After decades of anticipation and a cause marked by unexpected delays, the Diocese of Peoria has announced that Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — beloved evangelist, television pioneer and native son of Illinois — will at last be beatified, a joy-filled announcement that comes only after years of legal disputes and renewed scrutiny briefly slowed his path to the altars.
Archbishop Sheen, a native of El Paso, Ill., was ordained Sept. 20, 1919, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria. He taught at The Catholic University of America in Washington and led the Society of the Propagation of the Faith. He is best remembered for his popular television show, “Life Is Worth Living.”
He died in 1979 at age 84, and his cause for sainthood was officially opened in 2002. The Church declared his heroic virtues, and he was given the title “venerable” in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
The path to sainthood for Archbishop Sheen was anything but smooth. In 2014, the Vatican suspended his cause due to a dispute between the Diocese of Peoria, which had opened the cause, and the Archdiocese of New York, where the late archbishop was buried.
At the center of the disagreement was the wish of Joan Sheen Cunningham, the archbishop’s closest living relative, to have Archbishop Sheen’s remains buried in Peoria and a statement in his will that he wished to be buried in New York.
A New York State Court of Appeals sided with Cunningham in 2016, and his remains were moved to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria on June 27, 2019.
In July 2019, Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to the former archbishop of New York, paving the way for his beatification in December that year.
The miracle concerned the healing of James Fulton Engstrom of Washington, Illinois, who was stillborn when delivered during a home birth in 2010. After doctors were ready to declare him dead after showing no signs of life for 61 minutes, his heart began to beat after his parents prayed for a miracle through Archbishop Sheen’s intercession.
The beatification ceremony was to follow on Dec. 21 that same year.
However, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria announced Dec. 3 that it was postponed “at the request of a few members” of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In a statement issued a few days after Bishop Jenky’s announcement, the Diocese of Rochester said that prior to the beatification announcements, it had expressed concerns to the Diocese of Peoria and the then-Congregation for the Causes of Saints “about advancing the cause for the beatification of Archbishop Sheen at this time without a further review of his role in priests’ assignments.”
Archbishop Sheen served as bishop of Rochester from October 1966 until his retirement in October 1969. Upon his retirement, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
St. Paul VI named him archbishop of the titular see of Newport, Wales. Archbishop Sheen remained active, spending the last years of his life chiefly in writing and preaching.
The diocese said that although “other prelates” shared similar concerns, it had no complaints against Archbishop Sheen “engaging in any personal inappropriate conduct, nor were any insinuations made in this regard.”
“The Diocese of Rochester did its due diligence in this matter and believed that, while not casting suspicion, it was prudent that Archbishop Sheen’s cause receive further study and deliberation, while also acknowledging the competency of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to render its decision. The Holy See ultimately decided to postpone the beatification,” it said.
Nevertheless, no complaints have emerged, and no lawsuits or allegations were filed within the litigation window under New York’s Child Victims Act.
Read More Saints
Copyright © 2026 OSV News
