Bishop DoubleHeader: Sartain to Joliet IL from Little Rock AK

American Papist ^ | May 16, 2006

[NYer]

Not to get lost in today's "Wuerl-wind", Joliet IL also received a new bishop today (replacing Bishop Imesch), Bishop Sartain of Litte Rock AK ... as I also buzzed about yesterday:

VATICAN CITY, MAY 16, 2006 (VIS) "The Holy Father appointed Bishop James Peter Sartain of Little Rock, U.S.A., as bishop of Joliet in Illinois (area 10,920, population 1,768,390, Catholics 636,862, priests 293, permanent deacons 178, religious 779), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Joseph L. Imesch, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit."

More statistics for the diocese of Joliet, Illinois. and Sartain.

St. Blogs commentary:

• Whispers: "A sacramentalist trained at the Benedictine Academy at Sant'Anselmo in Rome, Bishop Sartain, 54, has served as head of Arkansas' lone diocese since 2000."
• Jimmy Akin has a nice photo of him with Sartain and has this personal story to relate: "I was also impressed with Bishop Sartain. He's a Tennessee boy, and before the service I went up to him to make sure I was going to pronounce his name correctly during the service (that's something that's important to me, the way my last name gets mangled). Turns out his is pronounced SAR-tan, though he says he'll answer to other things. While I was waiting to ask him the question, he was telling some folks about a hunting trip he went on with friends down in Mississippi, so that scored him points in my book."
• Dennis of Vita Mea also has a personal story to tell: "At the end of the mass, Bishop Sartain told everyone how happy the Church was that Shaun was answering his vocation, and that the people should continually pray for vocations, and encourage any young men or women who might have a vocation to religious life. Then he asked the seminarians from the Diocese of Little Rock to raise their hands. The congregation applauded. Then he pointed out that about a dozen of Shaun's schoolmates from St. Meinrad had come and asked us to raise our hands. They applauded. Then he said, "One of them is a seminarian from the Diocese of Memphis, Dennis Schenkel, and he was one of my parishioners before I came to Arkansas. He had more hair back then. Then again, so did I." Big laugh from the congregation. Much redness on my face. All the guys from St. Meinrad gave me some teasing mixed with admiration after the mass. Also, I was the first person to receive Shaun's blessing, now that he's a member of the clergy. It was cool."
• Argent by the Tiber posts a short meditation by Bishop Sartain.

Media coverage:

• Chicago Tribune: Joliet bishop steps down: "Sartain was installed in Little Rock on March 6, 2000, after Little Rock bishop Andrew J. McDonald retired. He is the sixth bishop in the Little Rock diocese's 163 years, leading Arkansas' 90,000 Catholics.He grew up in Memphis, the son of a pharmacist and a Catholic school secretary. He has four sisters.When Pope John Paul II named Sartain as bishop of Little Rock, he had been a priest in Memphis for 22 years. Sartain has been vicar general of the Diocese of Memphis and pastor of St. Louis Church since 1992. He was ordained a priest in 1978." More...
• Associated Press: Pope names replacement for Joliet bishop: "Sartain appeared at a press conference Tuesday morning in Romeoville, saying he looks forward to learning about the Joliet diocese, which includes 620,000 Catholics in seven counties south and west of Chicago. "My first task is try to be a good bishop," said Sartain, 53." More...

Official Statements, etc.:

• Diocese of Joliet announcement: "During a press conference held at 10:00 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center, Bishop Imesch announced Bishop Sartain’s appointment as Fourth Bishop of Joliet. The ceremony of installation is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27, 2006."
• Bishop Sartain's column for the Arkansas Catholic

[smpb]

Trivia fans out there: Do you know what makes Little Rock Arkansas famous in Catholic Church history? Look at next posting for the answer.

[smpb]

The answer is that the bishop of Little Rock Arkansas was one of only TWO bishops in the world to vote against the definition of papal infallibility at Vatican I in the final vote.

[Nihil Obstat]

Bishop Sartain sounds pretty solid, at least in the articles I read today.

[NYer]

Chapter 4. On the infallible teaching authority of the Roman pontiff

1. That apostolic primacy which the Roman pontiff possesses as successor of Peter, the prince of the apostles, includes also the supreme power of teaching.
   • This holy see has always maintained this,
   • the constant custom of the church demonstrates it, and
   • the ecumenical councils, particularly those in which East and West met in the union of faith and charity, have declared it.

   [councils]

2. So the fathers of the fourth council of Constantinople, following the footsteps of their predecessors, published this solemn profession of faith:
   • The first condition of salvation is to maintain the rule of the true faith. And since that saying of our lord Jesus Christ, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church [55] , cannot fail of its effect, the words spoken are confirmed by their consequences. For in the apostolic see the catholic religion has always been preserved unblemished, and sacred doctrine been held in honour. Since it is our earnest desire to be in no way separated from this faith and doctrine, we hope that we may deserve to remain in that one communion which the apostolic see preaches, for in it is the whole and true strength of the christian religion [56] .
   What is more, with the approval of the second council of Lyons, the Greeks made the following profession:
   • "The holy Roman church possesses the supreme and full primacy and principality over the whole catholic church. She truly and humbly acknowledges that she received this from the Lord himself in blessed Peter, the prince and chief of the apostles, whose successor the Roman pontiff is, together with the fullness of power. And since before all others she has the duty of defending the truth of the faith, so if any questions arise concerning the faith, it is by her judgment that they must be settled." [57]
   Then there is the definition of the council of Florence:
   • "The Roman pontiff is the true vicar of Christ, the head of the whole church and the father and teacher of all Christians; and to him was committed in blessed Peter, by our lord Jesus Christ, the full power of tending, ruling and governing the whole church." [58]

   [Holy See]

3. To satisfy this pastoral office, our predecessors strove unwearyingly that the saving teaching of Christ should be spread among all the peoples of the world; and with equal care they made sure that it should be kept pure and uncontaminated wherever it was received.

   [Custom]

4. It was for this reason that the bishops of the whole world, sometimes individually, sometimes gathered in synods, according to the long established custom of the churches and the pattern of ancient usage referred to this apostolic see those dangers especially which arose in matters concerning the faith. This was to ensure that any damage suffered by the faith should be repaired in that place above all where the faith can know no failing [59] .

   [Holy See]

5. The Roman pontiffs, too, as the circumstances of the time or the state of affairs suggested,
   • sometimes by
     • summoning ecumenical councils or
     • consulting the opinion of the churches scattered throughout the world, sometimes by
     • special synods, sometimes by
     • taking advantage of other useful means afforded by divine providence,
   • defined as doctrines to be held those things which, by God's help, they knew to be in keeping with
     • sacred scripture and
     • the apostolic traditions.

6. For the holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter
   • not so that they might, by his revelation, make known some new doctrine,
   • but that, by his assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.
   Indeed, their apostolic teaching was
   • embraced by all the venerable fathers and
   • reverenced and followed by all the holy orthodox doctors,
   for they knew very well that this see of St. Peter always remains unblemished by any error, in accordance with the divine promise of our Lord and Saviour to the prince of his disciples: I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren [60] .

7. This gift of truth and never-failing faith was therefore divinely conferred on Peter and his successors in this see so that they might discharge their exalted office for the salvation of all, and so that the whole flock of Christ might be kept away by them from the poisonous food of error and be nourished with the sustenance of heavenly doctrine. Thus the tendency to schism is removed and the whole church is preserved in unity, and, resting on its foundation, can stand firm against the gates of hell.

8. But since in this very age when the salutary effectiveness of the apostolic office is most especially needed, not a few are to be found who disparage its authority, we judge it absolutely necessary to affirm solemnly the prerogative which the only-begotten Son of God was pleased to attach to the supreme pastoral office.

9. Therefore,
   • faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the christian faith,
   • to the glory of God our saviour,
   • for the exaltation of the catholic religion and
   • for the salvation of the christian people,
   • with the approval of the sacred council,

     ---

   • we teach and define as a divinely revealed dogma that
     • when the Roman pontiff speaks EX CATHEDRA,
       • that is, when,
         1. in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians,
         2. in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority,
         3. he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole church,
     • he possesses,
       • by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter,
     • that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed his church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals.
     • Therefore, such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the church, irreformable.

     ---

   So then, should anyone, which God forbid, have the temerity to reject this definition of ours: let him be anathema.

[Nihil Obstat]

also, AK is Alaska, AR is Arkansas.

[bourbon]

While I was waiting to ask him the question, [Bishop Sartain] was telling some folks about a hunting trip he went on with friends down in Mississippi, so that scored him points in my book

Mine too.

Incidentally, a fellow Catholic here in Jackson, MS told me his parish priest had become noticeably more conservative/orthodox after being introduced to shooting sports by his parishoners.

[BlessedBeGod]

Thank God Imesch is gone. He was horrible -- of the Sr. Joan Chittister/Rembert Weakland extreme progressive wing of the Church. I don't know anything about the new bishop, but he couldn't possibly be worse.