Bishop Fulton Sheen Birthday Mass

 To watch the entire Mass click here: Birthday Mass

Mass for the celebration of Archbishop Fulton Sheen's Birthday.  Bishop Sheen's family gathered for Mass in the Tomb of Bishop Sheen located inside St. Mary's Cathedral in Peoria, IL.  The main celebrant was Bishop Lou Tylka and the homily was given by Msgr. Stanley Deptula, Executive Director of the Cause for Canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.  In attendance were Bishop Daniel Jenky, CSC who started and continues to promote the Cause.  Also in attendance were many members of Sheen's family including his closest relatives, Joan Sheen Cunningham, Dolores Sheen and Paul Cunningham.  Many other relatives came to pray for their family member Fulton Sheen. Happy Birthday Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen!

Bishops and Family Gather to Celebrate Sheen’s Birthday

NEWS RELEASE
May 6, 2021

Catholic Diocese of Peoria and
The Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foundation
419 NE Madison Avenue
Peoria, IL 61603
309-671-1550
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Bishops and Family Gather to Celebrate Sheen’s Birthday
In honor of the anniversary of the birth of Venerable Fulton Sheen, Bishop Louis Tylka, Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria, will offer Mass on Saturday, May 8, 2021 in front of the Sheen Tomb, located
in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Peoria, IL. In person attendance at the Mass is by invitation only, but the Mass will be livestreamed for the public with a link on the diocesan website: CDOP.org
Joining Bishop Tylka will be Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, Bishop of Peoria, who opened the Cause for Sheen’s cause for sainthood in 2002. Monsignor Stanley Deptula, Executive Director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, will preach the homily. Attending the Mass will be Archbishop Sheen’s niece, Mrs. Joan Cunningham who is making a special visit to Peoria to participate in the Mass as well as to present the Sheen Foundation with a number of ‘treasures’ from Archbishop Sheen. Among the many personal items that are being given to the Foundation are items from his office, and personal chapel, including the prie diue (kneeler) that Sheen often used for prayer. Most notably, Mrs. Cunningham will present to Bishop Jenky and Bishop Tylka the Emmy Award Archbishop Sheen won in 1952 for his television show Life is Worth Living. The items received by the Foundation will be catalogued and eventually displayed in the Sheen Museum, currently located in the Spalding Pastoral Center.
Bishop Tylka commented: “The donation of these wonderful effects of Archbishop Sheen are truly a gift from Joan Cunningham. They will all help us to continue to promote the legacy of Venerable Sheen for generations to come. I am committed to moving forward in sharing the remarkable work of Archbishop Sheen, especially in the area of evangelization. God willing, the Church will one day canonize this holy man; but until then we will continue to everything we can in the Diocese of Peoria to share the story of this Servant of God. I am so grateful for the generosity of Joan and
her son Paul.”
For background information about Fulton Sheen and the cause to name him a saint of the Catholic Church, visit: ArchbishopSheenCause.org
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