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2007 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 821
Celebrating the life of the Reverend Monsignor William V. Sullivan, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 2007
Agreed to by the Senate, February 8, 2007

 

WHEREAS, the Reverend Monsignor William V. Sullivan, Jr., beloved rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and Judicial Vicar of the Tribunal for the Diocese of Richmond, passed from this life on January 1, 2007; and

WHEREAS, a Richmond native, Monsignor Sullivan was born on February 4, 1941, to Alice Rooney Sullivan and William V. Sullivan, Sr.; and

WHEREAS, Monsignor Sullivan was educated at Saint Paul Elementary School and Cathedral High School in Richmond; attended Saint Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, and Saint Mary Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland; and after studying at the Pontifical North American College and the Gregorian University in Rome, he was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican on December 17, 1966; and

 WHEREAS, in preparation to further serve the Church and the diocesan tribunal, Monsignor Sullivan studied canon law at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he received both a licentiate in canon law and a master's degree in church administration; and

 WHEREAS, Monsignor Sullivan worked for the Tribunal of the Richmond Diocese, serving as secretary, officialis and judicial vicar, helping married couples for 37 years, and he was named Monsignor with the rank of domestic prelate on February 16, 1997; and

 WHEREAS, a faithful and compassionate priest of the Diocese of Richmond for 40 years, Monsignor Sullivan served as pastor for Saint Peter’s and Saint Bridget’s in Richmond, Star of the Sea in Virginia Beach, Saint Ann’s in Ashland, Saint Mary of the Annunciation in Caroline County, and as rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond; and

 WHEREAS, Monsignor Sullivan also served on the Bishop’s Administrative Advisory Council as an advisor to Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo and as a member of the Council of Priests, the Diocesan Planning Commission, and the Pastoral Center Planning Committee; and

WHEREAS, committed to sharing his many gifts, talents, and wisdom with his fellow priests and all Catholics to help further their religious education and deepen their faith, Monsignor Sullivan served four years as a member of the Administrative Advisory Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and a term as chair of the Eastern Regional Conference of Canonists; and

WHEREAS, on December 17, 2006, as he was suffering from the ravages of the respiratory disease that would rapidly claim his life, Monsignor Sullivan stood in the pulpit for the last time, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his ordination, and with sunlight streaming through the rose window above him, preached the Good News to the people, proclaiming "that Jesus Christ is the light of the world...a light so strong that the darkness cannot over come it," and reminding his flock that "Christ is greater than the darkness of death"; and

WHEREAS, Monsignor Sullivan will be greatly missed by his loving family—his mother Alice Rooney Sullivan, sisters Betty Vickhouse and Peggy Carr and their families, as well as his faithful church family—and by churches throughout the Commonwealth and beyond; and

WHEREAS, throughout his life, even during his last painful battle, Monsignor Sullivan sought to serve Christ by serving his fellow man and his Church and bearing witness to his faith in the Risen Christ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly deeply mourn the passing of the Reverend Monsignor William V. Sullivan, Jr., who served the Diocese of Richmond with great devotion, affection, and wisdom; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Reverend Monsignor William V. Sullivan, Jr., and to his church family of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart as an expression of the General Assembly’s reverence for his memory.