J. Peter Sartain

James Peter Sartain (born June 6, 1952) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Seattle from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Bishop of Little Rock from 2000 to 2006 and as Bishop of Joliet from 2006 to 2010.

Biography

Early life Peter Sartain was born on June 6, 1952, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Joseph Martin ("Pete") and Catherine (née Poole) Sartain. He is the youngest of five children as well as the only boy. His father served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Raised in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, Peter Sartain received his early education at the parochial school of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, and graduated from Bishop Byrne High School in Memphis in 1970.

Priesthood On July 15, 1978, Sartain was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Memphis by Bishop Carroll Dozier at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis. Returning to his studies in Rome, Sartain was in St. Peter's Square when the newly elected Pope John Paul II emerged from the papal conclave of October 1978. Sartain earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology, with a specialization in sacramental theology, from the Pontifical University of St. Anselmo in 1979. He selected as his episcopal motto: "Of You My Heart Has Spoken" Psalms 27:8. He worked to increase vocations; the diocese had ten seminarians and no ordinations in 2000, but fifteen seminarians and two ordinations in 2005.

Sartain faced scrutiny while bishop of Joliet due to his handling of the sexual abuse crisis. During his installation as archbishop of Seattle, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) organized a protest against Sartain's installation. The protest originated from Sartain's decision as bishop of Joliet to ordain Alejandro Flores in 2009, even though diocesan officials had raised concerns over Flores' viewing of male pornography.Shortly after his ordination, Flores was convicted of sexually abusing a boy and sentenced to four years in prison in 2010. SNAP said that Sartain's decision to ordain Flores and other such individuals showed that should not be entrusted as bishop. In response, Sartain claims that he reported priests such as Flores as soon as he heard about abuse.

Archbishop of Seattle On September 16, 2010, Sartain was appointed as archbishop of Seattle by Benedict XVI, succeeding Archbishop Alexander Brunett. Sartain was installed on December 1, 2010, in St. James Cathedral in Seattle.

In April 2012, the Vatican announced the appointment of Sartain to oversee a review of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a prominent umbrella group for nuns in the United States. It involved reviewing and changing the group's laws, programs and practices to correct practices that the Vatican believed were "incompatible with the Catholic faith."

On June 7, 2019, Sartain installed Paul D. Etienne, then archbishop of Anchorage, as coadjutor archbishop for the archdiocese. In August 2019, Sartain ordered the demolition of Holy Rosary Church in Tacoma, Washington, a building that has been on the City of Tacoma's Register of Tacoma Places since 1975. As of 2023, Holy Rosary Church is still standing.

Retirement and legacy Pope Francis accepted Sartain's resignation as archbishop of Seattle on September 3, 2019. He was reported to be in poor health, which prompted the pope to accept his early retirement.

Viewpoints In April 2012, Sartain urged parishes in the archdiocese to collect signatures to place Referendum 74 on the November ballot. The referendum sought to repeal the State of Washington's newly enacted same-sex marriage statute. Sartain made this statement: "The word 'marriage' isn't simply a label that can be attached to different types of relationships, Instead, 'marriage' reflects a deep reality – the reality of the unique, fruitful, lifelong union that is only possible between a man and a woman. There is nothing else like it, and it can't be defined or made into something that it isn't...Marriage can only be between a man and a woman because of its unique ends, purpose and place in society." In the referendum, the voters rejected the appeal of the statute.