Livonia — Catholics came from throughout the metro area on Nov. 30 for Mass and to hear the testimony of Deacon Jack Sullivan, the Massachusetts clergyman who was miraculously healed through the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman.
Deacon Sullivan, of Marshfield, gave the homily at St. Genevieve’s monthly Tuesday evening Mass at the invitation of pastor Fr. Howard Vogan. During the homily — preached to 1,400 people at the filled-to-capacity church — the deacon told his story of how his recovery from spinal surgery had left no doubt in the mind of a renown spinal surgeon that something supernatural happened in order for him to heal. The Vatican’s confirmation of the miraculous healing played a role in English Cardinal John Henry Newman being beatified this fall.
The Mass at St. Genevieve was followed by a prayer service for healing, during which the people were blessed with one of two known first-class relics of Blessed John Henry Newman.
The congregation sat in silence through Deacon Sullivan’s homily, during which he described a specific moment at which he felt a heat, “as though I was standing in front of a furnace.”
The 72-year-old deacon said he “experienced a little piece of heaven” when he was healed, which happened on two occasions, in 2000 and 2001. He had given the same account in early September in front of 50,000 people and Pope Benedict XVI when they gathered in England for Cardinal John Henry Newman’s beatification.
At the close of Mass, Fr. Vogan addressed those gathered, asking them to approach the healing “as empty as possible,” in order to let God determine the type of healing needed for them — whether it be spiritual, emotional or physical.
“Sometimes, God gives us a notable miracle — e.g., Deacon Sullivan’s,” Fr. Vogan said. “Why does God do this? He does it, I believe, to open our eyes to the miracles God bestows on each of us, every day.”
He reminded the congregation of the “even greater miracle” that happens each Mass through the Eucharistic Prayer.
Loretta Humann, a parishioner at St. Genevieve for 48 years, said she was praying for healing from an illness — and that Deacon Sullivan’s testimony gave her hope.
“The deacon said that he didn’t even have that relic and he was healed — he just prayed,” Humann said. “Prayer is very, very powerful. Just to be in the presence, in this church, where the relic is, is very special.”
The Mass began at 7 p.m., but people were in the church, waiting in line to be blessed by the relic, until around midnight. It was Deacon Sullivan’s first healing prayer service outside of his home state of Massachusetts.
