Edward Cardinal Egan
NEW YORK—We are shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Edward Cardinal Egan, who served as Third Bishop of Bridgeport from 1988 until 2000.
He will be remembered fondly and with great esteem by the people of the Diocese of Bridgeport. On his occasional visits back to Fairfield County, he was always greeted with great affection and appreciation by those grateful for his leadership. Even after being elevated to Cardinal, he continued to reach out to the diocese, to affirm the ministry of its priests and help in any way possible to serve the people. His most recent visit was on February 8, 2015 , to St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Msgr. William Scheyd.
Those who were close to him remember a man of great loyalty, friendship, and affection, who treated everyone with utmost respect and courtesy. A man of great talent and considerable gifts, he lived with personal simplicity and saw himself first and foremost as a priest.
Achievements in the Diocese of Bridgeport
Among Bishop Egan’s first directives in the Diocese of Bridgeport was increasing vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. He established his own seminary in Trumbull, the Saint John Fisher Pre-Seminary Residence, which opened its doors in June 1989, six months after his arrival in Bridgeport. Within four years of its founding, the Trumbull facility proved too small, and Bishop Egan decided to move it to its present location in Stamford.
The Fisher Residence continues its fine program for discernment and formation of priestly vocations, and has provided our diocese with dozens of young priests.
Bishop Egan’s next works were the reorganizing of diocesan finances and endowments through the $40 million Faith In The Future campaign, as well as the regionalization of parish schools. By creating a system of school regions, by which the local parish schools would be supported and funded by all the region’s parishes, Bishop Egan saved and improved the Catholic school system in Fairfield County. He established the only private school for children with special needs in Connecticut, Saint Catherine Academy, as well as initiating many other educational projects.
He also reorganized and expanded Catholic Charities, as well as many of its outreach programs such as soup kitchens and free clinics. He established scattered housing for AIDS patients throughout the County; increased the number of facilities for the elderly with the Bishop Curtis Homes; opened a home for the assistance and support of pregnant mothers in the Malta House; and improved the funding for both Catholic Charities and Catholic schools by the establishment of the Inner-City Foundation for Charity & Education.
Besides providing for new priests, Bishop Egan’s work for the priests of the diocese included the completion of the Catherine Dennis Keefe Queen of the Clergy Retired Priests’ Residence in Stamford. Indeed, so important is the priesthood in Bishop Egan’s estimation that Bridgeport became one of a handful of American dioceses that cared for its priests from the very beginning of their training until their final days of ministry.
On May 11, 2000, Pope John Paul II announced that Bishop Egan would succeed the late John Cardinal O’Connor as the Archbishop of New York. Archbishop Egan was installed on January 19, 2000, and was elevated to the College of Cardinals on February 21, 2001.
Deacon Timothy Sullivan
BRIDGEPORT—Deacon Timothy Sullivan died on March 1 in St. Vincent’s Medical Center after a courageous fight with the sufferings and pains of a long illness.
Close friends are remembering him as a man with an elfin presence and of profound faith, whose deep commitment to social justice and fairness was balanced by an equally ingrained sense of humor and acceptance.
Timothy Sullivan was born in Bridgeport on April 1, 1948. He went area schools and the former Christ the King High School in Southport. He later pursued degrees at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield and Fairfield University, where he earned an MA in both counseling and theology.
For five years Deacon Tim was in formation as a brother for the Maryknoll Fathers. He had hopes of becoming a missionary priest but the progression of a debilitating condition stood in the way of fulfilling his dream. Fluent in Spanish and a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors, he became a counselor for Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center in Stamford.
He was ordained to the diaconate at Saint Augustine Cathedral on June 11, 1994 by the Bishop Edward M. Egan. He served first as deacon at Saint Augustine, his home parish, then at Saint Stephen Parish, Trumbull, where he also served as director of religious education (DRE).
Deacon Tim also served on the faculty of Notre Dame High School in Fairfield. He became diocesan director of the Propagation of the Faith from 2005-07. His last assignment was as assistant chaplain at St. Joseph Manor in Trumbull.
Tim was often the first deacon to arrive at continuing education events. He liked to keep up his connections with his ordained brethren. He was cheerful and uncomplaining as his physical health deteriorated. He was devoted to the residents at Saint Joseph Manor, where he also resided. Tim gave witness toChrist’s passion in his own afflicted body to all who knew him.
The wake for Deacon Tim will be at Saint Augustine Cathedral on Saturday, March 7 at 9 am. The Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10 am. Msgr. William Scheyd, vicar general for the Diocese of Bridgeport, will be the celebrant. Deacon Tim’s close friend, Deacon Donald Ross, will be the homilist. Burial will follow at St. James Cemetery in Naugatuck.
Deacon Sullivan is survived by his brother, Patrick Sullivan, of New Britain and sister, Mary Piretti, of Collinsville, CT. His cousin, Father Edward McAuley, is pastor of St. Bridget of Ireland Parish in Stamford.
