He captivated millions on TV. Now Archbishop Fulton Sheen is one step closer to sainthood
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Bonnie Engstrom believes a long-deceased TV priest helped save her son’s life after he was born in 2010 without a pulse. The Catholic Church agreed, declaring the boy’s resuscitation a…
Bonnie Engstrom, a mother from Washington, Illinois, credits the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen for saving her son’s life in 2010 when the infant was born without a pulse. Her son, now a healthy teenager, will carry a relic of the late prelate at a ceremony marking Sheen's step towards sainthood. Known as the "first televangelist," Sheen gained immense popularity in the 1950s with his religious broadcasts on television, including the show "Life is Worth Living."
Despite the show's predominantly religious content, it bore no narrow Catholic emphasis, competing successfully against other entertainment programs. Her son will join a large gathering of believers, including hundreds of thousands expected nationwide, as well as smaller events in Sheen's hometown of Peoria, Illinois. Pope Leo XIV of the Catholic Church officially approved the beatification process in February after years of delays.
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