Church of Ireland Archbishop Michael Jackson was guest speaker at the unveiling of a portrait of Blessed John Sullivan SJ in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London. It was the church in which Blessed John Sullivan was received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1896. There is now a space dedicated to him there, where people can go to pray and reflect on the life of this Jesuit who has touched the hearts of people around the world, some of whom attribute cures and healings to his intercession.

The unveiling of a print of the iconic portrait of Fr John by artist Sean O’Sullivan took place after 11 a.m. Mass in the chapel on Sunday 5 November 2023. British Jesuit Fr Dominic Robinson welcomed the Archbishop and other invited guests, including the Irish Socius, Terry Howard SJ, and members of the Lloyd family, relatives of Fr John Sullivan, living in London.

Fr John’s father, Sir Edward Sullivan, was the Lord Chancellor in Ireland from 1883-5 and a Protestant. His mother was a Catholic. John was brought up in the Protestant faith and converted to Catholicism at the age of 35. His reception into the Church at Farm Street took place on the day of the winter solstice, 21 December 1896. He was received by Michael Gavin SJ, a Jesuit from Limerick.

Blessed John Sullivan SJ was born on May 8, 1861, in Dublin, Ireland, and died on February 19, 1933. He joined the Jesuits a few years after his conversion. After his novitiate in Ireland, he was sent to Stonyhurst College SJ in Lancashire, England, to study philosophy.

Because, as Archbishop Jackson noted, half of his life was spent as an Anglican and half as a Roman Catholic he is often referred to as a ‘bridge between the two traditions’. Indeed, the Church of Ireland, along with Archbishop Michael Jackson, has played an important role in the beatification process of the man who they see as also their saint. Fr John himself was known for his ecumenical approach, extending compassion and support to people of various denominational backgrounds or none.

But he is particularly known for his ministry of healing and love of the poor. He was devoted to the sick and the suffering, often visiting hospitals and cycling or walking long distances to do so. He was a man of deep prayer and his life was a simple and ascetic one, with little personal comforts.

Blessed John Sullivan died in 1933, and his reputation for holiness that he had during his lifetime continued to grow. In 2016, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to his intercession, leading to his beatification on 13 May 2017, in Dublin, Ireland. He is now referred to as Blessed John Sullivan, and his life serves as an inspiration for those seeking a path of holiness, service, and ecumenical outreach within the Church