James Stephen Sullivan (July 23, 1929 – June 12, 2006) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Fargo The Diocese of Fargo () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern North Dakota in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint ...

in North Dakota from 1985 to 2002. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Lansing The Diocese of Lansing () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory – or diocese – of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of metr ...

in Michigan from 1972 to 1985. In 2021, the Diocese of Lansing stated that Sullivan had credible accusations of sexually abusing minors during the 1960s.

Biography

Early life

Sullivan was born on July 23, 1929, in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, to Stephen and Dorothy (née Bernier) Sullivan. After attending St. Augustine Cathedral School in Kalamazoo, he attended high school and two years of

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

at St. Joseph Seminary in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. He then studied at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1951. He completed his

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

studies at St. John Provincial Seminary in

Plymouth, Michigan Plymouth is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Plymouth is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and northeast of Ann Arbor. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 9,370. ...

Priesthood

Sullivan was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood for the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop

Joseph H. Albers Joseph H. Albers D.D. (March 18, 1891 – December 1, 1965) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was titular bishop of Lunda, having been appointed by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Albers became the first bishop of the new Dioc ...

on June 4, 1955. After doing pastoral work in

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

, Lansing, and

St. Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orth ...

, he served as private secretary to Bishop Albers and his successor Bishop

Alexander M. Zaleski Alexander Mieceslaus Zaleski (June 24, 1906 – May 16, 1975) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan from 1965 until his death in 1975. He previously served as an auxil ...

, and then as assistant

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the diocese. He also served as vocations director and founder of Liturgical Publications.

Auxiliary Bishop of Lansing

On July 25, 1972, Sullivan was appointed

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Diocese of Lansing and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Siccesi'' by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on September 21, 1972, from Bishop Zaleski, with Bishops Michael Green and Paul Vincent Donovan serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

Bishop of Fargo

Following the death of Bishop Justin Driscoll, Sullivan was named the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Fargo by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on March 29, 1985. He was installed at St. Mary's Cathedral on May 30, 1985. During his tenure, Sullivan established the Fargo Catholic Schools Network and the Opening Doors, Opening Hearts evangelization program. He improved the financial condition of the diocese and funded the Priest Pension Plan through the Shepherd's Care Campaign. Sullivan became nationally known for his work against

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

for women, initiating the annual Walk with Christ for Life in 1992. In 1993 he was chosen by John Paul II to address the English-speaking audience attending

World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for the youth organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985. Its concept has been influenced by the Light-Life Movement that has existed in Poland since the 1960s, where dur ...

in Denver, Colorado. Sullivan also served as episcopal liaison to the

Cursillo ''Cursillos in Christianity'' (, "Short courses of Christianity") is an apostolic movement of the Catholic Church. It was conceived in Spain between 1940 and 1949 and began with the celebration of the so-called "first course" from January 7 to 10, ...

movement and the Catholic Marketing Association, as president of the World Apostolate of Fatima, and as a member of the advisory board for Catholics United for the Faith.

Resignation and legacy

John Paul II accepted Sullivan's resignation as bishop of Fargo on March 18, 2002. He resided at the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

at Holy Spirit Parish in Fargo before moving to Rosewood on Broadway, a

skilled nursing facility A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

, in 2006. James Sullivan died of complications from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

on June 12, 2006, at age 76. In July 2021, the Diocese of Lansing announced that several sexual abuse allegations against Sullivan were credible. While assigned to Church of the Resurrection Parish in Lansing in the 1960s, he inappropriately touched and used sexual language with two young boys. Immediately following this news, the John Paul II Catholic Schools network in Fargo renamed Sullivan Middle School as Sacred Heart Middle School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, James Stephen 1929 births 2006 deaths Sacred Heart Major Seminary alumni People from Kalamazoo, Michigan Roman Catholic bishops of Fargo 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing Religious leaders from Michigan Catholics from Michigan