By Bob Okon
Bolingbroke Sun
September 17, 2010
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/bolingbrooksun/news/2716188,joliet-Dioces-bishop_JO091610.article
JOLIET -- Bishop J. Peter Sartain will leave the Diocese of Joliet to become archbishop in Seattle.
His appointment by the pope was announced Thursday and comes only four years after Sartain arrived in Joliet, where he immediately had to tackle festering issues over how the diocese had been handling allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
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| Bishop J. Peter Sartain (center) greets a priest as he puts on vestments before Mass at St. James Cathedral on Thursday in Seattle. The Vatican on Thursday named Sartain, 58, of Joliet, as the new archbishop of western Washington. |
He leaves at a less turbulent time in the diocese, although several parishes were stirred up this year when Sartain announced a reorganization of the Catholic school system that included the closing of St. Joseph School in Joliet.
Sartain's appointment as an archbishop obviously shows he is held in high regard within the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. Sartain also made a good impression on many of the people in the Joliet diocese while he was here.
"He has tremendous vision," said the Rev. Brad Baker, rector at the Cathedral of St. Raymond, the parish where Sartain officially was the pastor. "In his short time here, he left his imprint on our diocesan church in a very significant way."
Sartain was in Seattle on Thursday as his appointment was announced and he was introduced as the new archbishop.
In Joliet, many Catholics including Mike Cemeno heard the news of Sartain's appointment while at morning Mass.
"He was the right man at the right time," Cemeno said of Sartain's arrival during the turmoil over sex abuse allegations.
Cemeno, who is a founder of a nondenominational Bible study group called Fishers of Men, said Sartain brought a more open approach toward the handling of allegations against priests.
"He brought a lot of stability, spirit and faith to people in our diocese," Cemeno said. "He brought a ray of hope, which I think people were looking for."
On Sept. 8, the Rev. Alejandro Flores, a Joliet Diocese priest who served at Holy Family Church in Shorewood, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to having sexual contact with a now-13-year-old boy over the past five years.
The day the accusation was brought to Sartain's attention, he immediately put Flores on administrative leave and informed the state's attorney's office and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services of the allegations.
School disputes
The perspective of Sartain's tenure is a bit different among many parents of Catholic schoolchildren after the decision to close certain schools as part of a diocese-wide reorganization.
The closing of St. Joseph School in June left the older and poorer East Side of Joliet without one parochial school following other closures in past years.
"I hope whoever they choose (as the next bishop) is more compassionate to the East Side of Joliet," said Marge Franchini, a St. Joseph School parent.
Franchini said the closing of the school felt like "a business decision." She and other St. Joseph parents were frustrated that they were unable to get a meeting with Sartain to try to change his mind.
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| Diocese of Joliet Bishop J. Peter Sartain is leaving to become archbishop of Seattle. |
Four-year stay
Sartain will leave town a less familiar figure than his predecessor, Bishop Joseph Imesch. But Imesch was bishop for the Joliet Diocese for 27 years and built up personal relationships with community leaders and others over time that helped him withstand criticism for his handling of allegations of priest abuse.
"He (Imesch) was a household name," said diocese spokesman Doug Delaney.
Sartain, however, was very active and also very visible in the diocese, travelling across its seven counties and saying Masses at local parishes on Sundays, Delaney said.
"Bishop Sartain had 129 parishes, and he visited one every Sunday," Delaney said. "He was on the road all the time."
Sartain has a reputation for being personable in one-and-one encounters and an inspiring speaker as well. He also is recognized for converting the old Explorer, the diocesan newspaper, to a monthly magazine called Christ Is Our Hope that has been well received.
"He has been a wonderful bishop for our diocese," said Carlotta Lawton, president of the Joliet Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. "He is so gifted as a priest. We hate to see him go. But God has blessed us with his wonderful gifts."
Contact: bokon@stmedianetwork.com
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