# James Stephen Sullivan

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{{Short description|American prelate}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = 
| honorific_prefix = [His Excellency](/source/His_Excellency), [The Most Reverend](/source/The_Most_Reverend)
| name = James Stephen Sullivan
| honorific_suffix = 
| title = [Bishop of Fargo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Fargo)<br>[Titular Bishop](/source/Titular_Bishop) of Siccesi
| image = 
| image_size = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| church = [Roman Catholic Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church)
| archdiocese = 
| province = 
| metropolis = 
| diocese = 
| see = [Diocese of Fargo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Fargo)
| elected = <!-- or | appointed = -->
| term = <!-- or term_start / term_end -->
| predecessor = [Justin Albert Driscoll](/source/Justin_Albert_Driscoll)
| successor = [Samuel Joseph Aquila](/source/Samuel_Joseph_Aquila)
| other_post = [Auxiliary Bishop of Lansing](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Lansing) 1972 to 1985<br>[Titular Bishop](/source/Titular_Bishop) of Siccesi
<!---------- Orders ---------->| ordination = June 4, 1955
| ordained_by = [Joseph H. Albers](/source/Joseph_H._Albers)
| consecration = September 21, 1972
| consecrated_by = [Alexander M. Zaleski](/source/Alexander_M._Zaleski)
<!---------- Personal details ---------->| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|07|23}}
| baptised = <!-- will not display if birth_date is entered -->
| birth_place = [Kalamazoo, Michigan](/source/Kalamazoo%2C_Michigan), US
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2006|06|12|1929|07|23}}
| death_place = 
| education = St. Joseph Seminary<br>[Sacred Heart Seminary](/source/Sacred_Heart_Major_Seminary)<br>St. John Provincial Seminary
| motto = Lord teach us
}}
{{Infobox bishopstyles
| name=James Stephen Sullivan
| dipstyle=  
*[His Excellency](/source/Excellency)
*[The Most Reverend](/source/The_Most_Reverend)
| offstyle=[Your Excellency](/source/Your_Excellency) 
| relstyle=[Bishop](/source/Bishop) 
| image = Coat of arms of James Stephen Sullivan.svg
| image_size = 200px
}}
'''James Stephen Sullivan''' (July 23, 1929 – June 12, 2006) was an American [prelate](/source/prelate) of the [Roman Catholic Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church). He served as Bishop of the [Diocese of Fargo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Fargo) in [North Dakota](/source/North_Dakota) from 1985 to 2002.  He previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the [Diocese of Lansing](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Lansing) in Michigan from 1972 to 1985.

In 2021, the Diocese of Lansing reported that Sullivan had been credibly accused of [sexually abusing minors](/source/Child_sexual_abuse) during the 1960s

==Biography==

=== Early life ===
Sullivan was born on July 23, 1929, in [Kalamazoo, Michigan](/source/Kalamazoo%2C_Michigan), to Stephen and Dorothy (née Bernier) Sullivan.<ref name="obituary">{{cite news|date=June 2006|work=New Earth|title=Bishop James S. Sullivan dies June 12|url=http://www.fargodiocese.org/News/obituaries.htm#Bishop_James_S._Sullivan_dies_June_12|access-date=2009-09-07|archive-date=2009-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308140203/http://www.fargodiocese.org/news/obituaries.htm#Bishop_James_S._Sullivan_dies_June_12|url-status=dead}}</ref> After attending St. Augustine Cathedral School in Kalamazoo, he attended high school and two years of [college](/source/college) at St. Joseph Seminary in [Grand Rapids](/source/Grand_Rapids%2C_Michigan).<ref name="obituary" /> He then studied at [Sacred Heart Seminary](/source/Sacred_Heart_Major_Seminary) in Detroit, where he obtained a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) degree in 1951.<ref name="obituary" /> He completed his [theological](/source/Theology) studies at [St. John's Provincial Seminary](/source/St._John's_Provincial_Seminary) in [Plymouth, Michigan](/source/Plymouth%2C_Michigan).<ref name="obituary" />

=== Priesthood ===
Sullivan was [ordained](/source/Holy_Orders) to the priesthood for the Diocese of Lansing by Bishop [Joseph H. Albers](/source/Joseph_H._Albers) on June 4, 1955.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=Bishop James Stephen Sullivan|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsullivan.html}}</ref> After doing pastoral work in [Flint](/source/Flint%2C_Michigan), Lansing, and [St. Joseph](/source/St._Joseph%2C_Michigan), he served as [private secretary](/source/Personal_assistant) to Bishop Albers and his successor Bishop [Alexander M. Zaleski](/source/Alexander_M._Zaleski), and then as assistant [chancellor](/source/Chancellor_(ecclesiastical)) and [vicar general](/source/vicar_general) of the diocese.<ref name=obituary/> He also served as vocations director and founder of Liturgical Publications.<ref name=obituary/>

=== Auxiliary Bishop of Lansing ===
On July 25, 1972, Sullivan was appointed [auxiliary bishop](/source/Auxiliary_Bishop) of Lansing and [titular bishop](/source/Titular_Bishop) of ''Siccesi'' by [Pope Paul VI](/source/Pope_Paul_VI).<ref name="hierarchy" /> He received his [episcopal](/source/Bishop_(Catholic_Church)) [consecration](/source/consecration) at [Saint Mary Cathedral](/source/St._Mary_Cathedral_(Lansing%2C_Michigan)) in Lansing on September 21, 1972, from Zaleski, with Bishops [Michael Green](/source/Michael_Joseph_Green) and [Paul Vincent Donovan](/source/Paul_Vincent_Donovan) serving as [co-consecrators](/source/Consecrator).<ref name="hierarchy" />

=== Bishop of Fargo ===
Following the death of Bishop [Justin Driscoll](/source/Justin_Albert_Driscoll), Sullivan was named the sixth bishop of Fargo by [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II) on March 29, 1985.<ref name="hierarchy" /> He was [installed](/source/Enthronement) at [St. Mary's Cathedral](/source/Cathedral_of_St._Mary_(Fargo%2C_North_Dakota)) on May 30, 1985.<ref name="hierarchy" />

During his tenure, Sullivan established the Fargo Catholic Schools Network and the Opening Doors, Opening Hearts evangelization program.<ref name="obituary" /> He improved the financial condition of the diocese and funded the Priest Pension Plan through the Shepherd's Care Campaign.<ref name="obituary" /> Sullivan became nationally known for his work against [abortion rights](/source/Abortion_in_the_United_States) for women, initiating the annual Walk with Christ for Life in 1992.<ref name="obituary" /> In 1993 he was chosen by John Paul II to address the English-speaking audience attending [World Youth Day](/source/World_Youth_Day) in Denver, Colorado.<ref name="cns">{{cite news|date=2006-06-14|work=[Catholic News Service](/source/Catholic_News_Service)|title=Bishop Sullivan, retired head of Diocese of Fargo, N.D., dies}}</ref> Sullivan also served as episcopal liaison to the [Cursillo](/source/Cursillo) movement and the Catholic Marketing Association, as president of the [World Apostolate of Fatima](/source/Blue_Army_of_Our_Lady_of_Fatima), and as a member of the advisory board for Catholics United for the Faith.<ref name="cns" />

=== Resignation and legacy ===
John Paul II accepted Sullivan's resignation as bishop of Fargo on March 18, 2002.<ref name="hierarchy" /> He resided at the [rectory](/source/rectory) at Holy Spirit Parish in Fargo before moving to Rosewood on Broadway, a [skilled nursing facility](/source/skilled_nursing_facility), in 2006.<ref name="obituary" />

James Sullivan died of complications from [Alzheimer's disease](/source/Alzheimer's_disease) on June 12, 2006, at age 76.<ref name="cns" />

In July 2021, the Diocese of Lansing announced that several sexual abuse allegations against Sullivan were credible.  While assigned to Church of the Resurrection Parish in Lansing in the 1960s, he inappropriately touched and used sexual language with two young boys.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MIller |first1=Matthew |title=Lansing Diocese: Accusations that ex-bishop sexually abused two boys are 'credible' |url=https://www.fox47news.com/neighborhoods/downtown-old-town-reo-town/lansing-diocese-accusations-of-sexual-abuse-against-former-bishop-credible |website=Fox 47 News |date=2 July 2021 |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref> Immediately following this news, the John Paul II Catholic Schools network in Fargo renamed Sullivan Middle School as Sacred Heart Middle School.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-02 |title=Sex abuse claims against ex-Fargo bishop credible, Sullivan Middle School renamed |url=https://www.kvrr.com/2021/07/02/sexual-misconduct-allegations-against-ex-fargo-bishop-credible-sullivan-middle-school-renamed/ |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=KVRR Local News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{succession box |
    title=[Bishop of Fargo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Fargo) |
    before=[Justin Albert Driscoll](/source/Justin_Albert_Driscoll) |
    after=[Samuel Joseph Aquila](/source/Samuel_Joseph_Aquila) |
    years=1985&mdash;2002|}}
{{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing}} 
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, James Stephen}}
Category:1929 births
Category:2006 deaths
Category:Sacred Heart Major Seminary alumni
Category:People from Kalamazoo, Michigan
Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Fargo
Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Category:Diocese of Lansing
Category:Religious leaders from Michigan
Category:Catholics from Michigan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Stephen Sullivan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stephen_Sullivan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stephen_Sullivan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.