Deacon Sullivan’s cure from a serious spinal disorder through the intercession of Cardinal Newman on 15 August 2001 led to the miracle necessary for the beatification of Cardinal Newman. He will be one of the four Deacons and proclaim the Gospel during the Mass for the beatification of Cardinal Newman celebrated by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI at Cofton Park, Birmingham, on Sunday 19 September.

Deacon Jack Sullivan and his wife Mrs Carol Sullivan (third from left) pictured with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Len Gregory, and the Lady Mayoress, Mrs Gillian Gregory, during an official welcome to Birmingham in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour at the Council House soon after their arrival from Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday 16 September.

Deacon Jack Sullivan and his wife Carol were welcomed to Archbishop’s House Birmingham by a rainbow – a sign of God’s special promise to his people – on the first day of the historic State Visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom, 16 September.

Deacon Jack Sullivan sitting at the desk belonging to the former Lord Mayor of Birmingham Neville Chamberlain, pictured with the present Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Len Gregory, in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour, at Birmingham Council House.

Deacon Jack Sullivan pictured with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Len Gregory.

Nine years later Deacon Sullivan is to proclaim the Gospel at the Mass when Pope Benedict XVI will personally beatify Cardinal Newman, at Cofton Park Birmingham, on Sunday 19 September.

Deacon Jack Sullivan, now aged 71, and his wife Carol, will be the guests of Archbishop Bernard Longley and the Archdiocese of Birmingham during their six-day visit to England for the occasion.

The Archbishop of Birmingham made the announcement during a 45-minute press conference about the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Archdiocese of Birmingham, held at Cathedral House Birmingham on Friday 23 July.

The healing of Deacon Sullivan, was subjected to rigorous tests by a panel of doctors and then by theologians set-up by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. The Cardinals and Bishops of the Congregation voted unanimously in favour of the cure on 2 June 2009. Pope Benedict XVI approved the Decree announcing the miracle on 3 July that year.

Archbishop Bernard Longley said: “I met Deacon Jack Sullivan recently in New York. I am delighted that he and his wife Carol have accepted an invitation to be my personal guests and those of the Archdiocese of Birmingham at the time of the beatification of Cardinal Newman.”

The beatification will be the first to be carried out by Pope Benedict XVI since he was elected Pope in April 2005, a mark of his lifelong interest in and study of Cardinal Newman, the best-known English churchman of the 19th century. The venue chosen by the Holy See for the Papal Mass is situated close to the Oratory Retreat House at Rednal where Cardinal Newman was buried following his death, aged 89, on 11 August 1890.

During the press conference, held particularly for local media throughout the Archdiocese of Birmingham, Fr Jan Nowotnik, Parish Priest, Our Lady and St Brigid, Northfield, Deputy, Local Coordinator, Liturgy, said that Cardinal Keith O’Brien and Archbishop Vincent Nichols, and the bishops from England and Wales, and Scotland would be joined by cardinals and more than 100 bishops from throughout the world at the Mass of Beatification at the end of the Pope’s historic four-day State Visit to Britain.”

Fr Nowotnik said: “Over 1,000 priests, some of whom would help with the distribution of Holy Communion, are expected to concelebrate at the Mass. There will be four deacons of the Mass including two newly ordained deacons who are training to be priests. One of the four deacons is Deacon Jack Sullivan who will proclaim the Gospel.”

Fr Nowotnik added: “Deacon Sullivan and his wife Carol along with other representatives will form part of a procession that will immediately follow the Rite of Beatification when the new Blessed John Henry Newman is proclaimed.”

Fr Nowotnik revealed: “The Prayers of the Faithful will be read in the following languages which represent some of the languages of the people of the diocese. They are Welsh, French, German, Punjabi, Irish, Vietnamese.” He said: “Latin will be used in the Mass to represent the Universal Nature of the Church.”

He said: “People from the Archdiocese of Birmingham and nationally have been chosen to read, carry the offertory gifts and be altar servers. He added: “30 people will be chosen from within the three Oratory parishes in England (Birmingham, London and Oxford) to receive Holy Communion from the Holy Father.”

In addition Fr Nowotnik revealed that the choir will be made up of more than 2000 people mainly representing the parishes of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Canon Patrick Browne, Administrator, St Chad’s Cathedral, Local Coordinator of the Papal Visit to the Archdioceses of Birmingham told the press conference that after Mass Pope Benedict is expected to make a short private pilgrimage to the Oratory House in Edgbaston, opened by Cardinal Newman in 1852, where he spent most of his life as a Catholic and where he died on 11 August 1890.

Pope Benedict XVI will then make a private visit to St Mary’s College, Oscott, the diocesan seminary situated on the outskirts of Birmingham where he will address the Catholic bishops of England, Scotland and Wales in the chapel. It was here on 13 July 1852 that Dr Newman gave his famous The Second Spring sermon at the First Synod of the New Province of Westminster held at Oscott College.

About 70,000 people are expected to be in Cofton Park for the Papal Mass, scheduled to start at 10.00am and last for about two hours.

In answer to questions Canon Browne explained that 65,000 pilgrim invitations are being distributed by the dioceses of England and Wales working with the local deaneries and parish priests and also the Birmingham Oratory.

Canon Browne said: “The pilgrims, who will be representatives from their parishes, will make a contribution of £25 each towards the special official Pilgrim Pack that will contain a special prayer book with the Papal Mass and also a coach ticket to the venue.” He emphasised: “Only Pilgrims who receive an official pilgrim invitation will be admitted to Cofton Park for the Papal Mass.”

After the Funeral Mass of Cardinal Newman at the Oratory church in August 1890 more than 15,000 ordinary people spontaneously lined the route of more than eight miles to the community graveyard at Rednal where this holy parish priest was buried.

Deacon Jack Sullivan and me in the City of London, Tuesday, 10 November.

These reflections were handwritten by Deacon Jack Sullivan at the East India Club in London, on Wednesday 18 November 2009, before he and his wife Carol departed for London Heathrow and their flight home to Boston, Massachusetts:

By Deacon Jack Sullivan

My wife Carol and myself are very grateful to Archbishop Vincent Nichols for his hosting our trip to this beautiful country, with its resourceful and thoughtful people. We also wish to thank Peter Jennings and his daughter Sarah for making all the arrangements, and Fr Paul Chavasse (Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Actor of the Newman Cause), our host while we were in Birmingham.

Captivated by Cardinal Newman’s life and works, my understanding of this holy priest took on a greater dimension while visiting the Oratories he founded in Birmingham and London. Visiting his private chapel, study and library in Birmingham afforded me a clearer dimension of Cardinal Newman, the man.

Praying in his chapel at Littlemore brought me closer to my faithful friend and dearest intercessor. Sitting in the Common Rooms at Trinity College and Oriel College in Oxford, where Newman debated and exchanged insights with his closest friends, clarified my image of a man who sought the kindly light of truth regardless of the personal cost to himself.

Preaching where he preached at the various Oratories and visiting St Mary’s Church in Oxford enhanced the quality of my own vocation, the reality of God’s love best reflected “in the ordinary matters of the day.”

I knew something of Cardinal Newman the writer, but gained many meaningful insights regarding Newman, the holy priest and servant of God.

Finally, I was most impressed with our meeting with the Provost of Oriel College, Sir Derek Morris and the President of Trinity College, Sir Ivor Roberts and members of staff; as by the bishops we met, as well as the priests of the Birmingham, London and Oxford Oratories.

I thank Archbishop Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, for the many kindnesses he extended to Carol and me.

Our special trip ended with a wonderful performance of Cardinal Newman’s The Dream of Gerontius at The Oratory School which he founded 150 years ago.

This is a trip that we will always remember.

Deacon Jack Sullivan pictured in London on Sunday 8 November holdiay a copy my books "Benedict XVI and Cardinal Newman" and CTS booklet "Cardinal Newman - The Story of a Miracle".

Deacon Jack Sullivan pictured with my daughter Sarah and myself in London on Sunday 8 November.

Deacon Jack Sullivan pictured in front of the Cenotaph in London, on Remembrance Sunay, 8 November 2009.

Deacon Jack Sullivan and me in the City of London, Tuesday, 10 November.

Deacon Sullivan, aged 70, will be accompanied by his wife Carol for the six-day official visit from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 November, during which time he will have an opportunity to visit places connected with the life of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890).

The approval of the miracle of Jack Sullivan’s healing by the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, on 2 June this year, has cleared the way for the beatification of John Henry Newman. The Papal Decree was promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI, a month later on 3 July.

During their time in England Deacon Sullivan and his wife will visit Littlemore, near Oxford, where Newman was received into the Catholic Church by Blessed Dominic Barberi, an Italian Passionist priest, on 9 October 1845.

During the afternoon of Monday 9 November, Deacon Sullivan will give a press conference at Archbishop’s House, Westminster, chaired by the Archbishop of Westminster. He will not be giving one-to-one interviews.

Afterwards, Archbishop Vincent Nichols will be the principal celebrant at the 5.30 pm Sung Mass in Westminster Cathedral, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica – the Pope’s Cathedral in Rome, that represents every Catholic Church and chapel in the world.

Archbishop Nichols has invited Deacon Sullivan to be deacon at the Mass and also to preach the homily.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, said: “I am delighted to welcome Deacon Jack Sullivan to this country.  His presence and testimony will help us to understand more deeply the power of prayer and the importance of intercession to those who can pray for us in the presence of God.”

The Archbishop of Westminster, added: “I look forward to this celebration of Mass in Westminster Cathedral during which we thank God for the life and witness of Cardinal Newman and the gift of this miracle.”

During their time in London Jack & Carol Sullivan will visit the City of London and see the blue plaque on the entrance to the Stock Exchange, the site where John Henry Newman was born on 21 February 1801.

On Tuesday 10 November, Deacon Sullivan and his wife will be hosted by the Catholic Truth Society as guests of Fergal Martin, CTS General Secretary, and Bishop Paul Hendrick, Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, Chairman of the CTS.

Jack Sullivan will sign copies of the recently published CTS booklet: CARDINAL NEWMAN – THE STORY OF A MIRACLE (Price £1.95), by Catholic journalist, writer and broadcaster, Peter Jennings, who has worked on the Newman Cause since 1975. Foreword by Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Introduction by Fr Paul Chavasse, Provost, The Oratory, Birmingham.

Mr Fergal Martin said: “The Society greatly looks forward to Deacon Jack Sullivan’s visit. We are absolutely delighted to publish the account of his miraculous cure – much of the story is in his own words. The Society indeed boasts Cardinal Newman as one of its many celebrated authors over the last 140 years.”

The signing will take place at the CTS Bookshop situated in the Piazza in front of Westminster Cathedral, from 11.00 am – 12.45 pm on Tuesday 10 November.

In a subsequent email to the author, quoted in the booklet, Jack Sullivan wrote: “Carol and I very much look forward to visiting the Birmingham Oratory and other places connected with Cardinal Newman. In particular, I wish to come close to him, the person that I most admire, by visiting the Oratory he founded, his room and his chapel, and by standing before the grave where he was buried.”

Jack Sullivan will give the Catholic Truth Society Lecture 2009, at 6 pm on 10 November, at a venue in central London yet to be confirmed. During the lecture Jack Sullivan will talk frankly about his illness, his devotion to Cardinal Newman, his intercession to Cardinal Newman and his miraculous cure that took place in Boston on 15 August 2001, the Feast of the Assumption. He will also answer questions from members of the audience.

After the lecture Jack and Carol Sullivan will travel to Birmingham, where they will be welcomed by Fr Paul Chavasse, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Actor of the Newman Cause.

On Wednesday 11 November Deacon Sullivan and his wife, as guests of the community of the Birmingham Oratory, will have an opportunity to visit the Oratory House opened by Fr Newman in February 1852, and where he died on Monday, 11 August 1890, aged 89.

Jack & Carol Sullivan will visit Cardinal Newman’s Library, his Room and the private Chapel where he celebrated Mass.  They will be shown the Cloisters and the adjoining Cardinal Newman Memorial Church, built after his death on the site of the old, much smaller church.

Jack & Carol will also visit the Oratory House at Rednal, situated on the outskirts of Birmingham where they will see the secluded community grave yard where Cardinal Newman was buried.

On Thursday 12 November Deacon Sullivan and his wife will be the guests of Bishop William Kenney, CP, Diocesan Administrator of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, who will entertain them to lunch.

Bishop Kenney will talk to Jack & Carol about the Beatification Ceremony of Cardinal Newman that will take place in the Archdiocese on a Sunday in late May or early June 2010.

Bishop William Kenney,  said: “I am delighted and honoured to have Deacon Jack Sullivan and his wife as my guests.   Meeting someone whom God has cured from a serious illness brings home to me and to all believing Christians that God is always part of our lives but also that God is the Lord and source of all life.”

Bishop Kenney added: “I am looking forward to the Beatification of John Henry Newman, when I will again have the privilege of welcoming Jack and Carol as guests of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.”

During the afternoon Bishop Kenney will accompany Jack & Carol Sullivan to Littlemore and introduce them to the Sisters of The Spiritual Family The Work.  Mr and Mrs Sullivan will spend two nights at Littlemore.

On Friday 13 November, Deacon Sullivan and his wife will have an opportunity to see something of Oxford before visiting Oriel College – where Newman was a Tutor and a Fellow – as the guest of Sir Derek Morris, the Provost, who will entertain them to lunch.

Jack & Carol will also visit Trinity College where Newman was elected a scholar – and years later in 1877 became the first Honorary Fellow – as the guest of Sir Ivor Roberts, the Master.

On Saturday 14 November, the last day of their official visit to England, Jack & Carol Sullivan will be the guests of Fr Robert Byrne, Provost of the Oxford Oratory. Deacon Sullivan will be deacon at the 10.00 am Mass – the second day of the Forty Hours Decotion.

After Mass Deacon Jack Sullivan and his wife Carol will have an opportunity to meet with parishioners of the Oxford Oratory Parish, before they return to London, and home to the USA.

My picture of Deacon Jack Sullivan used on the front cover of "Cardinal Newman - The Story of a Miracle".