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The miracle that cleared the way for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beatification begins with a child who appeared to have no chance of survival.

James Fulton Engstrom was born at home in central Illinois on September 16, 2010. The delivery became an emergency, and when James was born, he showed no signs of life.

His father, Travis, immediately baptized him.

As James’ mother Bonnie Engstrom later recalled in her book, 61 Minutes to a Miracle, Travis took the cup of water she had been drinking from during labor, dipped his fingers into it and traced the Sign of the Cross over their son’s forehead.

“James Fulton, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” he said.

It was the first time the parents had spoken their son’s full name.

“There was power in it,” Bonnie wrote, because she and Travis had intentionally chosen names for their children that would invoke the saints each time they were spoken.

James had been named in part for Archbishop Sheen, the Illinois-born priest whose preaching, broadcasting and missionary leadership had brought the Catholic faith into millions of American homes. Now, as emergency personnel worked to save the newborn, his family began asking Archbishop Sheen to pray for the child who carried his name.

James was rushed to OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where doctors and nurses continued efforts to revive him. Meanwhile, word of the emergency spread. Family members, friends and eventually strangers joined the Engstroms in praying specifically through Archbishop Sheen’s intercession for James to be restored to life and health.

For 61 minutes, the child had no pulse.

Medical personnel had exhausted the available measures and were preparing to record his time of death when something changed.

“My little boy, James Fulton, 9 lbs. and 12 oz., had been without a pulse for 61 minutes,” Bonnie later wrote. “Everyone stopped working. And then his heart started.”

His heart beginning to beat was extraordinary, but survival alone did not constitute the full miracle examined by the Church.

Because James had gone without a heartbeat and oxygen for so long, doctors expected severe and permanent consequences. Even if he survived, they anticipated profound neurological damage, serious disability or organ failure.

Instead, James continued to improve.

Early concerns about brain injury eventually gave way to a recovery that medical professionals could not explain. He developed without the severe cognitive or physical impairments expected after such a prolonged period without signs of life.

The Diocese of Peoria opened a formal investigation into the healing, gathering medical records and testimony. The case was later examined in Rome by medical specialists, theologians, and members of the Vatican congregation responsible for the causes of saints.

In 2014, the medical commission unanimously concluded that James’ recovery could not be explained by current medical knowledge. The theologians then confirmed that the healing followed specific and sustained prayers for Archbishop Sheen’s intercession.

Pope Francis authorized the decree recognizing the miracle on July 6, 2019, clearing the way for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification. Pope Leo XIV set the date, September 24, 2026.

For the Engstrom family, however, the story is not primarily about a canonical process. It is about a son who was baptized when he appeared to be dead, a community that prayed, and a life returned when hope seemed gone.

James Fulton’s name was intended from the beginning to invoke the intercession of a holy man.

Now his life has become inseparably linked to the Church’s recognition of Archbishop Sheen’s holiness.

Understanding Beatification: The Path to “Blessed”

Beatification is the step just short of canonization in the Catholic Church’s process for declaring a person a saint.

Once beatified, a person receives the title “Blessed” and may be publicly venerated within a diocese, region, or religious community, though not yet by the universal Church.

The process typically begins at least five years after a person’s death, when a diocese opens an investigation into their life, writings, and reputation for holiness.

If the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints approves, the candidate is declared a “Servant of God.”

A further finding that the person lived the Christian virtues “heroically” earns the title “Venerable.”

For beatification to follow, a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession must typically be investigated and confirmed—medically, theologically, and finally by the pope himself.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s cause opened in 2002.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared him “Venerable,” recognizing his heroic virtue.

In 2019, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to his intercession—the healing of James Fulton Engstrom—clearing the way for beatification.

Archbishop Sheen was beatified on September 24, 2026, at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presiding as the representative of Pope Leo XIV.

Vespers were celebrated the evening before, September 23, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

One further miracle attributed to his intercession after beatification would be required for Archbishop Sheen to be canonized a saint—a milestone many who love him, including Monsignor Roger J. Landry, are already praying for.

Click HERE to read the full issue of MISSION Magazine where this article was featured →
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/71285148/mission-magazine-dedicated-to-blessed-fulton-sheen