Process Begins to Make Msgr. Quinn a Saint…
By Ed Wilkinson
The process to declare a former Brooklyn pastor a saint has begun.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio officially approved the project Jan. 13 and so the name of Msgr. Bernard Quinn, founding pastor of St. Peter Claver parish, Bedford-Stuyvesant, the first parish established for black Catholics in the Brooklyn Diocese, will be sent to Rome to be considered for canonization.
A Mass to celebrate the beginning of the cause was celebrated that day at St. Peter Claver Church. Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq was the main celebrant for the congregation of 500 people, which included members of the Quinn family.
Joining him at the altar were retired Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, and Father Paul Jervis, the current pastor and main promoter of Msgr. Quinn’s cause.
“It is time to begin the final review,” said Father Jervis, who wrote “Quintessential Priest,” the story of the life of Msgr. Quinn. “He is in a class all by himself. Join me in promoting his cause with interest and zeal. Today’s Mass is a powerful springboard to launch the cause.”
Father Jervis explained that the request for sainthood along with the details of Msgr. Quinn’s life will be sent to the Vatican’s Congregation of the Saints, which will study the merits of the case.
