Deacon Sullivan responds to faith first

Archbishop William E. Lori will ordain five men to the priesthood June 20 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. The following is a profile of one of those future priests. New profiles of the other new priests will be added to the Catholic Review site daily from June 14 to June 18. Click here to read them. 

When Deacon John Russ Sulllivan has free time or is traveling, he finds himself visiting local fire stations.

“I break bread with them, share laughs,” Deacon Sullivan said. “I answer questions about faith, their questions about God. It is what discipleship is all about.”

Deacon Sullivan hails from a long line of first responders, law enforcement and fire services personnel with his dad, mom, grandparents and various other relatives all playing different roles from volunteering on ambulances to the Secret Service, many serving in New York City.

Deacon Sullivan said public service “runs deep” in his family. While he himself is not a first responder, he has found his own role through his ministry. As a seminarian in Bel Air, he was the chaplain for the Bel Air Police Department. In March 2025, he became a chaplain for the Baltimore City Fire Department.

“It has been a special area of ministry that I absolutely love,” Deacon Sullivan said, adding that while there has been a “fair share of tragic and horrific moments,” they are “overbalanced by laughing at the kitchen table” and the camaraderie.

“That’s what sticks out to me,” Deacon Sullivan said. 

He has always had an interest in the sacraments and Mass, he said. In fifth grade, he started as an altar server at St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, his home parish, and the interest grew, staying with him through high school at Mount St. Joseph, where he was grateful for Father Michael Murphy’s guidance. He also was a sacristan at St. John’s while in high school, where he worked with Father James Proffitt and “met some great priests.”

However, while he was attending the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania to pursue a career in business, he met a Jesuit priest who “was very influential” in his decision to attend seminary.

“He was great, really,” Deacon Sullivan said. “That really helped me decide to take the plunge. I knew I had to give seminary a try.” He enrolled at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park. 

While “there was some hesitation” on his parents’ part about his decision, his family supported him, he said, and are now even more involved than they had been previously with St. John the Evangelist.

Deacon Sullivan loves working with couples preparing for the sacrament of marriage, and has presided over several weddings, and baptisms, too, while a deacon. He is looking forward to “meeting people where they are at” in their faith and “bringing hope and peace through Christ” and the sacraments.

An avid runner, Deacon Sullivan takes fitness “very, very seriously,” he said. He believes an important part of his ministry is “to demonstrate good health.”

With an American pope, it is an exciting time to be entering the church, he said, and he believes the church is seeing a revival.

“I’ve preached to packed churches on Sundays, and it is just like Christmas and Easter,” Deacon Sullivan said. “It is very exciting to see.”

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

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