Rev. Thomas J. Sullivan, s.j.-Assignment Record

Assignment Record – Rev. Thomas J. Sullivan, s.j.

Summary of Case: Thomas J. Sullivan was ordained a Jesuit priest of the California Province in 1944. His assignments took him to Jesuit Universities in Los Angeles and San Francisco CA, as well as to Japan, Rome and Hawaii. In Los Angeles he directed a retreat center while residing at a high school. Sullivan died in 1992. He was accused in 2002 of abuse in Los Angeles in 1953. In a 2003 lawsuit he was accused of sexually abusing a male high school student, also in Los Angeles,1956-1958. A 2004 archdiocesan report shows that three people had thus far come forward with reports of abuse said to have occurred 1952-1958.

Ordained: June 17, 1944
Died: Feb. 2, 1992

Start	Stop	Parish/Assignment	Town/Accusations	State/Country	Position	Notes
1944 San Francisco archbishop was John Joseph Mitty (1935-1961).	1945	Alma College	Alma	CA
1945 Seattle bishop was Gerald Shaughnessy, s.m. (1933-1950).	1946	Manresa Hall	Port Townsend	WA	Jesuit tertianship
1946 Los Angeles archbishop was John Joseph Cantwell (1922-1947).	1947	Loyola University	Los Angeles	CA	lecturer
1947 Cantwell was succeeded by James Francis Aloysius McIntyre (1948-1970).	1955	Manresa Retreat House	Azusa • In 2002 Sullivan was accused of abuse said to have occurred in 1953.	CA	4/4, 3/5 retreat director	The Directories show that Sullivan resided at Loyola High School 1953-1955.
1955	1960	Loyola High School	Los Angeles • Sullivan was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of sexually abusing a Loyola High student from 1956-1958.	CA		Loyola High had 880-930 students, all male. The Directories show Sullivan as at Loyola High 1955-1960. The 2005 LA archdiocesan report shows him in Japan, and that he established Hiroshima Gakuin High School.
1960 Mitty was succeeded as San Francisco archbishop by Joseph Thomas McGucken (1962-1977).	1963	University of Santa Clara	Santa Clara	CA	chaplain
1962	1966	University of San Francisco	San Francisco	CA	director of alumni relations
1966	1969	Jesuit Curia	Rome	Italy	public relations; editor of "Jesuit International"; established Jesuit Guest Bureau
1969 Honolulu bishop was John Joseph Scanlan (1968-1981).	1978	University of Hawaii Newman Center	Oahu	HI		The 2005 LA archdiocesan report shows Sullivan at the University of Hawaii Newman Center from 1969-1978. The Directories during this time period index but do not list him in the San Francisco archdiocesan pages as in the USF Jesuit Community. The Honolulu diocesan pages do not list the University of Hawaii Newman Center or Sullivan's name. However, per the Newman Center's website in 2014, " In December 1970, Fr. Thomas Sullivan, S.J. of the California Province (CAL) of the Jesuits came to Hawaii at the invitation of Bishop John J. Scanlan." The site goes on to say, among other things, that Sullivan was succeeded by another Jesuit in 1978.
1978 Los Angeles archbishop was Timothy Manning (1970-1985).	1992	Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles	CA		Sullivan died Feb. 2, 1992.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1945-1993)

• LA Archdiocesan Report, February 7, 2004, page 6
• LA Archdiocesan Report Addendum , November 15, 2005
• LA Times Database April 20, 2006
• Church to Pay $60 Million, L.A. Archdiocese Settles Abuse Cases, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, December 2, 2006
• History, NewmanHawaii.com, August 2014

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Sullivan's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Aug. 12, 2014.