Illinois’ Own Fulton Sheen Declared ‘Blessed’ After Local Miracle Confirmed
If you drove down I-55 toward St. Louis this weekend, you likely passed thousands of fellow Illinoisans heading to the Cathedral Basilica for a historic homecoming. Peoria-born Archbishop Fulton Sheen—the golden-voiced pioneer of Catholic radio and TV—was officially beatified Saturday, earning the title "Blessed" just one step shy of sainthood.
For the Fox Valley faithful, this hits close to home. The miracle that sealed the deal didn’t happen in Rome; it happened right here in central Illinois. In 2010, James Fulton Engstrom was born without a pulse in a Goodfield hospital—about 90 minutes south of Aurora. After 61 minutes of CPR with no heartbeat, doctors prepared to call time of death. His parents, Travis and Bonnie, prayed fervently to Sheen, a family devotion. Seconds later, James’s heart started beating on its own. Today, he’s a healthy teenager with zero neurological damage—a recovery the Vatican ruled "scientifically inexplicable."
Sheen’s journey from an El Paso, Illinois farm boy to the first American-born "TV priest" (his Life is Worth Living drew 30 million weekly viewers in the ’50s) has deep diocesan roots. He was ordained in Peoria in 1919, and his cause for canonization has been championed by the Diocese of Peoria for decades.
Saturday’s Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Luis Ladaria, drew an estimated 12,000 inside the basilica and thousands more overflowing outside. For Aurora-area Catholics, it’s a reminder that holiness isn't just found in ancient history—it’s written in the delivery rooms of our regional hospitals and the parishes of our neighbors.
Want to learn more? The Sheen Trail in Peoria—including his tomb at St. Mary’s Cathedral—is an easy day trip from Aurora for anyone wanting to walk the path of Illinois’ newest Blessed.
