Beatification for Archbishop Sheen

August 1, 2019

BEACON FILE PHOTO | TOM LYNCH

GUEST SPEAKER Archbishop Sheen participated in a lecture series at St. Vincent Martyr Parish, Madison, in March 1976. With the archbishop were: Joseph Imbriaco, series chairman; Father Edward Holterhoff, Msgr. Vincent Puma, pastor, and then-Father, now Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, then-diocesan vice-chancellor.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, frequent visitor to Diocese, to be beatified

By COURTNEY GROGAN, Catholic News Agency

Archbishop Sheen had family, personal connections with the Paterson Diocese

The world was Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s stage as the famed priest evangelized around the globe, touching hearts with Christ’s love through his radio and TV programs, personal appearances and books. Yet the archbishop maintained a connection with the Diocese of Paterson.

My friend, the archbishop. Archbishop Sheen spoke at the installation of Bishop James McNulty, the third Bishop of Paterson, his classmate at Louvain University in Belgium, at St. John’s Cathedral, Paterson, in 1953.

My neighbor, the archbishop. Archbishop Sheen crossed the Hudson River from his New York City apartment to speak in the Diocese of Paterson at three parishes: Christ the King, New Vernon, in 1974; St. Paul, Clifton, in 1975; and St. Vincent Martyr, Madison, in 1976.

“There was a big mob scene in our little country church,” Msgr. John Corr, then Christ the King pastor, told The Beacon at the time. “We had to call the police to control the number of people who wanted to get into the church to hear him speak. It was unbelievable what his appearance did for us and for our parish.”

St. Paul’s pastor then-Msgr. Frank Rodimer, noted that the archbishop spoke at Masses and took walks around the Clifton center neighborhood to greet residents. “He was the foremost exponent of the divine verity that life is worth living,” then Msgr. Rodimer said. “I learned much from him.”

My boss, the archbishop. Before arriving in the Diocese, where he served as communications director, Father Daniel Noonan was an assistant to Archbishop Sheen, when he was director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in New York City. Later Father Noonan wrote two books about his former boss. Also, when Archbishop Sheen was named bishop of Rochester, N.Y. in the 1960s, serving there at the time, as auxiliary bishop was Bishop Lawrence Casey, who was later named as the fifth bishop of Paterson on March 9, 1966.

My cousin, the archbishop. In 1958 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City, Archbishop Sheen officiated at the marriage of Yolanda Holliger, former music minister of Our Lady of Consolation Parish, Wayne, and her husband Tom, the archbishop’s cousin. Archbishop Sheen played Cupid by inviting Yolanda to come over to his apartment to give him private organ lessons. He also would invite Tom the same evening, so he could meet her.

Archbishop Sheen baptized the Holligers’ five children and, over the years, spent a lot of time with the family. While a student at DePaul Catholic High School, Wayne, in the 1970s, one daughter, Rosemarie, recalled the private man in a term paper. “He would often read bedtime stories in Latin and crawl around the floor with me,” Rosemarie wrote. “As I got older he would invite us to his home in New York City or to his office at the Propagation of the Faith. He would sit me on his knee and share some of his favorite candy — chocolates.”

— MICHAEL WOJCIK

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, making possible the American television evangelist's beatification.

The Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated the decree approving Sheen’s miracle on July 6.

The miracle involves the unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, a boy born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of Goodfield, Ill., near Peoria where Archbishop Sheen grew up. The baby, showing no signs of life, miraculously recovered after his parents prayed for the intercession of Archbishop Sheen to heal him. Even though the baby had no pulse for an hour after his birth, his heart started beating again and he showed no serious health problems as a result.

A seven-member panel of medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints gave unanimous approval of the miracle, which was attributed to the famous television personality in March 2014.

Archbishop Sheen was a beloved television catechist during the 1950s and 60s in the United States. His Emmy-award winning television show “Life is Worth Living” reached an audience of millions.

The archbishop, who had a worldwide reputation as the 20th century’s greatest English-speaking Catholic televangelist, had close ties to the Paterson Diocese. He befriended Paterson bishops, preached at parishes in the Diocese and kept in touch with friends and family who lived in the Diocese.

Archbishop Sheen was born May 8, 1895 in El Paso, Ill. near Peoria. His family moved to Peoria and he grew up in the parish of the Cathedral of St. Mary, where he was an altar server. He was ordained a priest at 24 in the cathedral in 1919. He served as a professor of philosophy and religion at the Catholic University of America before becoming a popular radio personality in the 1930s. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of New York in 1951, where he remained until his appointment as Bishop of Rochester, N.Y. in 1966. He retired in 1969 and moved back to New York City until his death in 1979 at 84.

He authored many books and headed the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the United States. Archbishop Sheen dedicated the profits from his books to foreign missions. His work helped to create 9,000 clinics, 10,000 orphanages and 1,200 schools. The institutions his donations support educated 80,000 seminarians and 9,000 vowed religious.

On June 27, Archbishop Sheen’s remains were transferred from the Archdiocese of New York to Peoria following a long legal battle over the late archbishop's burial place that had put his sainthood cause on hold.

The Diocese of Peoria had opened the cause for his canonization in 2002, after Archdiocese of New York said it would not explore the case. In 2012, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI recognized the heroic virtues of the archbishop.

In September 2014, Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria suspended Sheen’s cause on the grounds that the Holy See expected Sheen’s remains to be in the Peoria Diocese.

The archbishop’s niece, Joan Cunningham, filed a legal complaint in 2016 seeking to have her uncle’s remains moved to the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria. The Archdiocese of New York repeatedly appealed the attempt to transfer Sheen’s remains to Peoria.

On June 7, the New York Court of Appeals denied further appeal of the New York Supreme Court decision upholding Cunningham’s petition and later that month Sheen’s remains were moved to Peoria.

No date has been set by the Vatican for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification. Another recognized miracle attributed to Archbishop Sheen would lead to his canonization as a saint.