The bishop of the Catholic Church diocese covering the Galesburg area says he needs the entire faith community’s help in making sure a legendary archbishop and T.V. figure from the area become a saint.
Bishop Daniel Jenky is asking for all Catholics to participate in a nine-day period of prayer, according to a news release, “to petition God unceasingly” that the cause of Archbishop Fulton Sheen being beatified and ultimately canonized as a saint can move forward.
The beatification ceremony was to be held in Peoria — Sheen’s original church home — on December 21st. But it was announced last week that the ceremony is being delayed — reportedly by the Bishop of Rochester, New York. The Catholic News Agency reports the bishop cited ongoing criminal investigations into the Catholic Churches of New York state.
Peoria Diocese officials have accused the Rochester Diocese of “sabotaging” the process.
The nine-day period of prayer being requested is known in the church as a “novena” and would start December 12th — the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe — and is being announced in connection with the 40th anniversary of Sheen’s death.
