Crates that had been packed in Peoria and sealed during a Feb. 3 Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral were opened and inspected. They contained boxes of documentation as well as the writings of Archbishop Sheen, a native of El Paso who gained international fame as a radio and television pioneer, orator, and author.

Two priests from the Diocese of Peoria were present for the formal opening, including Father Stanley Deptula, who this month was appointed executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC. Father Deptula will also serve as promoter of the cause, succeeding Msgr. Richard Soseman, who served in that capacity for four years.

Msgr. Soseman, who now lives in Rome and serves in the Congregation for the Clergy at the Vatican, also attended the April 15 ceremonies.

FATHER Deptula said he is “very excited” that Bishop Jenky has asked him to work on Archbishop Sheen’s cause.

“In the recent weeks, and most especially during this past week in Rome,” he told The Catholic Post via e-mail, “I have become increasingly aware of the incredible amount of work and devotion that has been poured into this cause to this point by Msgr. Soseman and so many others.

“With God’s grace,” he added, “this good work will reach a blessed completion.”

In addition to his work with the Sheen Foundation, Father Deptula will continue to serve the Diocese of Peoria as director of the diocesan Office of Divine Worship.

Father Deptula said it was also exciting for him to be there when the crate of evidence was opened.

“I can hardly explain what it felt like,” he said. “The last time I had seen the box — that crate that represented countless hours of work and devotion — was in the sanctuary of our cathedral in Peoria. And there it was, in the office of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints in Rome!”

The vast quantity of documents made it necessary for the congregation to do things a little differently when they opened the crate.

“NORMALLY the opening of a cause is done in the chancellory office of the congregation, but because of the abundance of documentation in the cause of Archbishop Sheen, a room had been set aside especially for the opening,” said Msgr. Soseman.

The ribbons were cut and the seals broken. Among those also attending were Father Giacomo Pappalardo, chancellor of the congregation; Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, postulator for the cause; and Madelaine Kuns, Dr. Ambrosi’s assistant.

The crate was very well sealed, noted Msgr. Soseman. “A hammer and screw driver were sought and brought in, and then the lid was removed fairly easily,” he said.

Inside were two official copies of the cause’s documentation, each in two boxes that contained more than 6,500 pages, as well as Archbishop Sheen’s 67 books. After a diligent inspection, Father Pappalardo officially pronounced the cause open. Father Deptula, Msgr. Soseman, Dr. Ambrosi, and Kuns then helped move the documents to the chancellory office archives.

THE NEXT step is to have the thousands of pages of documents bound together. At about 300 pages per volume, Archbishop Sheen’s cause will probably extend to 20 volumes, according to Msgr. Soseman. Dr. Ambrosi will then prepare a “positio,” a detailed summary of every important fact in the cause that will serve as a guide as the Congregation for the Causes of Saints proceeds with its investigations. Usually a sainthood cause’s summary is more than 500 pages in length and takes a few years to prepare, Msgr. Soseman said.

The Vatican gave Archbishop Sheen the title of Servant of God when it granted the Diocese of Peoria permission to open his cause in 2003. If the congregation makes a declaration that Archbishop Sheen lived a life of heroic virtue, he will be accorded the title “venerable.” The next step is beatification, after which he would be called “blessed.” Certification of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required for beatification.

The final step is canonization, which requires certification of a second miracle attributed to Archbishop Sheen’s intercession and occurring after his beatification.

The documentation sent to Rome includes testimony of two alleged miracles attributed to his intercession.

MEANWHILE, in the Diocese of Peoria and across the U.S., the Sheen Foundation will continue its work of promoting the cause.

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

“Following his example, we are going to more and more 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,” he said.

Msgr. Soseman said working on the cause has been inspirational.

“The faithful example of those who were instructed in the faith by Bishop Sheen, or who had their own faith strengthened by him, is astounding,” he said. Msgr. Soseman added that he was blessed to meet those who knew Bishop Sheen personally as well as “the many thousands of wonderful people whose lives have been transformed by him,” whether by meeting him or through a video or a book.