PEORIA – Bishop Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria Illinois and Promoter for the Cause of Canonization for Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen announced today that the New York Supreme Court ruled in favor of Joan Sheen Cunnigham, the Archbishop’s niece.
The ruling will allow the physical remains of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be moved from their current residence in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in New York City to the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Peoria, Illinois.
Read more about the history of this court case: Sheen Family Petitions NY Supreme Court to Move Body of Archbishop to Peoria, IL
This latest hearing is the second time that the Superior Court of New York ruled in favor of the Joan Cunnigham. The purpose of this year’s hearing was to make a decision on issues of differing testimony between key witnesses.
“It is truly good news that the court determined that Monsignor Franco, the witness for the Archdiocese of New York, testified completely in line with the testimony of Joan Cunnigham,” the official press release from the Catholic Diocese of Peoria stated. “Therefore, both supported their understanding that above all else, Archbishop Sheen would not have objected to his remains being transferred to Peoria, Illinois.”
The process of moving the remains of the Archbishop is hoped to begin immediately.
“Bishop Jenky encourages everyone to pray for a renewed spirit of cooperation in the effort to beatify the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. It is important to note that, among people of faith, this ruling was issued on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a feast that Venerable Fulton Sheen deeply loved,” the diocesan press release stated.
Judge Bluth gave the final decision on the case. “It follows that Archbishop Sheen would care much less about the location of his earthly remains than his ability, as a saint, to continue to serve man and God on a grand scale after his earthly demise.”
She went on to say that “everyone at the hearing testified that Archbishop Sheen, a devout Catholic, would definitely want to be named a saint because it would help him continue to serve man and God and Catholics all around the globe for generations and generations.”
Moving the Archbishop’s remains is the next step towards bringing the cause for beatification to completion – including a beatification ceremony in Peoria, Illinois.
