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Nuns pray at the tomb of Archbishop Fulton Sheen at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Ill., on July 15, 2026.
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Catholics from the Peoria, Illinois, area are eagerly preparing for a long-awaited beatification service of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The Peoria native was a popular TV priest who had a towering impact on 20th-century Catholicism. The Sept. 24 service in St. Louis will formally designate him “Blessed Fulton Sheen,” one step away from sainthood. No one is more eagerly anticipating the ceremony than Bonnie Engstrom. When her son was born without a pulse in 2010, she and other Catholics sought the heavenly prayers of Sheen for healing. The Catholic Church concluded that the boy's resuscitation was a miracle and credited it to Sheen's prayers, making him eligible for beatification.
Tens of thousands of Catholic worshippers gathered in St. Louis for the beatification ceremony of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a pioneer of religious broadcasting. Thursday's event at the Dome at America's Center designated him “Blessed Fulton Sheen” and brought the former radio and TV pioneer one step from sainthood. Known for his show “Life is Worth Living,” Sheen was a prominent figure in American households. After years of delays, the ceremony was greenlighted by Pope Leo XIV, who recalled watching his fellow Illinois native on TV while growing up in Chicago. The ceremony honored Sheen's legacy in evangelization and media.
