From Larchmont Priest to Auxiliary Bishop-Elect:
Monsignor Dennis Sullivan

by Jack Shea

(July 22) When Monsignor Dennis Sullivan was told that Pope John Paul II had picked him to serve as an auxiliary bishop in the New York Archdiocese, he asked

Bishop-Elect Dennis Sullivan

Cardinal Egan if they had the right Sullivan. (See: Larchmont Pastor Named Auxiliary Bishop.) After the Cardinal assured him that he was the guy, Monsignor Sullivan, the pastor of Saints John and Paul Parish in Larchmont, asked himself: “Why did he choose me?”

The question reflects both the monsignor’s humility and the enormity of the position. In the Roman Catholic Church, bishops are chosen by the Pope and are considered to be successors to the first bishops—the Apostles. A bishop generally has authority over a diocese, which is a collection of parishes or congregations, and in a large diocese may have one or more auxiliary bishops to assist with general and specific responsibilities.

Monsignor Sullivan’s rise to his current position began during his school years. He was born and raised in the Bronx. While attending Iona College in New Rochelle, he felt the call to become a priest and moved on to St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. As a priest in the Catholic Church, he gave up the vocations of husband and father for the vocation of caring for the spiritual needs of his parishioners. This was not a job he could just sign up for; it was a new way of life.

Prior to coming to Saints John and Paul and this community, Monsignor Sullivan was pastor of St. Theresa’s Parish on the Lower East Side of New York City. Unusually, he stayed on there for 21 years. Pastors generally get rotated after 6 or 12 years in a parish. In a recent interview, Monsignor discussed his new home in Larchmont and the Henry Street neighborhood he had just left.

Interfaith

The Lower East Side was home to many immigrant groups over the past century. In Monsignor’s area the Jewish population had largely moved on and had been replaced by Puerto Rican, Dominican and Chinese (from Fujian Province). However, the Jewish influence is still very much present.

When the roof to St. Theresa collapsed one summer, Monsignor turned to Marion Laser, the associate director of a Jewish outreach center on East Broadway. She offered the Maser Theater as a temporary place for the parish to worship and quoted from scripture: “Your people are my people.” Over 600 of St. Theresa’s parishioners attended Mass there (in Mandarin, Spanish and English) for the next six months, including during Christmas.

Monsignor sees the same cooperation here in Larchmont. Recently, the spiritual leaders of Larchmont Temple, Temple Beth Emeth, Larchmont Avenue Church, St. Augustine’s, Saints John and Paul and St. John’s Episcopal Church lunched together. The recently installed Rabbi Judah Kogen of Beth Emeth and Monsignor Sullivan are the “new spiritual kids on the block,” with each having arrived this year. The group agreed, going forward, to meet regularly to keep the lines of communication open. The annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner will be held at Sts. John and Paul this year, for the first time.

Culture shock

One of the biggest changes for Monsignor Sullivan was getting used to driving. He said: “In the city, I would walk to SoHo or the financial district. I hardly ever used a car. A trip to CVS here means I drive.”

The people, however, are the same. Monsignor said that his parishioners in Larchmont and New York City have a common spirituality. Regardless of the language, dress or the color of their skin, they all worship the same God. His work as a parish priest, therefore, does not change. He still baptizes, marries, comforts the sick and hears confessions. In Larchmont, however, this is usually in English. St. Theresa’s is largely Hispanic.

Monsignor Sullivan speaks Spanish fluently. He studied the language in school and also served in a parish in the Dominican Republic.

Giving

Monsignor said that it was an interesting counterpoint coming from a low-income area to Larchmont. On Henry Street, his parishioners were the recipients of Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets and many other donations from wealthier parishes. Here in Larchmont, he sees the other side of the equation, as his parishioners are the ones doing the giving.

Nevertheless, the parishioners at St. Theresa’s always gave what they could to help others and were happy to do it. For example, Monsignor said that he would suggest a daily amount of two dollars per day during Lent to donate to the Cardinal’s Appeal, which is used for all the charitable operations of the Archdiocese. Most gave gladly.

Monsignor also said that he was delighted by the generosity of the Sts. John and Paul parishioners.

On being a bishop

Monsignor said that he is first and foremost a parish priest. He will have new responsibilities as a bishop of this archdiocese, but the reasons for becoming a priest have not changed. In a recent homily, he repeatedly emphasized that we are to be servants—we are to help each other.

The parish

Father Peter Pomposello

Monsignor stated that the people of the parish and the Larchmont community were so welcoming that he felt comfortable here almost immediately. He said that parishioners went out of their way to make him feel at home. His new associate pastor, Father Peter Pomposello, had the same experience.

Father Pomposello, 35, was ordained in June and assigned immediately to Sts. John and Paul. A native of Staten Island, he was formerly a computer teacher in the New York City public school system. Monsignor said that a priest’s first parish sets the tone for his life as a priest and that Sts. John and Paul would prove to be a very positive experience for Father Peter.

At this point, Monsignor Sullivan is not sure what the next step will be for him. His ordination is on September 21, and he is waiting to learn about his new set of duties with the archdiocese.

Jack Shea is a parishioner of Saints John and Paul Church