October 25, 2014
Longtime contractor Rev. James M. Sullivan ’82 overjoyed by priesthood
BY GENEVIEVE GARRY ’18
Rev. James M. Sullivan ’82 heard and accepted the call to religious life after 26 years working as a builder and carpenter.
In May, he was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., and is currently serving four parishes. He said he couldn’t feel any more fulfilled.
“Christ has called me to follow Him in this way, in his priesthood,” said Father Sullivan. “Now, I cannot imagine any other life and enjoy being a priest so much.”
This was not the first time Father Sullivan had considered the priesthood. His initial calling came when he was 19 years old, while he was a student at PC. He continued his studies and graduated with a degree in economics.
After graduation, he volunteered at a church in Washington, D.C., through the Dominican Volunteer Corps. The church was near the Dominican House of Studies, which made it easy for him to pay visits there. Father Sullivan entered the Dominican Order when he was 23 years old and studied for two years, but he realized that religious life was not for him at the time.
He then started a building restoration company in Connecticut with his brother, John A. Sullivan ’85. The two expanded the company and eventually employed 33 people.
Father Sullivan said it was “a wonderful profession,” but at the same time “the idea of the priesthood never fully left.” After 26 years as a contractor and four years as a permanent deacon at a Connecticut parish, the call to the priesthood came again. He left the building business, returned to the classroom, and attained a master of divinity degree from St. John Seminary in Brighton, Mass.
“The classroom material is inspiring and when one loves what — actually who — they are learning about, it makes what could otherwise be difficult both manageable and enjoyable,” he said.
Father Sullivan was ordained on May 17 by the Most Rev. Leonard P. Blair, S.T.D., archbishop of Hartford. He serves four parishes in the Torrington area as a parochial vicar.
Father Sullivan said that two priests in particular influenced his path to religious life. His uncle, the late Rev. John McMahon, O.P. ’60, served as PC vice president for student affairs for almost 20 years. He inspired Father Sullivan from a young age but passed away in 2011.
“Prior to his death, I told him that I was again seriously considering the priesthood and asked for his prayers from heaven. He is much of the reason for me being a priest,” said Father Sullivan.
He also looked up to his childhood pastor for 20 years, Rev. Edward Donnelly.
Father Sullivan is looking forward to his years as a priest and has high hopes for his ministry and his relationship with the Lord.
“My hope is that God uses me in such a way that I can be His heart to those whose path I will have the privilege to share and to walk along with,” he said.
