in St. Louis for the beatification ceremony.
- A miracle involving a child revived without a pulse was attributed to Sheen.
Decades after captivating American living rooms, the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen is on the cusp of sainthood. A formal beatification ceremony is set to take place in St. Louis, designating him as Blessed Fulton Sheen. This significant event honors a prelate who was a pioneer in religious broadcasting through his television show "Life is Worth Living" in the 1950s.
An estimated 48,000 tickets have been distributed for the ceremony at the Dome at America's Center. The beatification process requires a miracle, and the Vatican has approved one attributed to Sheen: the resuscitation of an infant born without a pulse in 2010. This child, James Fulton Engstrom, is expected to present relics at the ceremony.
The path to beatification faced delays, including a postponement in 2019 due to legal investigations into clerical abuse in New York. However, Church officials concluded Sheen's record warranted no further delay. Sheen, born in 1895, was known for his plainspoken religious lessons and evangelization efforts across media platforms.
