Father John
Sullivan Father John
Sullivan There is a steady stream of people that visit the tomb situated in an unobtrusive part of the Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier on Gardiner Street in North Dublin, Ireland. The mortal remains of John Sullivan are interred in this vault. Impressive in its simplicity, it is a tribute to the character of the man himself. Most great men leave to posterity a chronicle of their life in the form of memoirs. History immortalizes them. Biographers delve into their lives and writings and succeed in analyzing their innermost feelings. Occasionaly there is a great man who does not seek to capture the public imagination and whose literary career begins and ends in a few personal letters. These are the men whom the world knows least, and such a man was John Sullivan.
A steady stream of people, throughout the day, often having to wait in line, honor this Christ-like humble priest. All who come to pay tribute to this unique man end their prayers with a petition to God that this humble servant of God and man will some day be named among the saints of heaven. They make the following petition:
Oh God who honors those that honor you, make sacred the memory of your servant, John Sullivan, by granting through his intersession the petitions we now make:................and hasten the day when his name will be remembered among those of your saints. We make this our prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen.
The inscription on the wall reads:
Some spiritual thoughts of Father John:
Take life in installments — this day now. At least let this be a good day. Be always beginning. Let the past go. Now let me do whatever I have the power to do. The Saints were always beginning. That is how they became saints.
We shall acquire personal love of our Lord by going against our own self-love, rooting it out of our hearts. The two cannot exist together. God is jealous of our love. Anything that denies self is an act of love.
The short road to perfection is to keep in close touch with Jesus. "Virtue went out from Him, and healed all" … (Luke 6:19). This happens each morning at Mass. The sick and the blind had Him only for a while, whereas we have Him always.
To say "Deo Gratias" (thanks be to God), to all things is to be a saint.
Have a great devotion to the Rosary, teach it to the children. It is the greatest prayer, as it contains the three greatest prayers of the Church.
Father John's foremost biographer is Father Fergal McGrath S.J. His pamphlets that outline the life of Father John are available from the Irish Messenger Publications, 37 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Accounts of favors received as a result of prayers to Father John should be directed to Father Conor Harper S.J. at Clongowes Wood College, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Father Harper is the Vice Postulator for the cause of Father John in the lengthy process of proclaiming sainthood.
Another Jesuit priest involved in the cause is Father Edmund O'Keefe S.J., whose address is: John Austin House, 135 Circular Rd., Dublin 7, Ireland.
The people that knew Father John personally and those that have been helped through his intercession already believe that he is a saint. They have bypassed the lengthly procedure used by the Vatican. Perhaps this is best. That way he will have his wish — to remain unpretentious. And the people waiting in line at his tomb will be as quiet as he. They will leave St. Xavier Church having obtained peace of mind. But his life and his message should be made available to more than the people of Dublin. We are proud to present this information on the Internet for the whole world to know about this quiet man — this Christ-like priest.
Information concerning Father John Sullivan will be an on-going project here on these pages.
Read Fr. Fergal McGrath's "Life of Father John."
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