A commission in the Diocese of Metuchen will study the possibility of opening a sainthood cause for Daniel Anderl, B.A. 2021 (in memoriam).
Daniel was a rising junior at The Catholic University of America when, on July 19, 2020, he was shot and killed at the door of his New Jersey home by an attorney who had a legal case pending before Anderl’s mother, a federal judge.
Metuchen Bishop James Checchio, who had just been appointed co-adjutor bishop of New Orleans, wrote in a September 30 letter that his decision was a response to petitions from parishioners. “After prayerful consideration, I have decided to establish a diocesan commission to explore your request to look into the sainthood cause for Daniel Mark Anderl," said Bishop Checchio. "I have asked four of our diocesan Canonists to begin the process of research of what is required from the diocese."
“I join all of you at St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish in commending Daniel’s cause to [A]lmighty God, asking that His will be done in all things,” Bishop Checchio wrote to Fr. Robert Lynam, pastor of the Kendall Park, New Jersey, parish.
After Daniel died, John Garvey, then the University president, said, “We all mourn and grieve this loss to our University community.”
The University chaplain offered a memorial Mass for him and his parents, and a scholarship fund was established in his memory. The following year, a plaque to honor him was placed at the entrance of the law school; his mother told the media in 2021 that Daniel had planned a career in law.
Daniel’s death led the U.S. Congress to pass the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act in 2022, which provides privacy protections for federal judges.
