More than two dozen Arkansans made the trip Dec. 1 to the Pacific Northwest to see the former bishop of Little Rock installed at the archbishop of Seattle. Those representing the state included Bishop Anthony B. Taylor, vicar general Msgr. Scott Friend, three other priests, one deacon and several laity. One of Archbishop Sartain’s sisters, Jennie Alexander, lives in Batesville with her husband, Dr. Steve Alexander.
Many of those guests participated in the Nov. 30 rite of reception and prayer service and a private dinner at the archbishop’s residence Dec. 1.
Bishop Taylor, who was chosen to be one the principal concelebrants of the Mass, said he saw “warmth” and “joy” in how the archdiocese received Archbishop Sartain.
“It was clear that they had already gotten word about how loved and effective he was as bishop here in Arkansas and later in Joliet,” he said. ‘Their gratitude to God for sending him to be their archbishop was very evident. Indeed it reminded me very much of the warmth and joy of the reception I received from the Catholics of Arkansas when I came to be bishop here.”
Bishop Taylor said he was able to have a nice conversation with Archbishop Sartain in November at the U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore.
“He was preparing for the move and, though he had not expected to be moved from Joliet, he saw God’s hand in this request of the Holy Father and so was looking forward to giving himself fully to this new responsibility in the vineyard of the Lord. As he said so eloquently at the Mass in Seattle, he didn’t say ‘yes’ to Seattle merely on the day the papal nuncio called him about going there, he had already said ‘yes’ to Seattle the day he was baptized. This reminded me of my own response when the nuncio called me about going to Little Rock. I said ‘I have always done what the Church has asked of me.’ And what a joy that has been, in my case, not only in Little Rock, but in fact throughout my priesthood.”
Deacon Bo McAllister, the diocese’s chancellor for canonical affairs, said his two-day trip to Seattle with his wife Vicki was short but pleasant. He was happy to know that three of his classmates from his canon law studies were living in Seattle, and they were eager to get to know their new archbishop.
“They were all excited about him,” McAllister said. “They were all thrilled.”
McAllister said he had a chance to talk to Archbishop Sartain at the dinner after the installation.
“He looked fantastic. He looked happy and well rested,” he said. “Archbishop Sartain was greeting everyone and working the crowd. He seemed to be well pleased.”
Msgr. Friend said he was shown “great hospitality” while in Seattle.
“It made me feel as if they were very thankful for the part we played in Archbishop Sartain’s life and subsequently now in the Church of the Diocese of Seattle,” he said. “I also knew that they would accept Archbishop Sartain and treat him very well.”
“I think that the second thing that I felt was the universality of the Church. With the hospitality that was offered us, I felt at home. There were three cardinals at the Mass, something you don’t see too often here in Arkansas, and there we all were, the family of God. I know that all of us in the Diocese of Little Rock had something to do with helping form Bishop Sartain preparing him for whatever would come next. In a real sense God entrusted Archbishop Sartain to us, and I was very proud of him as well as the people of our diocese. I especially was moved by the fact that Bishop Taylor was invited to join Archbishop Sartain at the altar during the consecration.”
“Archbishop Sartain delivered an incredible sermon. One of the things that he said was that on the day he was ordained a priest and answered with a ‘yes’ to God that he also had said ‘yes’ to being the archbishop of Seattle that day. It, of course, made me think “Wow, what else have I said yes to?”
“In asking that question, God allowed me to see something in Archbishop Sartain. It is clear to me that he has grown in his spiritual life. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that he is in love with Jesus, and he so much as said so. That I believe is the greatest gift that he will bring the people in Seattle — his relationship with Jesus. He will embrace everyone with it, and I am excited for them. I also noticed that Archbishop Sartain is a man of courage. He has had some hard things to face as a bishop, and it is clear that he is ready to be an archbishop.
“Finally, I saw something that was a great reminder for me. God has given and will give the grace that Archbishop Sartain needs to be the archbishop of Seattle. I also know that Archbishop Sartain counts on that grace, trusts in it, and as long as that is always the case, he will do a great job as the archbishop of Seattle. God reminded me that I needed to trust that he gives me the grace to do whatever he asks of me, and that should be a lesson for all of us.
“Finally, I think the most memorable thing for me was when we were at the archbishop’s house for a dinner he had for family and friends. I came up to him, and he gave me the biggest hug, which surprised me because I don’t recall Archbishop Sartain being a big hugger. Without any words, he told me that he was grateful for our friendship and to pray for him. I am thankful to God that Archbishop Sartain was once my bishop. He helped me through a tough time in my life during my first years with Multiple Sclerosis, and I know that he prays for me.”
“It is amazing how big your heart can become, how much room there is in it, how the love in it never runs out. Archbishop Sartain has three dioceses in his now, but we all know here that Little Rock will always be his favorite.”
Msgr. Francis Malone, pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock, agreed that the hospitality was wonderful.
“As the Archdiocese of Seattle was doing a masterful job of welcoming their new archbishop, the level of hospitality shown to us from Arkansas was without equal. It was evident that the people of the archdiocese were genuinely excited about Archbishop Sartain’s appointment, and they were filled with questions about ‘what is he like’ and ‘what should we expect?’ These were easy questions to answer for me, and you could sense the joy of making him feel at home.
“There were two ceremonies for this occasion, the first being a vespers service with the rite of welcoming, which was held the evening before the installation, and then, of course, the installation service itself. Each of the two services were marked with homilies by the new archbishop in which he deflected attention from himself and pointed everyone in the direction of Jesus Christ who leads us. His holiness and devotion to the Lord, which we in the Diocese of Little Rock witnessed for six years, was evident in Archbishop Sartain’s words and as he presided at the Eucharist following his installation.”
Msgr. Malone said he was able to talk to Archbishop Sartain at the dinner to “express to him our love and our prayers, and those of the Diocese of Little Rock for him.”
“He seems genuinely at peace with his new appointment from the Holy Father, the kind of peace we had come to know as well when he was our bishop,” he said.
Jan Brass, Archbishop Sartain’s secretary while he was in Little Rock, made the trip to Seattle with her husband Bill, but she became ill and couldn’t attend the installation and dinner. She said she talked later with Archbishop Sartain by phone.
“He will always be grateful for being in Little Rock and for all the people did for him,” she said. “He is very humble about the appointment. I think he will really do well…. He said over and over to me that his welcome there in Seattle was just like when he came to Arkansas… He deserves that.”
Arkansans impressed with Seattle archdiocese’s hospitality, warmth
