The Deacon's Bench
A New York judge has ruled in favor of the Diocese of Peoria’s lawsuit to bring home the remains of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
The ruling, by Justice Arlene Bluth, directs the Archdiocese of New York to cooperate with the Diocese of Peoria in relocating the remains. Patricia Gibson, attorney for the Peoria Diocese, says she will begin that process Friday.
“In our mind, it’s a classic David-versus-Goliath victory,” Gibson said. ” … We hope (the relocation of remains) can happen before Christmas.”
Sheen’s remains would be interred in a marble crypt to be built near the altar at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria, where the El Paso native was ordained as a priest.
Sheen, who died at age 84 in 1979, is buried in the crypt under the sanctuary at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. The Peoria Diocese has spearheaded a campaign for sainthood for Sheen, who became renowned as television’s first televangelist. In the sainthood process, a custom of the canonization comes into play: the remains of a saint get buried at the site of where the sainthood petition began — in this case, Peoria.
Read more about the controversy surrounding his remains here.
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