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POPE ACCEPTS RESIGNATION OF BISHOP SULLIVAN AT 75
Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on March 23, it was announced today (May 12) in Washington by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, papal nuncio to the United States.
As prescribed by canon law, Bishop Sullivan submitted his letter of resignation upon reaching 75. In a statement, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said he looked forward to his “continued presence” in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“For over 25 years, Bishop Sullivan has served well as auxiliary bishop. His love for the Diocese and its people has been clearly seen by his attention to the social problems that we face,” Bishop DiMarzio said.
“Bishop Sullivan has been a religious leader recognized by the whole community as one who has brought hope and expertise to the people of Brooklyn and Queens and the City of New York.
“In his retirement, Bishop Sullivan still will be available for many of the issues that require his particular expertise,” Bishop DiMarzio said.
“I will be available to the Bishop and the Diocese in whatever way I may be needed,” said Bishop Sullivan. “Whatever the Bishop wants me to do will be a priority.”
He currently serves as Vicar for Human Services and as Regional Bishop for the 62 parishes in the Brooklyn West Vicariate. He is also co-vice chairman of the board of St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York and chairman of FidelisCare of New York.
But on July 1 he plans to catch his breath by beginning a three-month sabbatical that is expected to start with a month-long retreat at the Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth in Wernersville, Pa.
A second major segment of his leave will be an 18-day visit to China in August. In a program designed by Maryknoll, he will meet with bishops and others “so that I can get a sense of the Church there,” he said.
During the remainder of the sabbatical, he plans to spend time with family and friends and “do things that I’ve wanted to do, but haven’t been able to because of a busy schedule.”
One is to begin collecting his thoughts and developing an outline for a memoir he is thinking of writing on his experiences in the fields of health care and social services. “It will probably begin with the time when Bob Wagner was Mayor of New York to the present,” he said.
Long associated with those issues in the City, he said he also has “a passion for” projects like one underway to rezone Greenpoint and Williamsburg. It would provide housing affordable to a range of incomes, open the waterfront to the public and create new public open space.
“This plan ensures that families of all income levels will be able to live in Greenpoint-Williamsburg and enjoy its beautiful waterfront,” Bishop Sullivan said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg thanked the Brooklyn auxiliary bishop and other State and City officials “for their tireless work” on behalf of the community.
In 44 years with Brooklyn Catholic Charities, Bishop Sullivan has made an impact by guiding it into becoming what is believed to be the largest Catholic human services agency in the country and has gained a reputation as a trusted advisor on social service issues for the nation’s archdioceses and dioceses.
He holds several positions in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, serving on the Domestic Policy Committee, chairing the ad hoc Committee on Healthcare Issues and the Church and the Catholic Healthcare Committee and Labor and acting as the USCCB’s liaison to the Catholic Health Association.
Saying he wants “to be active in things,” Bishop Sullivan plans to maintain involvement in a number of boards and activities that include the United Hospital Fund of New York, the Sisters of Mercy Healthcare System of St. Louis, which he chairs, the Catholic Medical Mission Board, the Curran Center of Fordham University’s study entitled, “Passing on the Faith; Passing on the Church,” and the National Pastoral Life Center.
One of 11 children of the late Thomas and Margaret Sullivan of Bay Ridge, he was ordained a priest June 2, 1956 by Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy in St. James Cathedral.
He was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn Oct. 7, l980 and was ordained the following Nov. 24, along with Msgr. Anthony J. Bevilacqua, now the retired Cardinal-Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Father Rene A.Valero, a Brooklyn auxiliary who will reach age 75 on Aug. 15.
Before entering Manhattan College in l948, Bishop Sullivan spent a Summer pitching for the Americus Phillies of the Georgia-Florida League. Despite his affection for the game, he once told a reporter that it was “a boring life,” opting instead for higher education and eventually the priesthood.
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