Posted on 10/07/2015 1:55:05 PM PDT by markomalley
The cause for sainthood for Ven. Abp. Fulton J. Sheen has made no progress, according to the vice postulator of the process.
Father Andrew Apostoli, a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, stated in an interview Sunday, in reference to Abp. Sheen's cause for canonization: "No, there are no signs of movement at all."
However, Fr. Apostoli seemed confident that the process would move forward eventually, saying that "[Sheen] will be canonized" and that it was a matter of "how and when."
Fulton J. Sheen is world-renowned as a pioneer in radio and television, twice winning an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality. In 1930 Sheen began the Sunday night radio program "The Catholic Hour," which broadcast for 20 years before he made the move to television in 1951, hosting the groundbreaking and immensely popular show "Life Is Worth Living." At its peak the program drew in an estimated 30 million viewers each week. It had its final broadcast in 1957.
Sheen served as the auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of New York from 1951 until 1966, when he was appointed bishop of Rochester, a position he held until resigning in 1969.
He is celebrated as one of the leading theologians of the 20th century, having authored over 65 books and taught philosophy at the Catholic University of America for many years. When Sheen met Pope John Paul II at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York in 1979 — two months before his death — the pontiff embraced him, saying, "You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal son of the Church."
The cause for canonization began in 2002 when Fr. Apostoli contacted the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, per the advice of then archbishop of New York Edward Egan, and received confirmation that both the diocese of Rochester and the diocese of Peoria, Illinois — where Sheen was ordained a priest and briefly served as a parish pastor — had claim on jurisdiction to open the cause. Cardinal Egan also promised on at least two occasions that Sheen's remains would be sent to Peoria so the cause could move forward.
Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria was approved by the Vatican later that year as the bishop with jurisdiction and Fr. Apostoli was named vice postulator.
In 2009 the diocesan stage of the investigation was concluded and the results sent to the Vatican; in 2012 the Holy See recognized Sheen's life as containing "heroic virtues" and the archbishop was declared a "Venerable Servant of God."
The next step entailed medical and theological approval of a miracle attributed to Sheen; a panel of seven doctors found no determinable natural cause to explain the miracle (involving a newborn whose heart stopped beating for 61 minutes before he was resuscitated and recovered to full health), and a group of several theologians agreed that the miracle was attributable to the invocation of Sheen.
The cause met a brick wall in 2014 when the next step in the process — examination of the body of Ven. Abp. Sheen — was unexpectedly stymied by the archdiocese of New York under Cdl. Timothy Dolan, which abruptly and categorically rejected all requests to move the archbishop's remains to Peoria. Father Apostoli is confirming that there has been no advancement of the cause since that time.
Watch ChurchMilitant.com's earlier news report on Abp. Sheen's cause for canonization:
Not catholic, but for cryin out loud....Sheen? Saint?
Maybe in a hundred years or so..
I remember watching Bishop Sheen as a child. He really knew his stuff.
Used to love watching him when I was a kid.
No, I’m not Catholic.
Watched some of his shows recently on TV.
unless there’s something I don’t know about Abs. Sheen,
I sincerely hope and pray his candidacy does move forward.
He did so much good, imho. A ton of good!!
I love the talks of Bishop Sheen.
But my brother lived in Rochester when he took over that diocese, and the modernist “vatican II” types took over their churches. It got quite bad, and the poor bishop finally resigned. Was he pressured to resign by the PC who ran the place? Or did he support them and they went too far and so he resigned before a major scandal exploded?
One wonders.
If he is a saint, no problem. God will send miracles and the people will remember him in a hundred years. No hurry.
Dolan won’t last forever.
The fact that he has been declared "Venerable" means that his life has been thoroughly investigated and found to be an example of heroic virtue.
Agreed. (the necessary miracles will undoubtably be forthcoming in due course - perhaps he could suddenly intercede and appear on our tv screens every time the networks try to foist yet more “Obama reading lies at us from Totus”??? Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change, ha! Well, perhaps that’s praying for too much...). Thanks. Keep faith
Some saints’ causes move along quickly, and others languish for centuries.
It would be nice to have the shade of Bishop Sheen appear on everyone’s screens, though.
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