Sheen Foundation gathering information on ‘instantaneous’ cancer case, 5 other purported miracles

ST. LOUIS — Six purported miracles are attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as part of the process that could lead to his canonization, Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, said Thursday.

Gray made the announcement at a press conference with Bonnie Engstrom, whose newborn child was miraculously healed after she prayed for Sheen’s assistance. That confirmed miracle led to Sheen’s beatification.

Any purported miracle attributed to Sheen’s intercession that has taken place since Pope Francis announced his beatification in July 2019 can count toward his eventual canonization, which typically requires a second miracle to move forward.

Gray said efforts were underway to gather documentation.

“There’s a potential healing from Stage 4 cancer that resolved itself instantaneously. That one sounds pretty good,” Gray said. “There’s another one of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy of a newborn child. I have no idea what that is but it sounds really bad. So we have a couple different candidates, one for healing a cancer, and healing of another child. And that’s why it’s premature to say anything more than that. We’ll investigate and leave it in the hands of the Holy See.”

James Fulton Engstrom, in what medical experts characterize as a miracle, survived in spite of having spent 61 minutes without a heartbeat. The healthy 16-year-old will present several of Sheen’s relics during the beatification Mass today.

When asked why she chose to call upon Sheen specifically in such a dire moment, Engstrom noted that Sheen had been a favorite of their family for years — a “local boy” with a down-to-earth Midwestern air, a “warm character” who reminded Engstrom of her own grandfather and great-grandfather.

In an on-air interview with EWTN on Thursday, his mother said she and her husband, Travis, were impressed with how thorough the Vatican’s investigation into the miracle was.

“Travis and I felt very reassured that, wow, when the Catholic Church says something is a miracle, it is a miracle,” Engstrom said during the press conference.

The Mass, which can be viewed live on EWTN with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET,  will be celebrated by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Leo XIV’s representative.