Margie Sullivan RIP

Jim and Margie Sullivan - Fall 2011

Sunday Morning I received an email from the husband of a dear friend, work colleague, and distance cousin (she has "Leger's" in her ancestors) letting me know that Margie had died.  Margie was one of the members of the "Chicago Six" who have gotten together for the past 9 years to remember, and be rejuvenated in our Initiation and Church Ministry...

My friends, I sit here at my computer and struggle to tell you that Margie has left us and soared into the next life.
She died at 2:20 this morning. I was with her and her passing was extremely quick. Our 2 daughters and I wept and together exclaimed that this has been such a busy 24 hours with changes in symptoms; hospice equipment and hours of watchfulness as death approached.
Deep in my heart I feel sadness but sitting right next door is relief as her journey was getting more and more difficult.
We together as family thanked God for her gifts of life and wisdom and cheered her on her way.

Peace, Jim

Jim was Margie's husband of almost 45 years - they had hoped she would be able to celebrate that 45th anniversary in June.  It is not to be the case.  All of the surviving "Chicago Six" (we have already decided that we will keep that name!) are making our ways to Virginia to be with Margie's Family for the short wake and funeral Mass on Thursday. 

Margie Sullivan and Fr. Rick Conway - Virginia Beach, 2011

Fr. Rick Conway - a priest of Boston was my mentor when we were all working together in Chicago in 2002 - has known Margie the longest of any of us - and he will be presiding and preaching at the Funeral Mass.


Even as I write these words - tears well up in my eyes.  Margie was part of a North American Forum on the Catechumenate team that presented a week long institute in the Archdiocese of Toronto in 2003.  She stayed after and we enjoyed some personal time - and she also visited with her maid of honor who was then living in the Yonge St. and 401 area.


Margie had been Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in 2006 and was a 5+ year survivor.  Another team member wrote 

It was so good to have that time with Margie ... She is suffering through these final months and struggling with her palliative care folk to try to get the balance with pain meds right. It is constantly evolving. Through it all, she retains a kind of fierce grasp of reality and her faith. She spoke simply and directly to both. We talked steadily through an hour and a half. I was unable to pray aloud with her toward the end, ... She did it for both of us, movingly.” On that visit   I drank deeply at the well where Margie had been dipping her bucket for so many years of faithful, full, baptismal living that was uniquely Margie’s.

 Peace