He had a sly grin and an Irish brogue, charms he was not above deploying in service of persuading a parishioner to “volunteer” for something. At the same time, he understood that lay people could be a help to him in running the parish, and he gave them the space to do it. He made it his business to know everyone, and he didn’t wait for you to come to him – he came out to meet you. Fr. Michael O’Sullivan was the consummate parish priest.
Born January 9, 1932, in Kilgarven, County Kerry, Ireland, Fr. O’Sullivan was ordained in Kilkenny in 1955 and was soon sent off to America and the Washington, D.C., archdiocese. He spent some years as an associate pastor at St. Camillus in Silver Spring and Nativity in Northwest D.C., and as a chaplain at Washington Hospital Center, before landing at St. Peter’s in 1970.
Fr. Mike’s instincts kicked in right away. His first act as pastor was to open the previously locked doors of the church during the day. To his mind, the hospitable gesture was worth a stolen candlestick or two. Then he hit the streets, knocking on doors, determined to meet every one of his parishioners as soon as he could. Soon thereafter, he decided that the parish council should not be appointed by the pastor but elected by parishioners. “I did recognize that they were far more knowledgeable than I was,” he told an interviewer for the Capitol Hill History Project.
Perhaps born of his service as a hospital chaplain, Fr. Mike felt a strong sense of ministry to the sick. Over the years, he encouraged that in others, building up a thriving cadre of Eucharistic ministers who brought Communion to shut-in parishioners each week.
Like many pastors before him, understanding his responsibility to a historic property, Fr. Mike oversaw a series of improvements to St. Peter’s. In the mid-1970s, the school underwent significant, and much needed, renovation. A decade later, both the church and the rectory saw major refurbishment. In the church, among other changes, the marble altar that now serves as our main altar was resized and moved down to its present position, replacing a temporary wooden one. A few years later, Fr. Mike saw to the installation of an elevator in the church, for which the parish received an award from the National Council on Disability. For his continued stewardship of St. Peter’s, Fr. Mike himself was honored with the 1996 CHAMPS Award from the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals.
The thing that subsequent pastors may appreciate most about Fr. Mike is his foresight in establishing an endowment to help finance continued upkeep of the physical plant – a lasting legacy to the parish. Parishioners, on the other hand, may put at the top of their list the annual St. Patrick’s Gala, which he instigated in 1991. A sublime liturgy followed by a raucous party, the gala, which continued for 29 years, drew worshippers and partygoers from well beyond the parish. “If you’re working for the church,” Fr. Mike said, “you should have fun doing it.”
As one mark of the esteem in which he was held, when Fr. Mike’s 50th anniversary as a priest came around in 2005, several dozen parishioners traveled with him to Ireland for a huge celebration attended by friends and family from all over. Not long afterwards, though, he announced his retirement after almost 35 years as pastor of St. Peter’s. He stayed on in the parish for two more years, then moved to the O’Boyle residence for retired priests.
Suffering from Parkinson’s disease in his later years, Fr. Michael O’Sullivan died at 81 on March 15, 2013. The next day, the parish’s annual St. Patrick’s Gala went on as planned. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Fr. Mike in 2010, beside the new marble ambo given in his honor.