Office of the Vicars General records

In each diocese, the bishop appoints a vicar general: a priest, auxiliary bishop, or coadjutor, who is provided with ordinary power and who assists the bishop in the governance of the diocese. The vicar general is the bishop's agent in administration, acting as second-in-command for diocesan executive matters. He is the highest official of the diocese after the ordinary. Louis Francis Sterker, a Roman Catholic priest, was born 1920 in the Bronx, New York, to William C. Sterker and Wilma Weber Sterker.  He attended St. Francis de Sales Academy and the Power Memorial Academy, both in New York City.  He also attended St. Charles Seminary College in Catonsville, Maryland, and St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree.  He became an ordained priest in 1946 at Francis de Sales Parish in New York City. Sterker’s first assignments included pastor at St. Joseph Parish and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, both in Charleston, South Carolina. He also served as pastor of St. Anthony Parish, Florence; Our Lady of Peace Parish, North Augusta; St. Joseph Parish in Columbia; and Our Lady of the Hills Parish, Columbia.  In 1963, Sterker was invested as a papal chamberlain.  In 1990, Bishop David Thompson named Monsignor Sterker, together with Reverend Sam Miglarese, to the position of vicars general until his retirement in 1993. Monsignor Sterker died in 1999. Bridget Sullivan, a religious sister, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1938 to William and Ethel Sullivan.  She attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and Bishop England High School in Charleston. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Seton Hall University in New Jersey.  She also earned a Masters in Elementary Administration from The Citadel in Charleston, a Masters of Administration from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and an associate degree in physical therapy. Sullivan entered the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy (O.L.M.) community in 1956.  She professed her vows in 1959 and took her final vows in 1962.  From 1984-1988, Sister Bridget served on the general council. She also held the position of general superior from 1988-1996 and 2004-2012. Sister Bridget served as principal for a number of schools throughout the Diocese of Charleston.  In 1991, Bishop David Thompson appointed Sullivan as executive secretary of the Diocesan Synod, a position she held until 1995. She also served as secretary to the Presbyteral Council from 1990-2001, and was made assistant to the vicars general from 1991-1995.

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