Sheen Family Trying To Bring Archbishop’s Remains To Peoria

Relatives of Illinois-born Archbishop Fulton Sheen have taken a step they say is key in re-launching an effort to have him canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

The Catholic Diocese of Peoria announced this week Sheen's family agreed to file paperwork in New York to move his remains from St. Patrick's Cathedral to Peoria's St. Mary's Cathedral.

The Journal Star in Peoria reports Joan Sheen Cunningham, Sheen's 88-year-old niece, filed the petition, which also has the support of her siblings. 

In 2014, the refusal of the Archdiocese of New York to permit the transfer of Sheen's remains led the Peoria Diocese to suspend its push for Sheen's sainthood.

The New York archdiocese now says Sheen's remains could go to Peoria for any beatification ceremony and then be returned to New York.

Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) was born in El Paso in Woodford County, Illinois, and attended parochial school in Peoria, where he also served as a parish priest early in his career. Sheen gained fame for his broadcasts on radio and TV, especially his “Life Is Worth Living” series on network television in the 1950’s.

In the 1960’s, Sheen served as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, New York. He is recognized as “venerable” in the Roman Catholic Church, as a result of the Vatican’s recognition of his life as one of “heroic virtue”. The recognition is considered a major step towards an eventual beatification.