Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation

Dr. Andrea Ambrosi

Dr. Andrea Ambrosi
Postulator

Dr. Andrea Ambrosi serves as the Postulator for Archbishop Sheen's canonization cause. As Postulator, he is responsible for making detailed, thorough, reverential arguments for Archbishop Sheen's promotion to "venerable" or "blessed" status or, even higher, to sainthood.

Canon Law (the legal code of the Catholic Church) says a postulator's job is to "examine, collect and research historical and theological material about the individual for whom the honors of the altar are sought and to present that case to the bishop of the diocese and Holy See."

Dr. Ambrosi began his work as Roman Postulator in the early 1980s and estimates that he has handled more than 300 cases. An example of a case that he is currently working on is that of Rosary Priest Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.

Before 1983, when Pope John Paul II changed the rules, an official postulator had to be a priest who had three different academic degrees. Now lay people with one degree and specific education in the field can do the work. But like his father before him, Dr. Ambrosi was working in the genre long before John Paul's reforms, as a lay attorney. He assisted on his first cause in 1971.

One of Dr. Ambrosi's most important functions in the early years was to play Devil's Advocate, and not just as a generic figure of speech. As part of the ancient, protracted and labyrinthine Church process of beatification and canonization, there is always an official "accuser" whose job is to try to rip a case to shreds.

"It was incredible training," said Dr. Ambrosi. "Because to be a good defender, you have to know how to be a good accuser."

In the world, there are perhaps only 30 people who do what Dr. Ambrosi does. But since Dr. Ambrosi spent three years playing Devil's Advocate and gaining invaluable experience with the General Promoter of the Faith, a Vatican position within the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, by the time John Paul II instituted his sweeping procedural changes, he was a seasoned pro.

Father Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.
Vice-Postulator

Father Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., is the Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Canonization of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He is a member of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1967 and has been active in teaching, preaching retreats and parish missions, and in giving spiritual direction. He is also an adjunct faculty member of Saint Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York. In his community, he has served as Community Servant and Novice Director. He was instrumental in 1988 in helping to found the Community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.

Father Andrew has been active over the years producing different TV series for EWTN. He has also been giving talks on various spiritual topics, many of which are available as videos, DVD's, CD's, and tapes. He has written 7 books and 3 pamphlets.

Father Deptula

Father Stanley Deptula
Executive Director

Born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, Father Stanley Deptula was ordained a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria on May 25, 1996. He served in parishes in Moline, Wenona, Lostant and Minonk. He also served as the assistant director of the Newman Foundation of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and was involved in the founding of the Newman Foundation at Eureka College where he currently serves as pastor.

Bishop Daniel Jenky, C.S.C. recently appointed Father Deptula as the new Executive Director for the Archbishop Sheen Foundation. He joined the Foundation just as it closed its diocesan investigations into Archbishop Sheen's life and works in April of 2006.

Father Deptula was privileged to be present when the final documents pertaining to the cause were turned over to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. Here is what he had to say about his new role:

“As I understand it, now that the cause is in Rome, the focus of the Sheen Foundation will be more and more on fostering the cause through devotion to the life, teaching and example of the Servant of God.”

“Following his example, we are going to use as much modern media as we can to help bring people the message of Archbishop Sheen, and through him, help people to reach a deeper relationship with Christ and his Church.”

In addition to fostering a deeper devotion to Archbishop Sheen, Father Deptula will also be heading up the various fundraising projects of the Sheen Foundation, helping to ensure that all expenses relating to the cause and the various operations of the Foundation’s offices are met.

John Gibson

John Gibson
Director of Office of Development and Stewardship
Diocese of Peoria, Illinois

Mr. Gibson has been active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and its person-to-person outreach to the poor and needy for more than 35 years. A daily communicant, he is also the right to life representative for his parish and for two decades has participated in a monthly devotion for peace and religious freedom sponsored by the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima.

In 2004, after retiring from leadership in the business community – including as president and CEO of the Peoria-based Employers Association and vice president of personnel services at Keystone Consolidated Industries – he joined the Curia of the Diocese of Peoria as director of the Office of Development and Stewardship. He formulated long-term strategic plans for the material needs of the diocese and communicates the concepts of stewardship to parishes and institutions.

Specifically, Mr. Gibson oversees the Annual Diocesan Appeal, serves as secretary and administrator of three endowment boards created by the Rooted in Faith Capital Campaign, and is a member of the diocese’s finance and investment committees.

He also is chairman of Board of Directors for The Catholic Post.

A member of the Knights of Columbus, Mr. Gibson and his wife, Camille, are active in numerous civic groups. He has been involved with Youth Farm, Midstate College, the Peoria Historical Society, and the Better Business Bureau, where he served as chairman.



		Those Who Are Involved With The Cause Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C. - Bishop of Competence Dr. Andrea Ambrosi - Postulator Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. - Vice-Postulator Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C. Bishop of Competence Bishop Daniel Jenky was born in Chicago on March 3, 1947. He entered the Congregation of Holy Cross and earned his College degree in History as well as his Masters in Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He was ordained a priest on April 6, 1974. After Ordination, he held various positions at the University and eventually became Superior of the Holy Cross Religious community at Notre Dame. In October 1997 Pope John Paul II named him Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. He was ordained a Bishop on December 16, 1997. Pope John Paul II later appointed him as the Eighth Bishop of Peoria, where he was installed as Local Ordinary on April 10, 2002. Bishop Jenky, as he himself put it, "delighted and proud," formally petitioned the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome to open the Cause of Archbishop Sheen. As he said when he announced that the petition was being made, "I am delighted to think that an American son born in our American heartland is a possibility for sainthood. To have a son of the heartland witness for Jesus in such a spectacular way, I'd be as proud as could be." By his petitioning, Bishop Jenky is referred to as the Bishop of Competence in sponsoring the work of the Cause.












	The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation MAIN OFFICE P.O. Box 728 Peoria, IL 61652-0728 Phone: 309-671-1550 Ext. 249 Fax: 309-677-6798 OFFICE OF THE VICE-POSTULATOR P.O. Box 1007 Yonkers, NY 10704-1007 Website: www.archbishopsheencause.org Email: info@archbishopsheencause.org
		Dr. Andrea Ambrosi Postulator Dr. Andrea Ambrosi serves as the Postulator for Archbishop Sheen's canonization cause. As Postulator, he is responsible for making detailed, thorough, reverential arguments for Archbishop Sheen's promotion to "venerable" or "blessed" status or, even higher, to sainthood. Canon Law (the legal code of the Catholic Church) says a postulator's job is to "examine, collect and research historical and theological material about the individual for whom the honors of the altar are sought and to present that case to the bishop of the diocese and Holy See." Dr. Ambrosi began his work as Roman Postulator in the early 1980s and estimates that he has handled more than 300 cases. An example of a case that he is currently working on is that of Rosary Priest Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C. Before 1983, when Pope John Paul II changed the rules, an official postulator had to be a priest who had three different academic degrees. Now lay people with one degree and specific education in the field can do the work. But like his father before him, Dr. Ambrosi was working in the genre long before John Paul's reforms, as a lay attorney. He assisted on his first cause in 1971. One of Dr. Ambrosi's most important functions in the early years was to play Devil's Advocate, and not just as a generic figure of speech. As part of the ancient, protracted and labyrinthine Church process of beatification and canonization, there is always an official "accuser" whose job is to try to rip a case to shreds. "It was incredible training," said Dr. Ambrosi. "Because to be a good defender, you have to know how to be a good accuser." In the world, there are perhaps only 30 people who do what Dr. Ambrosi does. But since Dr. Ambrosi spent three years playing Devil's Advocate and gaining invaluable experience with the General Promoter of the Faith, a Vatican position within the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, by the time John Paul II instituted his sweeping procedural changes, he was a seasoned pro. Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. Vice-Postulator Father Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., is the Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Canonization of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He is a member of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1967 and has been active in teaching, preaching retreats and parish missions, and in giving spiritual direction. He is also an adjunct faculty member of Saint Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York. In his community, he has served as Community Servant and Novice Director. He was instrumental in 1988 in helping to found the Community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal. Father Andrew has been active over the years producing different TV series for EWTN. He has also been giving talks on various spiritual topics, many of which are available as videos, DVD's, CD's, and tapes. He has written 7 books and 3 pamphlets. Father Stanley Deptula Executive Director Born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, Father Stanley Deptula was ordained a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria on May 25, 1996. He served in parishes in Moline, Wenona, Lostant and Minonk. He also served as the assistant director of the Newman Foundation of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and was involved in the founding of the Newman Foundation at Eureka College where he currently serves as pastor. Bishop Daniel Jenky, C.S.C. recently appointed Father Deptula as the new Executive Director for the Archbishop Sheen Foundation. He joined the Foundation just as it closed its diocesan investigations into Archbishop Sheen's life and works in April of 2006. Father Deptula was privileged to be present when the final documents pertaining to the cause were turned over to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. Here is what he had to say about his new role: “As I understand it, now that the cause is in Rome, the focus of the Sheen Foundation will be more and more on fostering the cause through devotion to the life, teaching and example of the Servant of God.” “Following his example, we are going to use as much modern media as we can to help bring people the message of Archbishop Sheen, and through him, help people to reach a deeper relationship with Christ and his Church.” In addition to fostering a deeper devotion to Archbishop Sheen, Father Deptula will also be heading up the various fundraising projects of the Sheen Foundation, helping to ensure that all expenses relating to the cause and the various operations of the Foundation’s offices are met. John Gibson Director of Office of Development and Stewardship Diocese of Peoria, Illinois Mr. Gibson has been active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and its person-to-person outreach to the poor and needy for more than 35 years. A daily communicant, he is also the right to life representative for his parish and for two decades has participated in a monthly devotion for peace and religious freedom sponsored by the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima. In 2004, after retiring from leadership in the business community – including as president and CEO of the Peoria-based Employers Association and vice president of personnel services at Keystone Consolidated Industries – he joined the Curia of the Diocese of Peoria as director of the Office of Development and Stewardship. He formulated long-term strategic plans for the material needs of the diocese and communicates the concepts of stewardship to parishes and institutions. Specifically, Mr. Gibson oversees the Annual Diocesan Appeal, serves as secretary and administrator of three endowment boards created by the Rooted in Faith Capital Campaign, and is a member of the diocese’s finance and investment committees. He also is chairman of Board of Directors for The Catholic Post. A member of the Knights of Columbus, Mr. Gibson and his wife, Camille, are active in numerous civic groups. He has been involved with Youth Farm, Midstate College, the Peoria Historical Society, and the Better Business Bureau, where he served as chairman.
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