Based on the information from "Scranton Priest" in the comment section of this post I present to you a story from 2004 on Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan from CNY.orgBased on his Wikipedia entry he was sent to the Dominican Republic after ordination in 1971 to learn Spanish so as to better serve the Hispanics in the Arch-Diocese of New York. This will no doubt leave the parishioners of St Nick's in a tizzy since they were hoping for someone who would do away with the Spanish Ministry.
Immersion in parish life has brought fulfillment to Bishop-elect Sullivan
By CLAUDIA McDONNELL
Bishop-elect Dennis J. Sullivan defines himself in one word: pastor. His heart is in parish life: in celebrating the sacraments, preaching, getting to know the people he serves and helping them in whatever ways he can. He has spent his entire priesthood serving in parishes, most recently at SS. John and Paul in Larchmont, where he has been pastor for the past year. For the previous 21 years he was pastor of St. Teresa's parish on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Perhaps it's because he thinks of himself first and always as a parish priest that the call to become a bishop took him by surprise. When Cardinal Egan gave him the news, he reacted with "unbelief, disbelief, he said.
"My heart began to pound, he added. "It was so out of the blue. But he says he is ready for the challenge that will begin on Sept. 21, when Cardinal Egan ordains him to the episcopacy together with Bishop-elect Gerald T. Walsh. "Whatever the cardinal presents to me, I'll give it my best shot, he said.
If he isn't sure how he was chosen to become a bishop, he knows exactly how he fell in love with being a parish priest. It goes back to his days as a deacon in the early 1970s, when he was studying for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie. Transitional deacons - seminarians who were preparing for priesthood - spent about four days a week serving in a parish, "preaching, observing, living in the rectory, the bishop-elect said. Back at the seminary, they would discuss and reflect on their experiences with faculty and other priests.
He was assigned to St. Pius V parish in the South Bronx, where current development is transforming what was then a scene of urban decay and despair.
"The South Bronx was burning at the time, Bishop-elect Sullivan said. "It was drug-ridden. But in the parish there was hope and vitality, and he found a mentor who whom he describes as "an amazing priest - Father John C. Downes, pastor of St. Pius V from 1969 until his death in 1976. The experience of working in the parish among people who were poor, with Father Downes as model and guide, affected him powerfully and helped set the course for his priesthood.
11 comments:
Rockin,
Please check the video of Bishop Martino on the Scranton Times site. It was released today and he says he cannot comment on his resignation. He is seen in the video walking down the street and answering reporters questions and making comments. He certainly did not appear to be in ill health to me. Also, as you probably already know there will be a news conference on Monday, Aug 31 at 10:00 AM via CTV. I guess my comment/question is WHAT is going on here?
St. Mary of Dorrance Parishioner
hispanic ministry must go...
jenn
Jenn - Why? Can you elaborate for us?
Hello Rockin, let me first say I am/was a member at ST. Nicholas. It is a shame what was allowed to happen. The way the hispanic misistry was basically forced feed to us. everything was changed, mass schedule,etc...to make room and space and time for this minority so they can have a precious spanish mass. If they were truly wanting to become a member of the fold, then why don't they assimilate and learn english and get with the program, instead of us having to re arrange our schedules and put up with their wants and needs. I can tell you the majority of parishoners are not happy, and if someone like sullivan comes in, you might just as well say good bye to St. Nicks as it is.
Jenn
the last thing we need is some foreigner loving, spanish speaking
bishop, who would just love to give all the money to the poor hispanics.I dispise the fact that the church thinks they are the great hope for the church to be re born in america. and the church goes out of there way to promote ILLEGALS and the agenda.
ray...scranton
My grandmother relates to me that when she was a child, the church worked hard at assimilating immigrants, not highlighting differences. What happened?
Scr. Area Catholic
hey Rockin-
You trying to steal my auxillary? Will this call for another fight (my cassock to your kilt)
If so, tell me the place and time!
CUA - Anytime u want an ass-whuppin' you let me know. And no, I don't want your guy! I was hoping they'd stop pussy footing around and name Charles Connor Bishop. Now THAT would be something.
And it seems to me that there is much hostility towards those hispanics at St. Nick's in Wilkes-Barre. Be careful - WILK radio host Steve Corbett might call you all a bunch of racist haters and plan a love-in on the church steps!
Where exactly can they worship then? NIMBY eh? Do away with all your devotions because 'ours' are so much better? C'mon this surely isn't what we are called to be?
Chris - I don't begrudge them a place to worship, but they should have given them their own parish.
Bishop Martino however, disliked the idea of ethnic parishes for whatever reason. He did say at one point that we are too attached to structures of the past. I take that statement to mean not just the physical plant. That is a bad policy and is causing strife. Whether or not it will be addressed is another issue.
Can't wait for tomorrow morning!
I can understand discomfort in change, I get it myself. And certainly there are ways of changing things, and integrating peoples/cultures/ devotions that are more pastoral than others. But I have grown weary of the VENOM spewed forth by people forgetting what we are all about. There are a myriad of ways to be Catholic, but shunning the stranger certainly is farther from the Truth than is mashing everyone together and naively expecting them to play nice.
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