James Fulton: First Alleged Miracle Toward the Beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen

By Bonnie Engstrom
7/3/2012
Ignitum Today (www.ignitumtoday.com)

My family and I believe that God brought James back from the dead and healed his body. We believe that He did this through the intercession of Archbishop Sheen.

One year ago today I delivered my son, a stillborn. For a moment he was placed in my arms quiet, blue, and limp. The midwife and her assistant then took him from me and began CPR. They could not find a pulse. He did not breathe. They stopped working on him so they could call time of death. My little boy, James Fulton, 9lbs and 12oz, had been without a pulse for 61 minutes. Everyone stopped working. And then his heart started.

James Fulton, dubbed the 'miracle' boy, is now 1 year-old. His healing is attributed to the intercession of Bishop Sheen

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WASHINGTON, DC (Ignitum Today) - This story originally appeared at Ignitum Today. It is republished here with the author's permission.

*Update: James Fulton's amazing recovery has been officially approved as the first alleged miracle toward the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen.

One year ago today I delivered my son, a stillborn. For a moment he was placed in my arms quiet, blue, and limp. The midwife and her assistant then took him from me and began CPR. They could not find a pulse. He did not breathe. Because we were at home (it was my third, planned homebirth) 911 was called.

While CPR was continued and we waited for the ambulance my husband took water and baptized him using the name we had agreed upon, James Fulton. I remember sitting on the floor saying, "Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen, Fulton Sheen" over and over again in my head. I suppose it was as close as I could come to a prayer; I suppose it was my way of asking Archbishop Sheen to interceded for my son.

The paramedics came and rushed James away. In route, as they tried to restart his heart, they gave him two doses of epinephrine by lines in the shin bone. Neither worked and one leaked out, turning his whole right leg - from toe tip to buttock - black and blue and purple. In the ER the doctors and nurses worked on him for another 18 minutes or so. A nurse practitioner told me she wanted James' mother to be able to hold him alive for a little bit. Five minutes, an hour - she just wanted my son to be alive long enough for me to say good-bye.

They did a sonogram of his heart. It fluttered but it didn't beat. A nurse held his foot; she later told me it was cold, like the expression "cold and dead". He was intubated and getting oxygen, but there was no way that the chest compressions were adequately circulating the oxygen to the brain and other organs. Following the orders of the on-call neonatologist they stopped working on him so they could call time of death.

My little boy, James Fulton, 9lbs and 12oz, had been without a pulse for 61 minutes.

Everyone stopped working. And then his heart started.

James was admitted to the NICU at the Children's Hospital of Illinois and was immediately "cooled" - a newer type of therapy where they lower the body's temperature by a few degrees in an effort to spare the brain and other organs further and ongoing damage.

For three days he was sedated and shivering, covered in tubes and wires. They thought that he would not live to be a week old. They thought he would have to lose his right leg because of the chemical burn. They thought that if he did live he would be a "vegetable".

They tried to give us hope, but they thought that he would probably spend the rest of his life strapped in a wheelchair, blind, severely mentally disabled, on a ventilator, fed through a feeding tube, in diapers, unable to communicate love.

EEG's showed very abnormal brain activity. An MRI showed that the brain had been injured from the severe lack of oxygen.

At times I wondered if we should have just stayed home and never called 911. I worried that I had become Dr. Frankenstein and had, through other people, manipulated James into life. I worried that he would be treated like a monster.

In the situation we were in I could either worry or I could hope. I could fear or I could trust. We had prayerfully decided to have a homebirth and so I knew that we were following God's plan for our lives. I didn't know where we would end up, but I knew that I could not live in the dark - I had to hope and trust - I had to live in the Light.

So we prayed, and we asked people to pray with us. Two days after his birth 100 people, many I barely knew, came to the Peoria Diocese's cathedral. In the church where Fulton Sheen served Mass and was later ordained, we had a holy hour and Mass.

As a group we prayed for Sheen's intercession: Eternal Father, You alone grant us every blessing in Heaven and on earth, through the redemptive mission of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and by the working of the Holy Spirit. If it be according to Your Will, glorify Your servant, Fulton J. Sheen, by granting the favor I now request through his prayerful intercession - that James Fulton's body heals and functions normally and that he is spared any brain damage. I make this prayer confidently through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Friends told James' story on Facebook, in emails, on blogs, and to their prayer groups, prayer chains, Bible studies, family ...

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1 - 10 of 15 Comments

Judy Claar
10 months ago
It's about time! How I love this man. How we need him today more than ever! He would know how to speak in a child's language or college language or anywhere in between! I remember after he spoke in a theater, he wrote in one of his books: ( A man came up to me and said,
"Illuminating Father, Simply Illuminating", to which he replied: "What did I say, pray tell?" The man, dumbfounded by his question, could not come up with a syllable. Fulton Sheen, then took his hand in his and said, "The reason I asked you that question, is so I could prove to myself how much God is trying to humble me. Don't you see? If I had used words that were not so much above your head, you would have been able to answer me". Sighs of relief, and color of peaceful comfort returned to the man whom Fulton Sheen had questioned.) This of course is my memory, and it has always served me well. I thought I'd share a bit of his style of writing if you haven't read him. I too was a little girl who's family always had the black and white T.V. going in the front room. Fulton Sheen knew that WE are all Called to be Saints. Prayerful Blessings
Eleanor and Elaine Bersano
10 months ago
All followers of the wise Bishop Sheen should pray for his beatification and more.
This story about Little James is truly heart-warming! God bless him, his parents, and all who strived to save James and trusted in prayer and believed a miracle was possible!
This up-lifting, life-affirming story is the best news we have read about in a thousand days..
God bless, Praise the Lord Jesus,
Sisters: Eleanor and Elaine Bersano
Robert Burford
10 months ago
As a child in the 50's I remember the good bishops weekly TV show. He had an "angel" cleaning the blackboard. Isn't amazing that an entire nation could be revited by his teaching. Hopefully this little angel will grow up to be another teacher of God's word.
Zill
10 months ago
I am a great fan of Bishop Fulton Sheen and listen to his talks every Sunday evening on EWTN and have read some of his books. While thanking God for this wonderful miracle of James Fulton, it should encourage Americans as well as Catholics all over the world to pray for Bishop Sheen's intercession for the American people at this particular time to attain freedom of conscience and freedom to practice their religion which is in serious jeopardy.
terry
10 months ago
Glory Be To God.very touching story, made me cry.The power of Jesus thro' the saints is real.keep up the faith.ad may the Little James Grow up to Glorify The name of God and walk in the steps of the Arc.bishop.blessings
mikem
10 months ago
thanks so much for this. Now another miracle ! I think extending the prayer list to include so many other people is a very important part of the story. I would like the Deacon here to think about how real needs can be addressed by real people praying....how this site can help.?
Jerzy Gawor
10 months ago
Wonderful news!

We need Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be Canonized - truely a Saint for our times!

'God Bless you all!!!!'
kathy
10 months ago
Aw, what a wonderful article. God bless them all!
jh
10 months ago
I have always loved Archbishop Sheen, and by chance, was thinking of him this afternoon. He had mentioned in one of his talks, for the purpose of correction, the song, "I've Got to be Me." He said, "No,...we've got to be His."
Michael D. Mann
10 months ago
Maybe the Bishop is working overtime in heaven. Thank you God.

Last Friday, June 29,2012, I wrote a letter to our Archbishop here in Oregon, saying I thought to turn America's secular culture around we needed more American saints. Sunday I heard of Bishop Sheen's cause, it gave me a great sense of joy and hope, I wouldn't say a miracle but I would say a true blessing. So, thank Bishop Sheen for your intercessions! Please, continue to help us turn America's secular culture around and make America the kind of nation you envisioned and worked to build.

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