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	New Role a Surprise for Sartain By Joe Hosey The Herald News May 17, 2006 http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/top/4_1_JO17_BISHOP_S2.htm ROMEOVILLE — The Diocese of Joliet's first new bishop in nearly 27 years is tackling his job with an open mind. "Do I come here with a mission or an agenda? Not at all," said Bishop James Peter Sartain, the successor of outgoing Bishop Joseph Imesch. "I have much to learn," Sartain said. Sartain, currently the Bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark., will become the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Joliet. The bishop of the Little Rock Diocese — which covers the entire state of Arkansas — for the last six years, Sartain will see his flock grow by more than 500,000. Imesch, who will turn 75 next month, cited his age as the reason for his retirement. According to Canon Law, he was required to submit his resignation to the pope. Asked what advice he had for his successor, Imesch quipped, "Start praying." Sartain, 53, was introduced during a press conference at the St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center. A native of Memphis, Tenn. , he was ordained to the priesthood for his hometown diocese in July 1978. Sartain was appointed bishop of the Little Rock Diocese in January 2000 and ordained in March 2000. The call from Rome telling him about his Joliet appointment came as a complete surprise, Sartain said. "Truly I can say I'm blessed to be here today and for many years to come," he said. "The rest of my life." Sartain said he hopes to "continue in earnest the healing already begun here and needed so badly throughout our country following the scourge of sexual abuse by some clergy and others acting in the name of the church." He said there were no credible cases reported in his former diocese after a 2004 comprehensive investigation and report of the previous 54 years. That report found 11 of the 500 priests working in the diocese during that time had been accused of sexual abuse of a minor, he said. Sartain also spoke of his desire to help illegal immigrants obtain lawful status, but noted that "every country has a right to protect its borders." He said he is learning to speak Spanish and already says Mass in Spanish with the aid of a text. Sartain, who served as the vicar general of the Diocese of Memphis before moving on to Arkansas, said he adopted as his personal motto a line of the 27th psalm: "Of you my heart has spoken." "My deepest yearning is for God and my heart speaks spontaneously of him," he said. - Contact Joe Hosey at (815) 729-6054 or e-mail him at jhosey@scn1.com.
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