On Thursday, February 19, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend lost a beloved shepherd, brother, uncle, and friend. Father Bill Sullivan, a retired priest of the diocese who celebrated his 50th jubilee in 2022, passed away peacefully at Stillwater Hospice in Fort Wayne with his family at his side . He was 79.   The oldest of James and Eileen Sullivan’s five children, Father Sullivan was born into a devout Irish Catholic family on May 14, 1946, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Though he was raised in Presque Isle, Maine, his family moved to Fort Wayne when he was in eighth grade and joined St. John the Baptist Parish. Father Sullivan graduated from Bishop Luers High School in 1964 and remained a loyal supporter of the Knights throughout his life. He was inspired by the Franciscans who taught there to become a religious brother, to which his mother famously replied, “Why be half a priest?” That was all he needed to hear to pursue the priesthood. Father Sullivan attended St. Gregory and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was ordained a Catholic priest on May 20, 1972. He always considered himself blessed to have spent his diaconate being mentored by Monsignor Edward Hession and to have served alongside Monsignor William Lester at his first parish assignment, St. Jude in Fort Wayne. It was while at St. Jude that Father Sullivan began his lifelong dedication to hospital ministry. His priesthood was characterized by a heartfelt devotion to serving the poor, the sick, the disabled, and the elderly. For four years, Father Sullivan taught and acted as chaplain at Bishop Luers’ crosstown rival, Bishop Dwenger, during which his family jokingly “disowned” him. He then made stops at St. Joseph Parish in Fort Wayne, St. Monica Parish in Mishawaka, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Elkhart, and St. John the Baptist Parish in New Haven. Father Sullivan retired in 2021, one year shy of 50 years in active ministry, but he found great joy filling in at various parishes across the diocese in retirement. Over the years, Father Sullivan reached countless hearts through his deeply personal, gently challenging, and often humorous homilies. He loved administering the sacraments – especially reconciliation, which he affectionately called “a hug from God” – and was a champion of Catholic education, serving as a board member at both Bishop Luers and Marian High School. Father Sullivan also loved sports and spent 15 years as the moderator of Catholic Youth Organization athletics. If you didn’t run into him on the sidelines of a Bishop Luers football game or in the stands at a Notre Dame basketball game, he was likely attending spring training for his beloved Boston Red Sox. Eric PeatPriests applaud as Father Bill Sullivan, right, looks on during a Mass marking the 50th anniversary of his priesthood at St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Wayne in 2022.   Anyone who knew Father Sullivan knew how much he cherished his family. He is survived by his siblings, Eileen (Myron) Brodmerkel, James Sullivan, and Joan (Daniel) Bourbonnais. He was “Uncle Billy” to his nieces and nephews, Patrick Rawlins, Bridget (Jason) Jacoby, Colin (Mara) Brodmerkel, Caitlin (Alex) Krouse, Brendan Rawlins, Deirdre (Brian) Goshert, and Neil Rawlins. He adored his great-nieces and great-nephews, William, Eddie, Cecilia, Ella, Emmett, James, Luca, Mary, and Markus. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Glen Rawlins, and his niece, Alana Bourbonnais. Eileen Brodmerkel fondly recalls growing up with her big brother, Billy. “He was always a good kid, and I was the one who made people ask, ‘Are you sure you’re Bill’s sister?’” Brodmerkel laughed. “In our school, we picked potatoes. [With] his first paycheck – this is the honest-to-God truth – he bought a manger for my mom, which we still have.” Brodmerkel said he was a great big brother who watched out for his siblings, drove them around, and let them hang out with his friends. After being ordained, Father Sullivan celebrated every sacrament with his extended family, from baptisms to first reconciliations to weddings. “It is very tough to lose my big brother,” Brodmerkel told Today’s Catholic. “People are sometimes horrified that we don’t call him Father Bill. When Billy’s with us, he’s Billy. He’s our family. And he’s Uncle Billy to my grandchildren and great nieces and nephews.” One of his nieces, Deirdre Goshert, lovingly remembers Uncle Billy’s regular visits, when he would spoil the family with plates of cookies, baked pies, or other assorted treats. “He was here for birthdays, Christmas, to stop by just to see the kids in their Halloween costumes, and he always had magic tricks he did for the kids,” said Goshert, who named her oldest son William after her Uncle Billy. “He never missed a Sunday meal or a holiday get-together.” Goshert also appreciated his encouragement at sporting events. “He came to not only my children’s games but to cheer on kids who were members of St. John’s and Luers,” she said. “He’d be standing right at the gate at Luers when you walked in; he was always there for those big games and came to support them whenever he could.” Caitlin Krouse, another niece, experienced this support when she ran cross country at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame while Father Sullivan was pastor in Mishawaka and Elkhart. “It was really nice having him nearby – he would regularly swing by at Saint Mary’s to check in or take me to dinner or to a Notre Dame basketball game,” said Krouse, recalling how he would show her how to maximize at the all-you-can-eat dining halls at Notre Dame. “That was special time for me to have him close.” However, the gloves came off when Father Sullivan was competing in family games. “He was the only one so competitive that he wouldn’t let any of us kids win,” Krouse said, referencing his merciless basketball antics while playing HORSE with his nieces and nephews. “He wouldn’t care – he would do behind-the-back layups, and we’d all get out. He’d celebrate the glory of winning a basketball game against 8-year-olds. We thought he was so funny.” All humor aside, Krouse said she will always treasure the faith he modeled to the end. “Watching my uncle go through his final days, his faith through all of that was truly inspiring,” she said. “I am trying myself to think how I can carry that in my own life, because I don’t want to lose that memory of his final days and how that faith was something you could feel in the room; you could see the presence of how at peace he was. … He was always a humble, incredibly generous, faith-filled man, and that was the cherry on top.” Father Sullivan is remembered similarly at each of his former parishes. Corinne DeLucenay’s family came to St. Thomas in Elkhart when her mother was hired as director of religious education in 1999. “How incredibly blessed I am to have known and been known by Father Bill,” DeLucenay said. “Being a parish staff kid meant long days at church, but it was never a burden. Instead, it shaped me.” She treasures memories of Father Sullivan buying her Lindt chocolates for the first time and always keeping the candy jar full in her mom’s office. “Those small gestures meant more than he probably ever knew.” To DeLucenay, Father Sullivan wasn’t just pastor – he was family, friend, and spiritual father who was “steady, generous, and present” through difficult times. “Through his care, I first began to understand the Lord’s providence … to have such a great witness of the Father’s love and compassion. His influence and example helped lead me into ministry and a life of service, and for that I will be forever grateful.” Dave Steffen, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist, went to high school with Father Sullivan and remembers him as captain of the Bishop Luers basketball team his senior year. Their friendship was renewed years later when Father Sullivan returned to celebrate Mass at St. John the Baptist, which he did quite often in his retirement. “If there is one thing I really remember about him, after he retired, he still would come and do Mass for the kids during the week at all-school Masses, and he would give great sermons,” Steffen said. “He was a very wonderful priest, and people always loved him wherever he was.” Visitation will be held at St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Wayne on Tuesday, February 24, from 3-7 p.m., with a Rosary and vigil service beginning at 6:30 p.m. Mass will be celebrated at St. John the Baptist on Wednesday, February 25, at 11 a.m., with visitation being held one hour before; burial will follow at the Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne. Memorial contributions may be made to Bishop Luers High School, St. John the Baptist (Fort Wayne), the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Diocesan Seminarian Fund, or masses. During what ended up being his final public homily, as he celebrated the solemnity of Mary Mother of God on January 1, Father Sullivan preached on memories of running home to his mother for comfort. He shared that he will run straight to his mom when he gets to heaven. Just a few weeks later, amid declining health, Father Sullivan told his family that he saw his parents in a dream, young and beautiful, welcoming him into heaven. So, when his hospice nurse was preparing to transfer him to a different building, Father Sullivan said he knew where he wanted to go. He simply looked up at the sky and said, “Home.” Welcome home, Uncle Billy. The post Father Bill Sullivan, Retired Priest of Diocese, Passes Away at Age 79 appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less