By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times
May 31, 2011
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015197579_archbishop01m.html
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| The Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, archbishop of Seattle, walks through Seattle's Calvary Cemetery on April 21 after sprinkling holy water on gravestones of religious leaders in a Holy Thursday tradition. |
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| Sartain talks with the Rev. Michael G. Ryan, left, St. James Cathedral pastor. |
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| The Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain sprinkles holy water on the gravestones of former religious leaders during the Holy Thursday commemoration of deceased priests at Seattle's Calvary Cemetery on April 21. |
Since arriving last winter from Illinois, where he served as bishop of Joliet for four years, Seattle's new Roman Catholic archbishop largely has stayed out of the limelight.
That is likely to change this month, when more than 300 of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops gather in Bellevue for their annual summer conference.
Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, 58, who will be the meeting's hosting bishop, has been well-received by many priests and parishioners who describe him as warm, approachable and smart.
Where his predecessor focused attention on building the infrastructure of the archdiocese — establishing schools, parishes and policies — Sartain largely has focused on nurturing the spirituality of his flock and proclaiming Christ and the teachings of the church through relatable, human anecdotes. And — to a point at least — he also is not shy about disclosing some of his personal foibles and yearnings.
He once wrote, for instance, of going five years without balancing his checkbook. He never bounced a check or missed a payment, but neither did he pay much attention to the details of his finances. "Wouldn't it be a shame," he asked, "if we let ourselves settle into [a similar] complacency about our relationship with God, ... [letting] it go unchecked, unbalanced and untested?"
The Very Rev. Anthony Bawyn, a priest in the archdiocese, says he finds Sartain's personal candor inviting and likes the way Sartain links it to larger spiritual messages that he conveys in emails to all the priests every two weeks.
"He's sharing his personal life with us in a way that's relatable," Bawyn said. "He's sharing his life as a brother priest."
Sartain is less forthcoming, though, about an abuse case from his previous diocese, where a victims group has accused him of not living up to the goals of the bishops' charter to prevent child sex abuse. That charter, passed by the nation's bishops nearly 10 years ago, is scheduled to be revised and voted on at the Bellevue meeting starting June 15.
He also hasn't laid out specific goals for his Seattle tenure, saying he first wants to get to know his new archdiocese, which has about 600,000 registered Catholics, with about 1 million who consider themselves Catholic. He's logging miles on his Ford Edge, visiting many of the 178 parishes and missions.
That's leaving him little time to indulge in the fishing, hiking and reading (especially books on spirituality and World War II) that he likes to do in his spare time.
But it's important to him, he says, to try to keep the mindset of a pastor tending to his parish flock, even though that flock now spans Western Washington.
"What I try to do is make the depth of my own presence to them, and my awareness of their presence, as important as possible to capitalize on the encounter, even though it's brief" — perhaps only a few minutes in a receiving line or after Mass, he said. "That's very important to me."
A fatherly role
Sartain's sense of spirituality came early, when he was growing up with four siblings in a devoutly Catholic family in Memphis, Tenn.
While his admiration for the priests in his hometown parish helped inspire him to enter the priesthood, his closeness with his family has influenced the way he carries out his responsibilities.
"Family relationships inform the way I look at things," Sartain said. "I really look upon my parishioners as my children. Not in a condescending way. But that I'm given over for their care."
Even those who disagree with him on church teachings say they've heard good things about him.
"My priest friends are just thrilled to have someone who cares about them," said Betty Hill, president of Call to Action Western Washington, which advocates for having women priests and allowing clergy to marry.
But Hill doesn't expect Sartain to make sweeping changes. "He's going to follow the dictates of Rome," she said.
Sartain is clear about his position on such issues.
"My stand on things is with the church. Always has been," he said, noting that he not only accepts church teachings but has come to understand the wisdom of them. "I don't see my role in any way as changing church teachings or challenging it."
That said, Sartain realizes that reaching people in the largely unchurched Pacific Northwest will be not just about preaching church doctrines but asking the more universal questions many ask: What is the purpose of my existence? How do I live my life in a way that brings me peace and joy? And then "looking to the gospel to see, particularly, how Jesus responds."
Not everyone's a fan
Despite his favorable reception in the archdiocese, not everyone was pleased with Sartain's appointment.
In fact, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) called for Pope Benedict XVI to revoke it.
At issue was Sartain's ordination two years ago of the Rev. Alejandro Flores, who admitted last year to sexually abusing a boy and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Sartain, while still bishop in Joliet, said no abuse allegations had been made against Flores before he was ordained in 2009.
But court records show there certainly were red flags.
Supervisors had seen him alone with children — including the victim — several times, including once when the boy changed clothes in Flores' presence, according to those records. Flores was warned that wasn't appropriate. He also had been caught with pornographic images on his computer that — despite a website disclaimer saying they were adults — appeared to be of young boys. And he had been sent for psychological evaluation and treatment.
Court records do not specify whether Sartain knew of these instances before ordaining him.
But "it's such an egregious and recent case," said David Clohessy, national director of SNAP. "The heart of the bishops' alleged reform was that they would put children's safety first and would be open. In this case, he clearly broke both of those promises."
At a news conference in Joliet early last year, Sartain apologized to the boy and his family.
But he won't talk about it now, saying, "That's the diocese where I no longer serve." He does call it "one of the most difficult things I've ever dealt with in my entire life. It's something I still pray about every day. I pray for the family."
He also prays every day, he says, to do his job well: "Lord, help me to be a good bishop."
His role model in ministry, he says, is Pope John Paul II.
Sartain tells the story of when he was 26, studying in Rome and seeing John Paul II appear on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica the night he was elected pope.
John Paul II barely had started to speak when Sartain knew then and there: "That's the kind of priest I wanted to be," he said. "I wanted to exude the warmth and the joy of the gospel."
Janet I. Tu: 206-464-2272 or jtu@seattletimes.com
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