Bienheureux John Sullivan
Prêtre jésuite
irlandais (+ 1933)
En italien, l'Irlandais
John Sullivan, prêtre jésuite (1861-1933) reconnu vénérable par le décret du 8
novembre 2014 - décret
du 26
avril 2016 relatif au miracle attribué à l'intercession de John
Sullivan, prêtre jésuite irlandais.
- Lors du 'Regina Caeli' du 14 mars 2017 après son pèlerinage à Fatima, le Pape a rappelé la béatification à Dublin, le samedi 13 mai, du jésuite irlandais, John Sullivan (1861-1933), qui consacra sa vie à l'enseignement et à la formation spirituelle des jeunes.
Né à Dublin le 8 mai 1861 d'un père protestant et d'une mère catholique, élevé dans la tradition protestante, il est reçu dans l'Eglise catholique en 1896 et entre chez les jésuites 4 ans plus tard. Il est ordonné prêtre le 28 juillet 1907. Il passa la majorité de sa vie sacerdotale au Collège de Clongowes Wood dans le comté de Kildare, connu pour sa charité envers les pauvres, pour sa vie de prière et de jeûne et pour son soin des malades. Il a laissé une réputation de sainteté parmi les élèves et les personnes qui l'ont connu.
Il meurt le 19 février 1933.
En anglais:
- Fr
John Sullivan SJ
- Fr John Sullivan SJ: a loyal servant of God 1861-1933, CatholicIreland
- Lancement
du site du père John Sullivan, site des Jésuites en Irlande
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/12929/Bienheureux-John-Sullivan.html
Irlande : béatification du jésuite John Sullivan à Dublin
Protestant pendant 35
ans, il devint prêtre jésuite
MAI 14, 2017 11:15MARINA DROUJININAROME, SAINTS,
BIENHEUREUX
La béatification de John
Sullivan (1861-1933), présidée par le cardinal Angelo Amato, préfet de la
Congrégation pour les causes des saints, représentant du pape François, a eu
lieu le 13 mai 2017 à Dublin (Irlande).
Cette première
béatification qui se déroule en Irlande a aussi une portée œcuménique :
John Sullivan a appartenu pendant 35 ans à l’Église protestante avant de
devenir catholique et prêtre jésuite. Toni Witwer, postulateur de la cause de
sa béatification, retrace sa vie dans les pages de L’Osservatore Romano en
italien du 13 mai.
Né à Dublin le 8 mai 1861
d’un père protestant et d’une mère catholique, John est baptisé dans l’Église
protestante le 15 juin 1861, selon l’usage de l’époque où les garçons
recevaient la religion de leur père et les filles celle de leur mère.
En 1873, il fréquente
l’école de Portora Royal à Enniskillen, en Irlande du Nord, l’une des plus
éminentes de l’époque. Il entre ensuite au Trinity College de Dublin, où il se
distingue au point de recevoir la médaille d’or dans les études classiques, en
1885. Il commence ensuite une spécialisation en droit et devient avocat en
1888.
Grâce à l’héritage qu’il
reçoit après la mort de son père, il mène une vie très confortable, se faisant
remarquer par ses vêtements à la mode et son allure élégante. Il visite
l’Europe et est un cycliste passionné.
En décembre 1896, à l’âge
de 35 ans, il décide de changer de vie et de passer au catholicisme. Il est
accueilli dans l’église des jésuites à Londres. De retour dans sa famille à
Dublin, il change les habitudes de vie, visite régulièrement les couvents et
les hôpitaux, où il exprime une compassion particulière pour les personnes
âgées, leur apportant du tabac ou des paquets de thé et leur lisant des livres
religieux.
En septembre 1900, il
décide d’entrer dans la Compagnie de Jésus. Après deux années de noviciat au
Collège Saint Stanislaus à Tullamore, et les études de philosophie au Collège
Stonyhurst en Angleterre, et de théologie à Milltown Park à Dublin, il est
ordonné prêtre le 28 juillet 1907. Il se distingue dans la prière et dans la
vie religieuse, ne se met jamais en avant et est toujours disposé à aider les
autres.
Il devient enseignant au
Collège Clongowes Wood à Kildare, où il passera la majeure partie de sa vie,
excepté les cinq années (1919-1924) où il a été recteur de Rathfarnham Castle,
la maison de formation de la Compagnie à Dublin.
Sa réputation de sainteté
se diffuse rapidement dans les alentours de Clongowes. De nombreuses personnes
qui ont des besoins spirituels ou des nécessités de guérison physique
s’adressent au père John en demandant sa prière.
Il est toujours
disponible pour les malades, les pauvres et les personnes démunies. Il prie
toujours et en tout temps, passant chaque minute à sa disposition à la chapelle
et se préoccupant peu des aspects matériels de la vie. Il mange la nourriture
la plus simple et vit une vie de pénitence sévère.
Une vieille dame qui
vivait près de Clongowes témoigna : « Le père Sullivan est très dur avec
lui-même, mais il n’est jamais dur avec les autres ».
Il meurt dans la vieille
résidence médicale Saint Vincent, à Dublin, non loin de la maison paternelle,
le 19 février 1933.
Avec une traduction de
Constance Roques
MAI 14, 2017 11:15ROME, SAINTS,
BIENHEUREUX
About Marina Droujinina
Journalisme (Moscou &
Bruxelles). Théologie (Bruxelles, IET).
SOURCE : https://fr.zenit.org/articles/irlande-beatification-du-jesuite-john-sullivan-a-dublin/
Profile
Son of the Lord
Chancellor of Ireland,
and raised in the Church of Ireland; his mother was Catholic.
Successful barrister in
Dublin, Ireland.
When his father died in 1885,
he inherited the family fortune, quit his career, travelled,
and became known as the best dressed man in Dublin.
During his travels he
spent several months at an Orthodox monastery,
and considered joining the Orthodox Church and the brotherhood, but upon his
return to Ireland he
converted to Catholicism, joining the Church in 1896.
Joined the Jesuits on 7 September 1900. Ordained on 28 July 1907. Professor at
Clongowes Wood College where
he was considered an indifferent teacher but
received the gift of miraculous healing.
Visited thousands of the sick in hospital,
their homes and at the school.
Born
19 February 1933 at
Saint Vincent’s Nursing Home in Dublin, Ireland of
natural causes
7 November 2014 by Pope Francis (decree
of heroic
virtues)
the beatification miracle involved
the healing of
a young boy named Michael Collins; Michael was paralyzed; Father John healed him
by touching his leg and praying over
him for two hours
beatification recognition
celebrated in the Saint Francis Xavier Church, Dublin, Ireland,
presided by Cardinal Angelo
Amato
Additional
Information
other
sites in english
video
fonti
in italiano
Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi
MLA
Citation
“Blessed John
Sullivan“. CatholicSaints.Info. 22 July 2021. Web. 18 February 2022.
<http://catholicsaints.info/blessed-john-sullivan/>
SOURCE : http://catholicsaints.info/blessed-john-sullivan/
Fr
John Sullivan SJ: a loyal servant of God 1861-1933
30 November, 1999
John Sullivan was born
into a prosperous Protestant background in Victorian Dublin. Though his mother
was a Catholic, it was a surprise to the whole family that he converted to the
Catholic faith and entered the Jesuit novitiate at the turn of the century.
Conor Harper SJ tells his story. John Sullivan was born on […]
John Sullivan was born
into a prosperous Protestant background in Victorian Dublin. Though his mother
was a Catholic, it was a surprise to the whole family that he converted to the
Catholic faith and entered the Jesuit novitiate at the turn of the century.
Conor Harper SJ tells his story.
John Sullivan was born on
8 May 1861 at 41 Eccles Street, in the heart of old Georgian Dublin. His
father, Edward, the future Lord Chancellor of Ireland, was a successful
barrister and was already showing signs of what was to be brilliant success in
future life. His mother, Elizabeth Bailey, came from a prominent land-owning
family in Passage West, Co. Cork.
The Sullivans were
Protestant and the Bailey’s were Catholic. John was baptised in the local
Church of Ireland parish, St. George’s, Temple Street, on 15 July 1861. It was
soon after this that the family moved to 32 Fitzwilliam Place, which was to be
the Sullivan home for forty years. John grew up in the gentle comforts and
privileges of the fashionable Dublin society of the time, and was raised in the
Protestant tradition of his father.
Portora and Trinity
In 1872, the young John
was sent to Portora Royal School, Enniskillen. In later years – and shortly
before his death – he remembered his old school as a place where he went
‘bathed in tears’, but when the time came to leave some years later, he ‘wept
more plentiful tears’.
John loved Portora and,
to this day, Port ora remembers him. His name is inscribed there on the Royal
Scholars Honours Board in Steele Hall. Another famous Dublin name that features
on the board is that of Oscar Wilde. Both were to achieve fame in later life,
but for very different reasons.
While at Portora, John
often visited Devenish Island on Lough Erne. Was it here, in the silence and
peace of that holy place, that he felt early stirrings of the spirit which
would lead him to God?
After Portora, John went
to Trinity College, Dublin, where he studied Classics. He was awarded the Gold
Medal in Classics in 1885. This medal, among others, is carefully preserved in
Clongowes Wood College, Co. Kildare.
The death of his father,
Sir Edward Sullivan, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, in April 1885 was a great
shock to him. John dearly loved his father and had already started his studies
in Law at Trinity with the intention of following in his father’s chosen
career.
The inheritance he
received after his father’s death ensured that he was very comfortable in
financial terms. He was a very handsome man of charm and grace. He was an
outdoor activities enthusiast. He loved cycling and long walks in hills and
mountains at home and abroad. A friend of the Sullivan family, Fr. Tom Finlay,
S.J., who lived in the Jesuit residence in Leeson Street, once referred to him
as ‘the best dressed man around Dublin’.
Pivotal moment
Then something very
strange happened. In December 1896, at the age of 35, after some years of soul
searching, he decided to become a Catholic. He was received at the Jesuit Church
in Farm Street, London.
According to a
granddaughter of his brother, Sir William Sullivan, who remembers her
grandfather talking about the affair, the family was ‘shellshocked’ at the
news. This is not to say that the family was in any way hostile to his
decision. The astonishment was all the more acute in that John had never shown
any special interest in religion which would have led him to making such a
decision. He had always seemed to be a typical Protestant of the best sort!
The effect on Lady
Sullivan, John’s mother, can only be imagined. All her life, she had been a
devout Catholic. John’s decision must have been an answer to some of her
prayers. She died two years later in 1898.
Society of Jesus
A further surprise
awaited the Sullivan family. In 1900 John decided to become a Jesuit and
entered the Jesuit novitiate in Tullabeg, Co. Offaly.
At the end of his two
years novitiate, he took his vows as a Jesuit and then was sent to St. Mary’s
Hall, Stonyhurst College, England to study philosophy. Already his holiness was
obvious to many who lived with him.
In 1904 he came to
Milltown Park to study theology, and he was ordained a priest on 28 July 1907.
He was then appointed to the staff in Clongowes Wood College, Co. Kildare,
where he was to spend the greater part of his life as a Jesuit.
Solitude and holiness
The solitude and peace of
the beautiful surroundings of Clongowes must have reminded him of Devenish
Island and Lough Erne.
Fr. John’s reputation for
holiness spread rapidly around Clongowes and the neighbourhood. Despite his
brilliant mind and academic achievements, it was his holiness that was
recognised. Many revered him as a saint. He prayed constantly: he walked with
God continually, he listened to him, and he found him. That’s what people
recognized in him.
Healing power
Many who were in need of
healing flocked to him and asked his prayers – and strange things happened. The
power of God seemed to work through him, and many were cured.
He was always available
to the sick, the poor, and anyone in need. The call to serve God in serving
those who suffered in any way was a driving force for the rest of his life. He
was always caring for others, a source of comfort and peace to anyone in
trouble. He brought many to God by pointing out the way that leads to the
deepest and ultimate peace.
Whenever possible, he was
at prayer. Every available moment was spent in the chapel. He walked with God,
and lived every conscious moment in his presence. At times he hardly seemed to
notice the world around him.
Life of severe penance
He was in constant union
with his Maker, and cared little for the material things of life. One old lady
who lived near Clongowes managed to penetrate the secret of his extraordinary
holiness. Fr. Sullivan was very hard on himself, she pointed out, but he was
never hard on others. He ate the plainest of food, and lived a life of severe
penance. He left everything in order to follow the call of the Lord, and in
that he found riches of a different order.
What a contrast with the
rich young man of his earlier years!
On 19 February 1933, Fr.
John Sullivan died in St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Leeson Street, close to the
Sullivan family home.
Since that time, he has
been revered by many as a saint. During his lifetime, many flocked to him in
times of trouble and anxiety, confident of the power of his prayers; and that
confidence continues. He is still loved and remembered.
Cause for canonisation
In June 2002, the
findings of the Supplementary Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Dublin for the
Cause of the Canonisation of the Servant of God were forwarded to the Holy See.
There is a constant demand for blessings with his vow crucifix, which is kept
in St. Francis Xavier’s, Gardiner Street, where Fr. John’s earthly remains
repose in the Sacred Heart Chapel. Many come to pray at his tomb.
There are many accounts
of comfort and healing from those who have been blessed with Fr. John’s Cross.
There is also a constant demand for relic cards.
In this month of his
birthday, let us remember this man of God, and give thanks for the outstanding
example of a life totally absorbed in his Maker and in the mission of bringing
God’s healing and peace to a suffering world.
Prayer for the
beatification of Fr.John Sullivan:
O God, you honour those
who honour you.
Make sacred the memory of
your servant John Sullivan,
by granting through his
intercession the petition we now make (name the petition)
and hastening the day
when his name will be numbered among those of your saints.
We make our prayer
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
This article first
appeared in The
Messenger (May 2004), a publication of the Irish Jesuits.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicireland.net/fr-john-sullivan-sj-a-loyal-servant-of-god-1861-1933/
More
about the Venerable John Sullivan, S.J. (1861–1933)
November 13, 2014
The Healing Priest
Father John Sullivan,
S.J. died in 1933. For countless Irish families his name was synonymous with a
prodigious gift of healing and with a humble dedication to the poor, the weak,
and the ill.
Church of Ireland Baptism
Born into a prominent
family on May 8, 1861, John Sullivan was, following custom at the time,
baptized in his Protestant father’s Church of Ireland. Edward Sullivan, John’s
father, was a successful barrister who would later become Lord Chancellor of
Ireland. His Catholic mother, Elizabeth Bailey, came from a family of
prosperous landowners.
Education
In 1872 John was sent to
Portora Royal School. The excellent student then attended Trinity College,
Dublin, where he studied the Classics. He later studied law and for a time
practiced as a barrister.
Money, Fashion, and
Travels
Lord Edward Sullivan died
suddenly in 1885. John’s inherited wealth made him financially independent; he
liked fashionable clothes, and was considered the best dressed man in Dublin
high society. During this period of wealth and leisure John Sullivan traveled
Europe widely, and even ventured forth on walking tours of Macedonia, Greece,
and Asia Minor. Most unusually for his time, John Sullivan spent several months
in one of the Orthodox Monasteries on Mount Athos. It is even said that he
considered converting to Orthodoxy and entering there as a monk. This fact
alone makes him a pioneer in Irish Catholic — Orthodox relations, something
that the brilliant and colourful Archimandrite Serge Keleher (+11 November
2011) developed in later years.
Conversion to the
Catholic Faith
To his Catholic mother’s
joy, John Sullivan was quietly received into the Catholic Church in 1896. His
conversion to Catholicism was a turning point in his life. He actively sought a
way of life marked by austerity. John exchanged his fashionable clothes for
the most ordinary attire.
The Jesuit
On September 7, 1900, at
the age of 40, John Sullivan entered the Society of Jesus. He was
ordained together with the saintly Father Willie Doyle on July 28, 1907, and
was appointed to Clongowes Wood College, where, although he was not
judged the best teacher, he acquired his reputation as “a healing priest”.
A Priest Who Prayed Much
Father John Sullivan was,
above all else, a priest who prayed much. Like his confrère Father Willie
Doyle, Father Sullivan spent hours before the tabernacle. Often he was found
kneeling in his room where he recited one rosary after another. He took to the
roads on foot, praying as he walked, to visit the sick and bless them with a
relic or with his crucifix. There are astonishing accounts of miraculous cures
obtained at his prayer. Father Sullivan often read an Office from the breviary
for those who asked his prayers; he had immense confidence in the power of the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Suitable Patron of
Ecumenical Relations in Ireland
Pope Francis declared the
heroicity of virtues of Father John Sullivan, S.J. on 7 November 2014. Given
his baptism in the Church of Ireland, his experience of Orthodox monasticism on
Mount Athos, and his holy life and death as a Catholic priest of the Society of
Jesus, The Venerable John Sullivan may well be considered Ireland’s most
suitable patron of ecumenical relations.
SOURCE : https://vultuschristi.org/index.php/2014/11/more-about-the-venerable-john-sullivan-s-j-1861-1933/
Many hundreds expected at Memorial of Blessed John
Sullivan SJ
By Susan Gately - 12 May, 2019
“We are waiting for that
elusive miracle and then we are on to the next stage,” says Vice Postulator of
cause for canonisation.
Bishop Denis Nulty will
celebrate the Memorial Mass of Blessed John Sullivan SJ at Clongowes Wood
College today, Sunday 12 May. The Jesuit priest, who lived and worked many
years at the college, was beatified two years ago on 13 May 2017.
“We are waiting for that
elusive miracle and then we are on to the next stage,” Fr Conor Harper, Vice
Postulator for the canonisation cause of Blessed John told CatholicIreland.net.
Five to six hundred
people are expected at the Mass in the Boy’s Chapel at 3.00 p.m. The event is
always so well attended that it is streamed by live video link to the John
Sullivan chapel and outside the Boy’s Chapel. Afterwards the congregation will
have the opportunity to be blessed by his cross, which is associated with many
healings.
John Sullivan, son of Sir
Edward Sullivan (then Lord Chancellor of Ireland) and Lady Sullivan, was a past
pupil of Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, grew up in the Church of Ireland,
and was a graduate and gold medalist in Classics in Trinity College (1879–1885).
While studying Law in
London he converted to Roman Catholicism and later joined the Jesuits. In his
ministry after ordination he became known and revered for his care of the sick
and poor for many years in the environs of Clongowes Wood in Clane,
Co. Kildare. He died on 19 February 1933.
Fr Sullivan became
Blessed John Sullivan SJ two years ago when was beatified in St Francis
Xavier’s Church, Gardiner St, Dublin. In an unprecedented ecumenical gesture,
the formal request for beatification to the representative of Pope Francis at
the ceremony was made together by the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid
Martin, and the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson,
reflecting the fact that Fr John was Anglican for the first half of his life
and Roman Catholic for the second.
At the end of March 2019,
a new portrait of Blessed John Sullivan SJ was unveiled in the Robert Emmet
Theatre in Trinity College Dublin. It is the first time a college graduate has
been honoured in this way. The painting, commissioned by Trinity College and
painted by artist William Nathans, depicts Fr John praying the rosary. It now
hangs in the Oratory of Trinity College.
Speaking that day, Fr
Harper SJ noted how the Church of Ireland has supported the various ceremonies
honouring the “extraordinary Jesuit”. It must not be forgotten that Father John
was a member of the Church of Ireland until his mid-thirties, he said.
According to Fr Harper,
the late Archbishop of Dublin Dr George Otto Simms, when asked why he showed
such warm enthusiasm for the notion of the honouring of John Sullivan by the
Catholic Church, responded that “we must never forget that John was a member of
the Church of Ireland into mature adulthood. By then his character would have
been well formed. So, his holiness he would have learnt in the Anglican
tradition and the Roman Catholic Church reaped the fruits of that solid
foundation!”
During his lifetime, many
miracles were attributed to the Jesuit priest. His beatification received the
papal approval of Pope Francis on 26 April 2016 after a single miracle
attributed to him was recognised. But according to the Vice Postulator, another
one is much needed to progress his cause.
The mortal remains of
Blessed John Sullivan SJ lie in a shrine in St Francis Xavier’s Church,
Gardiner St, Dublin. His Feast Day is 8 May.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicireland.net/many-hundreds-expected-memorial-blessed-john-sullivan-sj/
Beato Giovanni
Sullivan Sacerdote gesuita
Dublino, Irlanda, 8
maggio 1861 – 19 febbraio 1933
John Sullivan, irlandese
di Dublino, era figlio di padre protestante e madre cattolica. Allevato secondo
la confessione protestante, si distaccò gradualmente dalla pratica religiosa,
mentre eccelleva negli studi e conduceva uno stile di vita brillante. Gradualmente
si avvicinò al Cattolicesimo, diventando a tutti gli effetti membro della
Chiesa cattolica nel dicembre 1896. Stupì ancora di più amici e parenti quando
annunciò il suo ingresso tra i Gesuiti: professò i primi voti l’8 settembre
1902 e fu ordinato sacerdote il 28 luglio 1907. La sua fu una vita di completa
dedizione, sia ai futuri membri della Compagnia di Gesù, sia ai malati e ai
poveri, arricchita da doni eccezionali. Morì nell’ospedale di St Vincent a
Dublino il 19 febbraio 1933, per una cancrena intestinale. è stato beatificato
a Dublino il 13 maggio 2017, sotto il pontificato di papa Francesco. I
suoi resti mortali sono venerati nella chiesa di San Francesco Saverio a
Dublino, in Gardiner Street.
Infanzia e famiglia
John Sullivan nacque a
Dublino, in Irlanda, l’8 maggio 1861, figlio di Edward Sullivan, avvocato di
confessione protestante, e di Elizabeth Bailey, nativa di una famiglia di
proprietari terrieri, cattolica. Venne battezzato il 15 giugno 1861 nella
chiesa protestante di San Giorgio e allevato secondo le tradizioni religiose
protestanti: l’usanza tra le famiglie con coniugi di confessione mista,
infatti, era che le figlie femmine dovessero essere educate nella fede della
madre, mentre i maschi in quella del padre.
Nella sua famiglia, che
contava anche tre fratelli e una sorella, il clima era piacevole e aperto alla
tolleranza religiosa. Dal padre imparò un intenso amore per gli studi; dalla
madre, invece, apprese una profonda spiritualità. I Sullivan erano benestanti
e, quando il capofamiglia divenne Lord Cancelliere d’Irlanda, divennero ancora
più rinomati e interessati, per questo motivo, a dare ai figli un’educazione di
qualità.
Nelle migliori scuole
d’Irlanda
Di conseguenza, John fu
dal 1873 allievo della Portora Royal School, seguendo le orme dei suoi
fratelli. L’istituto era molto famoso nell’ambito protestante: tra i suoi
allievi c’era anche lo scrittore Oscar Wilde. Gli inizi del ragazzo nella nuova
scuola non furono felici, anzi, come dichiarò in seguito, furono bagnati di
lacrime. Col tempo, però, si gettò pienamente negli studi, tanto da piangere di
nuovo, ma dal dispiacere, quando terminò il corso di studi.
Proseguì la sua
formazione al Trinity College di Dublino, studiando Lettere: nel 1885 ottenne
una medaglia d’oro per i suoi eccellenti risultati. Per il resto, conduceva una
vita non dissimile da quella dei suoi colleghi: aveva un’intensa vita sociale e
amava vestirsi alla moda, tanto che un amico di famiglia lo definì “l’uomo
meglio vestito di tutta Dublino”. Nello stesso periodo, smise di frequentare la
Chiesa protestante.
Un buon partito
dall’animo inquieto
Nell’aprile 1885, la
morte del padre gettò John in uno stato di profonda disperazione: gli era molto
affezionato e, per seguire la carriera che il genitore aveva designato per lui,
era passato a studiare Diritto. Per la sua acuta capacità di giudizio, fu
scelto per alcune missioni diplomatiche, come quella d’indagare sul massacro
degli Armeni ad Ardana nel 1895. Inoltre, i beni ricevuti in eredità dal padre
lo rendevano, insieme alle sue maniere eleganti, un ottimo partito per le donne
dell’alta società dublinese dell’epoca.
Tuttavia, qualcosa nel
suo animo si stava iniziando a muovere. Ai suoi amici pareva che non
avesse particolari interessi religiosi, ma aveva da poco scoperto le
«Confessioni» di sant’Agostino. Sentiva di avere molto in comune con lui, a
cominciare dal suo scetticismo iniziale, ma anche perché sapeva che sua madre,
come santa Monica con il figlio, pregava per la sua conversione.
Membro della Chiesa
cattolica
Gradualmente iniziò a
incuriosirsi verso il Cattolicesimo, tanto da approfittare del suo soggiorno
estivo in un albergo di Derry per unirsi alle lezioni di catechismo impartite a
una ragazzina, Ester O’ Kiely. Spesso, poi, andava a visitare i malati e i moribondi
negli ospizi, per dare loro qualche parola di conforto, insieme a piccoli
regali.
Così, nel dicembre 1896,
John venne ricevuto nella Chiesa cattolica. Sua madre ne era felicissima,
mentre il resto della famiglia era rimasto sconvolto: non solo perché lui fosse
diventato cattolico, ma anche perché all’esterno continuava ad apparire
indifferente alla religione in genere. Negli anni seguenti, di pari passo al
suo lavoro di avvocato, prese a visitare ospedali, ospizi e conventi, sempre
pronto ad aiutare le suore che vi prestavano servizio. Dagli abiti eleganti
passò a indumenti più dimessi, sulla scorta di san Francesco d’Assisi, un altro
dei suoi santi preferiti.
Nella Compagnia di Gesù
Lo stupore di amici e
parenti fu ancora più grande quando John comunicò la sua intenzione di entrare
nella Compagnia di Gesù. Nel 1900, quindi, entrò in noviziato nel collegio San
Stanislao a Tulamore e professò i primi voti l’8 settembre di due anni dopo.
Proseguì gli studi
filosofici al collegio gesuita di Stonyhurst e, nel 1904, passò alla casa di
Miltown Park per il corso teologico. Non era solo serio negli studi, ma anche
di buon umore, tanto che un suo connovizio, monsignor John Morris, ha
dichiarato: «Non fosse stato per il suo senso dell’umorismo, ci avrebbe
sopraffatti, dato che eravamo tutti consapevoli che fosse molto santo».
Sacerdozio e primi
incarichi
Fu ordinato sacerdote il
28 luglio 1907. Come primo incarico, fu assegnato alla comunità del collegio di
Clongowes Wood, dove avrebbe trascorso gran parte della sua esistenza. Stando a
molte testimonianze, non era un insegnante molto capace, ma era benvoluto dagli
studenti, che spesso portava a fare passeggiate nei dintorni del collegio.
Se con gli altri era
indulgente, non altrettanto era con la propria persona: mangiava cibi ordinari
e viveva in continuo spirito di penitenza; dormiva spesso per poco più di due
ore per notte, pregava fino a tardi e si alzava prestissimo per continuare
l’indomani. Le sue vesti erano logore e i suoi stivali sfondati; non accettò
mai di prenderne un paio nuovi. Trascorreva in cappella ogni momento
libero ed era così raccolto da accorgersi a stento della presenza di altre
persone.
Vicino agli ammalati
La sua fama di santità si
estese a tutta Clongowes e paesi vicini: sempre più di frequente si vedevano
carretti o automobili che gli portavano ammalati da benedire. Se qualcuno non
riusciva proprio a muoversi, andava lui, a piedi o su una bicicletta mezza rotta.
Intenso era anche il suo apostolato nel confessionale, come anche quello
tramite le lettere che inviava a chi gli scriveva da gran parte delle contee
d’Irlanda.
Non tardò molto che
iniziarono a diffondersi voci di guarigioni miracolose ottenute tramite la sua
preghiera e la sua benedizione col Crocifisso della professione religiosa, dono
di sua madre, che gli era stato concesso di poter tenere con sé. Furono
riscontrati anche casi in cui anticipò a qualche malato che sarebbe morto di lì
a poco.
Rettore a Rathfarnam in
anni difficili
Nel 1919 padre Sullivan
divenne rettore di Rathfarnham Castle, casa per gli scolastici Gesuiti che
dovevano frequentare l’università. In anni turbolenti per l’Irlanda, che
portarono all’indipendenza del Paese, dovette spesso placare gli animi degli
studenti, alcuni dei quali avevano amici o parenti coinvolti nella guerra
civile.
Intanto continuava a
dispensare i suoi consigli a quanti, tormentati dagli scrupoli, ricorrevano a
lui, che rispondeva: «Quando Dio mi perdona i peccati, li seppellisce sotto una
grossa lapide. Disseppellirli è un sacrilegio», oppure: «La gente dimentica che
“Credo nella remissione dei peccati” è un articolo di fede».
Di nuovo a Clongowes
Tornò a Clongowes cinque
anni dopo, mentre lo Stato Libero d’Irlanda cercava di riunire i cittadini dopo
la guerra civile. Padre Sullivan era convinto più che mai che l’istituto doveva
formare la futura classe dirigente d’Irlanda: in effetti, molti ministri dei
governi degli anni ’20 furono suoi allievi.
Riprese a visitare i
malati dei dintorni e, di nuovo, si moltiplicarono le guarigioni a lui
attribuite: una delle più celebri riguarda un nipote di Michael Collins, il
primo presidente dello Stato Libero d’Irlanda, che portava il suo stesso nome,
colpito da paralisi a tre anni e guarito dopo che lui ebbe pregato per lui e
imposto le mani sulla gamba paralizzata. Altri malati non furono guariti nel
fisico, ma consolati nelle sofferenze morali causate dalle malattie.
La morte
Quanto a padre Sullivan,
la sua salute andava peggiorando sempre di più a partire dal 1929. Il 5
febbraio 1933 fu colto da un acuto mal di stomaco e venne condotto di corsa
all’ospedale di St Vincent a Dublino: aveva l’intestino in cancrena e venne
operato d’urgenza.
L’indomani ricevette la
Comunione e continuò a pregare a voce alta finché, verso mezzogiorno, la suora
infermiera che l’aveva in cura, madre Tecla, gli ordinò: «Penso che lei abbia
pregato abbastanza e abbia offerto le sue sofferenze a Dio; ora deve riposare».
Il paziente acconsentì, ma aggiunse subito: «Lei, però, continui».
Nel pomeriggio venne a
trovarlo padre Gorge Roche, rettore di Clongowes, che gli domandò un messaggio
per gli allievi: «Dio li benedica e li protegga», mormorò. Verso le tre
pomeridiane cadde in stato di semi-incoscienza, per diventare del tutto
incosciente verso le sei. Morì quindi serenamente alle 23 del 19 febbraio 1933.
La reazione dei fedeli
La notizia della sua
morte commosse molti: la camera ardente era continuamente piena di uomini e
donne di ogni condizione sociale e stato di vita, che pregavano o cercavano di
ottenere qualche sua reliquia; perfino i giovani medici e gli studenti
dell’ospedale gli tagliarono qualche ciocca di capelli.
La stessa scena si ripeté
al termine dei suoi funerali nella chiesa aperta al popolo del collegio gesuita
di Clongowes, quando molti si misero in coda per toccare la bara con corone del
Rosario, crocifissi o altri oggetti di devozione. Al vedere quella forma
di devozione e affetto, il fratello del defunto, William Sullivan scoppiò a
piangere.
La fama di santità e
l’avvio del processo di beatificazione
La fama di santità di
padre John Sullivan non venne meno col tempo, tanto che nel 1943, due anni dopo
l’uscita della sua prima biografia, il Padre provinciale dei Gesuiti irlandesi
inviò un questionario ai suoi confratelli che l’avevano conosciuto, circa
l’opportunità di aprire la sua causa di beatificazione: la risposta fu
affermativa. L’anno successivo, il postulatore generale della Compagnia di
Gesù, padre Carlo Micinelli, inserì il suo nome in una lista di potenziali
candidati agli altari.
Infine, nel 1947, si
formò il tribunale ecclesiastico per il processo informativo, la cui prima
sessione si svolse nella chiesa di San Francesco Saverio a Dublino, dove, nel
1960, vennero traslati i resti mortali del Servo di Dio John Sullivan.
Le altre tappe del
processo
Dopo che i documenti
della causa furono tradotti in italiano, vennero esaminati nel 1969 dalla Sacra
Congregazione dei Riti (l’organismo competente all’epoca), mentre nel 1972 il
nuovo Dicastero delle Cause dei Santi diede l’approvazione agli scritti del
Servo di Dio. Nel giugno 2002, i risultati di un’indagine suppletiva, svolta
ancora nella diocesi di Dublino, furono trasmessi alla Santa Sede; la “Positio
super virtutibus” venne consegnata nel 2004.
I consultori teologi
della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi diedero parere positivo circa
l’esercizio delle virtù eroiche da parte di padre Sullivan, che poté essere
chiamato Venerabile dopo la promulgazione del relativo decreto, il 10 febbraio
2006.
Il miracolo e la
beatificazione
Come potenziale miracolo
per ottenere la sua beatificazione è stata valutata la guarigione di Delia
Farnham, dublinese, da un tumore al collo, avvenuta nel 1954. Il decreto
che l’approvava è stato promulgato il 26 aprile 2016.
Il rito della
beatificazione, presieduto dal cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefetto della
Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, come delegato del Santo Padre, è stato
celebrato il 13 maggio 2017, la prima del genere sul territorio
irlandese.
Ancora oggi, la tomba del
Beato John Sullivan è visitata da moltissimi fedeli da gran parte d’Irlanda,
che vengono a visitarlo come già accadeva quand’era in vita. I Gesuiti
della chiesa di Gardiner Street continuano a portare in varie località la
reliquia del crocifisso di padre Sullivan per impartire, come faceva lui, la
benedizione divina.
Autore: Emilia
Flocchini
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/97320
Voir aussi : https://frjohnsullivan.ie/
https://vultuschristi.org/index.php/2014/11/venerable-father-john-sullivan-s-j/
