Retired Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sulllivan, who died June 7, is being remembered for his service to the diocese, Catholic Charities and various social justice concerns.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for the late bishop on Wednesday, June 12, at St. Ephrem’s Church, Dyker Heights, the parish of his birth. On the evening before, a Vigil Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Hope Church, Middle Village, where Bishop Sullivan celebrated Sunday Mass.
Bishop Sullivan, 83, died eight days after being critically injured in a three-car automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway near Syosset, L.I. He was immediately airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, L.I., but never regained consciousness.
An Outstanding Priest
“We mourn the passing of Bishop Joseph Sullivan,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “During his tenure, Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens became a nationally recognized provider of social services. Even in retirement, Bishop Joe continued to serve on many boards for Catholic hospitals and health institutions. He epitomized the best of our Church’s teaching and the fundamental option for the poor. He was an outstanding priest.”
Bishop Sullivan was born on March 23, 1930, one of 11 children of the late Thomas and Margaret Sullivan. He attended St. Ephrem’s School, Dyker Heights; St. Michael’s D.H.S., Sunset Park, and Manhattan College.
Before entering Manhattan College in 1948, Bishop Sullivan spent a summer pitching for the Americus Phillies of the Georgia-Florida League. Despite his affection for baseball, he once told a reporter that it was “a boring life,” opting instead for higher education and eventually the priesthood.
In 1950, he entered Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I., and was ordained June 2, 1956, by Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy in St. James Pro-Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn.
After three years as a parish priest at Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, he was assigned to study social work, and in 1961, he earned a master’s degree from the Fordham University School of Social Work. In that same year, he was appointed assistant director of Catholic Charities’ childcare division and four years later was named the director. He also earned a master’s in public administration from New York University.
In 1968, when Bishop Francis J. Mugavero became the diocesan Bishop, he chose then-Father Sullivan to succeed him as the executive director of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens and appointed him secretary to the ordinary for Charities. He was elected executive vice-president of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities in 1979.
Named Auxiliary Bishop
In the following year, on Oct. 7, 1980, he was one of three Brooklyn priests named auxiliary bishops by Pope John Paul II. The others were the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and Bishop Rene A. Valero, who currently lives at the Bishop Mugavero Residence for retired priests in Douglaston. Bishop-elect Sullivan was also given the title of Titular Bishop of Suliana.
As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Sullivan served as vicar for Human Services and Regional Bishop for the 62 parishes of the Brooklyn West Vicariate.
Other pastoral work in which he was involved were health care issues and needs, where he played an instrumental role in the formation of St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers, which joined the hospitals and related facilities of the diocese with similar institutions conducted by the New York Sisters of Charity.
Bishop Sullivan has served on numerous Church and civic boards concerned with health and human services on the national, state and local levels. These have included the chairmanship of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens and membership on the board of Catholic Charities USA.
Also included in his activities outside the diocese has been his service as chairman of the Social Development and World Peace Department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In the late 1990s, he chaired an ad hoc committee that produced a pastoral letter on charity – “In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium” – approved by the U.S. bishops in November, 1999. He said the message was intended “to reclaim the meaning of charity,” which he said had become a pejorative term in modern society.
Legacy of Faith, Selfless Service
“One cannot look back on the last half-century of Catholic Charities without seeing the indelible handprint of Bishop Joseph Sullivan,” said Robert Siebel, executive director of Catholic Charities, Brooklyn and Queens. “His life’s work is a legacy of faith, selfless service and devotion to improving the lives of the people of New York, and it will continue to flourish.
“As we mourn his passing, it is my greatest wish that his legacy continues to grow. Bishop Sullivan has helped us realize our Christian ministry. What he set in so many hearts is a drive to serve and help others. They will know we are Christians by our love. Bishop Sullivan exemplified that.”
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said: “All of Brooklyn joins me in mourning the passing of Bishop Joseph Sullivan – Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Bishop Sullivan was not just a spiritual leader to Catholics in the Diocese – he set an example for followers of all faiths and creeds. I was honored to know him and look to him, as did many elected officials, for guidance and insight throughout my career.
Great Brooklynite, Great Man
“Bishop Sullivan was Brooklyn’s spiritual Borough President whose leadership in the faith community cannot be overstated, and he leaves an enduring legacy of compassion and charity. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family as we remember not just a great Brooklynite but a truly great man.”
Bishop DiMarzio was the main celebrant of the funeral Mass. Special concelebrants included: Bishop Raymond Chappetto, Msgrs. Martin Geraghty, Emmet Fagan, Nicholas Sivillo, Austin Bennett, D. Joseph Finnerty and Father Michael Carrano. Msgr. Joseph Nagle preached the homily.
At the Vigil Mass, Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez was the main celebrant. Father Carrano preached the homily.
Bishop Sullivan is survived by his sisters Betty, Dolly and Fran, and brothers John, Peter and Ralph; he has over 100 nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Gerard, Richard, Thomas and William.
Burial was in the priests’ plot at St. John’s Cemetery, Middle Village.
