The new archbishop of Seattle is J. Peter Sartain, a fellow student at the North American College when I studied there in the late 1970s. Peter, as we knew him then, is someone I always remembered as a genuinely decent, holy and healthy man. A solid man (for those who know him, you will understand what I mean by that adjective).
I respect him highly.
The Catholic News Agency CNA, reported bits of his recent homily on which I think it is worth commenting.
“I have nothing at all of my own to offer you… Everything I have, I have received….. What I have, I will offer to you: the gospel of Jesus Christ…. It is the Lord Jesus who leads, guides, protects, and nourishes the flock….. It is first and foremost, in following him that we (bishops) shepherd the portion of the flock entrusted to our care…He is always before us, and we are to follow…. The name of Jesus should be on our lips: in every homily, at every meeting,in every counseling session, in every moment of prayer…. His name should be in every parish and school mission statement and as we go through the day, we should pray his name silently to remind ourselves of his nearness, and seek his protection…. for Satan does not like to hear his name, and he flees….In union with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and with Catholics around the world, we will follow the one whose name we call, day and night… We will proclaim his name, even when his name meets rejection and ridicule… We would not be the Church were we to be bashful about proclaiming Christ.”
Amen, Archbishop Peter!
