Fulton Sheen to be beatified  September 24 in USA

Renowned Catholic priest, Archbishop Fulton Sheen will be beatified on September 24 in the United States of America.

This was according to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Earlier this year the Vatican gave final approval for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to be beatified. This was after a miracle was already approved through his intercession.

After an extensive medical study, a miracle in 2010 was attributed to Fulton Sheen’s intercession. The miracle involves the unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria-area town of Goodfield.

A seven-member panel of medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints gave unanimous approval of the miracle.

This miracle opened up the possibility for Fulton Sheen to be beatified, and after a public battle over his remains between the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Peoria, everything was cleared for the ceremony to take place.

The original date was December 21, 2019, when weeks before the ceremony, the Vatican issued a pause, due to a legal investigation into sex abuse claims in the Diocese of Rochester, New York.

Since then, Fulton Sheen has been cleared and there exists no accusation that had any foundation.

Beatification set for September 24, 2026

While no announcement has been made by the Fulton Sheen Foundation, or the Diocese of Peoria, the Vatican itself has made public the date of his beatification.

Listed on the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints website, the details are as follows:

The rite of beatification of Fulton John Sheen will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in Saint Louis (United States of America); the representative of the Holy Father will be Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle.

Once these details are confirmed by the Fulton Sheen Foundation, they will be listed on their website.

Our Lady is celebrated on September 24 with at least two titles: Our Lady of Walsingham and Our Lady of Mercy.

Blessed Fulton Sheen will be celebrated December 9 (the date of his death in 1979), which is also the feast day of St. Juan Diego.