NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Rev. Patrick J. Sullivan, C.S.C., 94, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Indiana, on February 10, 2024, after a short illness.
Fr. Sullivan was born in New York on August 24, 1929, one of nine children of John and Mary (Roche). He attended New York parochial schools and Holy Cross Seminary at Notre Dame, Indiana. In 1948, he professed first vows at Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. In 1952, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. After completion of theological training at Holy Cross College in Washington, D.C., he was ordained a Holy Cross priest on June 8, 1956, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, Massachusetts. He then studied sociology at Fordham University, where he received a Master of Arts degree in 1958.
From 1958-1965, Fr. Sullivan served at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, as an Assistant Professor, Chairman of Sociology, and Dean of Students. From 1960-1962, he served as a part-time chaplain at the State Correctional Institution in Dallas, Pennsylvania. In 1965, Fr. Sullivan began a program of studies at the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., in sociology and history where he received his Ph.D. in 1971. From 1970-1976, he was in charge of personnel for Holy Cross religious in the Indiana Province before serving as a Catholic liaison for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union in its J. P. Stevens campaign until 1979. From 1979-1989, he returned to Notre Dame, where he began research on the Catholic Church and labor before serving as Religious Superior at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, for one year. From 1990-1997, Fr. Sullivan served as part of the Higgin Labor Research Institute at the University of Notre Dame. Beginning in 1997, he served for three years as an advisor for Interfaith Worker Justice, a non-profit organization out of Chicago, Illinois. From 2000-2009, he returned to King’s College to teach in the Sociology Department and serve as the Assistant Superior. From 2009-2012, Fr. Sullivan served as Executive Secretary for the Boston Archdiocesan Labor Guild before returning to King’s College to teach for an additional year in 2012. From 2013-2015, he was assigned as Pastoral Assistant at the Holy Cross Community in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. In 2015, Fr. Sullivan resided at Holy Cross Community at Stonehill for one year, before he moved to Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Indiana. in 2016.
He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings; Eileen Donahue, Thomas Sullivan, James Sullivan, John Sullivan, Edmund Sullivan, Mary Campbell, and David Sullivan. He is survived by his sister Joan Cronin and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. EST at the Chapel of Mary located on Stonehill College campus in North Easton, Massachusetts, on February 21, 2024, with a Funeral Mass following at 10:00 a.m. EST. You may also join us via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WWqFD84yDI
Burial will be in the community cemetery in Easton, Massachusetts. Kane Funeral Home, Easton, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, 500 Washington Street, North Easton, MA 02356-1299 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org
