HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 821 Offered January 29, 2007 Celebrating the life of Reverend Monsignor William V. Sullivan, Jr. ---------- Patron-- Janis ----------

WHEREAS, Reverend Monsignor William V. Sullivan, Jr., the 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 in which capacity he helped married couples for 37 years, serving as secretary, officialis and judicial vicar, 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 the Diocese of Richmond as an advisor to Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo on the Bishop’s Administrative Advisory Council 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 to help his fellow pastors and all Catholics to further learn about 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 already suffering the ravages of the respiratory disease that would rapidly claim his mortal 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 at churches throughout the Commonwealth and beyond; and

WHEREAS, in the manner of his living, no less than the manner in which he faced his tremendous suffering and imminent death, Monsignor Sullivan sought to serve Christ by humbly serving his fellow man, and bore heroic 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 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 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.