Once when my mother was on a rare visit from Wyoming we attended a church function. I introduced her to my friend Walter and they had a short but congenial conversation.
After he left my mom asked about this kind and funny person. I said “Oh that’s Walter Sullivan, our bishop!”
Mom couldn’t believe nor was she very pleased that I was on a first name basis with the person holding the highest office in the Diocese!
Bishop Sullivan was able to command both deep respect and warm regard at the same time.
He could issue a strong challenge about a particular injustice in one moment and follow quickly thereafter with a dry humored witty remark. There aren’t many people who can balance the professional demands of a job with a personal and pastoral presence, but Walter could and did.
As a woman in the church I felt he was my advocate. For his love of Haiti he was my hero. For his commitment to peace and justice he was my role model. For his commitment and care of the entire Diocese he was indeed my bishop. And for his tender heart and kind spirit he was my friend.
“May the Angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs greet you at your arrival and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem.”
Anne Gibbons
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