Msgr. James Sheehan, secretary to the Pastoral Provision, died this morning at the Cathedral Rectory in Newark, aged 39, from intestinal cancer. His Requiem is at 11 a.m. Thursday at Sacred Heart Basilica. He has been a great friend and spiritual support to so many who have made the journey into full communion with the Catholic Church.
This statement was issued from the Archdiocese of Newark:
It is with great sadness that the Archbishop announces the passing into Eternal Life of Monsignor James Matthew Sheehan, Judicial Vicar and Secretary for Canonical Affairs. He was 39 years of age. Please join us in praying for the peaceful repose of Monsignor Sheehan's soul, and for the consolation of his family.
As the effects of cancer set in, and while continuing treatment, it was Monsignor's wish to return home to our Residence at the Cathedral Basilica until the time of the Lord's Call. He died surrounded by a most loving and caring family, and faithful friends.
Please pray for the repose of his soul. His truly was a priestly heart, and we can be quite certain that he now prays for the success of the Ordinariates.
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Fr. Christopher G. Phillips is the pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he has served for the past twenty-eight years. He is the founding pastor of the first Anglican Use parish, erected in 1983 under the terms of the Pastoral Provision. Fr. Phillips was ordained as an Anglican for the Diocese of Bristol, England, in 1975. After serving as Curate for three years at St. Stephen Southmead, he returned to the United States and served in two Episcopal parishes in the Diocese of Rhode Island. In 1981 he left the Episcopal Church and moved with his family to Texas, where he was subsequently ordained as a Catholic priest in 1983. Fr. Phillips and his wife, JoAnn, have been married for forty years. They have five children, all grown and married, and two grandchildren. 