Lawrence Sabatini

Lawrence Sabatini, CS (born May 15, 1930) is an American retired bishop of the Catholic Church. Born and raised in Chicago, he felt a religious calling to join the priesthood during primary school. After completing school, he studied for the priesthood in Rome and joined the Scalabrinians upon returning to the United States. He was ordained a priest in 1957 and went on to teach at the institute's missions and the seminary on Staten Island for 11 years, before being sent to Canada in 1971.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Lawrence Sabatini

CS
Bishop Emeritus of Kamloops
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
SeeKamloops
AppointedOctober 1, 1982
Term endedSeptember 2, 1999
PredecessorAdam Exner
SuccessorDavid Monroe
Orders
OrdinationMarch 19, 1957
ConsecrationJuly 20, 2004
by James Carney
Personal details
Born (1930-05-15) May 15, 1930
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NationalityAmerican
DenominationRoman Catholic
ResidenceChicago
Rome
Staten Island
Vancouver
Kamloops
Previous post
  • Auxiliary Bishop of Vancouver (1978–1982)
  • Titular Bishop of Nasai (1978–1982)
Ordination history of
Lawrence Sabatini
History
Priestly ordination
DateMarch 19, 1957
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorJames Carney (Vancouver)
Co-consecratorsJohn O'Grady (Prince George)
Remi De Roo (Victoria)
DateSeptember 21, 1978
PlaceHoly Rosary Cathedral, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Source(s):[1][2][3]
Styles of
Lawrence Sabatini
Reference styleHis Excellency
The Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Sabatini served as parish priest in North Vancouver until 1978, when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Vancouver and was consecrated that same year. Four years later, he was transferred to Kamloops after being chosen to be its ordinary. During his time there, Sabatini enthusiastically backed reconciliation with First Nations, as well as the provincial government's efforts to negotiate treaties with them. He resigned as bishop in 1999 and returned to his hometown of Chicago. At the request of the Archbishop of Chicago, he served as pastor of a previously Italian parish that had become overwhelmingly Hispanic due to a demographic shift. He has also authored several books during his retirement.

Early life

Sabatini was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 15, 1930,[1] in the Santa Maria Addolorata Parish on the Northwest Side of the city.[4][5] Both his parents were Italian immigrants from Valbona, in the province of Lucca, Tuscany.[6] He has two brothers (Ralph and Joseph) and two sisters (Olga and Genevieve); both sisters predeceased him.[7] Sabatini felt a calling to the priesthood in grade four, when he was an altar server at his parish school, which was overseen by the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (the Scalabrinians). He studied in Rome during the late 1950s and joined the Scalabrinians by the time he completed his studies and came back home.[3] On March 19, 1957, he was ordained to the priesthood.[1][8]

Presbyteral ministry

Sabatini's first assignment was to Staten Island in New York City. There, he was professor at St. Charles Seminary, teaching moral theology and canon law.[1] He also taught at missions run by the Scalabrinians from 1960 to 1972, where he worked with the "troubled youth" of the borough.[3] In September 1971, Sabatini was relocated to British Columbia, Canada,[3][9] and served as the third pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in North Vancouver.[9][10] He concurrently held three posts in the archdiocesan chancery.[1]

Episcopal ministry

Auxiliary bishop of Vancouver (1978–1982)
Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, the church where Sabatini was ordained bishop.

Sabatini was appointed auxiliary bishop of Vancouver and titular bishop of Nasai on July 13, 1978.[8][11] He was consecrated bishop on September 21, 1978,[2] at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver.[3][12] James Carney, the Archbishop of Vancouver, served as the principal consecrator,[2] with Cardinal George Flahiff of Winnipeg being one of several bishops in attendance.[13] As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops,[14] Sabatini was part of the Episcopal Commissions for Canon Law and for Migration and Tourism. He was also a consultant on the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (a department of the Roman Curia).[1] In the early 1980s, it was Sabatini who proposed that the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence start Vanspec, a catechetics program in the Archdiocese tailored for children with special needs. The sisters began the program in 1982 and continued running it until 2017.[15]

Bishop of Kamloops (1982–1999)

Sabatini was appointed Bishop of Kamloops on October 1, 1982.[1][8] The see had been vacant since March 31 of that same year, when Adam Exner was appointed as Archbishop of Winnipeg.[8] During his tenure as ordinary of that diocese, Sabatini was noted for being a vehement proponent of the treaty negotiation process with First Nations that was being undertaken by the government of British Columbia. He also advocated for reconciliation with First Nations over the Catholic Church's involvement with the country's residential school system, the majority of which were run by the church.[16] He formally apologized to the Alkali Lake Indian Band on behalf of the church in December 1998.[17]

Sabatini was present at the 1984 and 1987 papal visits of Pope John Paul II.[18] He also attended the 44th International Eucharistic Congress held in Seoul, South Korea in October 1989,[18][19] and led a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.[18] On May 12, 1990, Sabatini ordained both Mark Hagemoen – who would later become bishop in 2013 – and Paul Than Bui as priests for the Archdiocese of Vancouver.[20][21] Normally, Carney would have been ordaining bishop under canon 1015, §2 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law,[22] but because he was ill with cancer at the time,[21][23] Sabatini ordained the two priests on his behalf.[21] When Carney died in September of that same year,[23] it was Sabatini who presided over his funeral Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral. In the homily he delivered, Sabatini read from letters Carney wrote during the last days of his life addressed to the faithful in the Archdiocese.[24]

Retirement

After 16 years of serving as Bishop of Kamloops, Sabatini's resignation was accepted on September 2, 1999.[1] Subsequently, he returned to his hometown of Chicago and retreated from active ministry.[3][25] However, Francis George – the Archbishop of Chicago – asked him to become pastor of Holy Rosary Church, a formerly Italian parish on the Northwest Side (the area of Chicago he was born and raised). Before assuming the role on June 1, 2000, Sabatini visited Mexico, in order to gain a better understanding of the language and culture of the church's now predominantly Hispanic parishioners.[3] He celebrated the golden jubilee of his priestly ordination in March 2007,[3] and retired as parish priest the following year.[18]

Published books
  • Sabatini, Lawrence (2010). My Journey: Musings of a Missionary. Chelsea, Michigan. ISBN 9780615346960.
  • Thoughts of a Retired Bishop: Talks from My Work and Life. Mary Brown. 2010. ISBN 9780615418193.
  • Mark the Lion: Sunday Homilettes – Year B. Mary Brown. 2011. ISBN 9780615517490.
  • Sacrament Most Holy, Sacrament Most Divine: Mystery of Faith. Mary Brown. 2012. ISBN 9780615716060.

References
  1. "Bishop Lawrence Sabatini of Kamloops Retires". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. September 1, 1999. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  2. "Bishop Lawrence Sabatini". Kansas City: Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. "Jubilee Mass for Chicago's Only Italian-American Bishop". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. March 13, 2007. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. Madlener, Dolores (February 13, 2011). "Church Clips". The Chicago Catholic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020. [H]e was born here in Santa Maria Addolorata Parish.
  5. "History". Chicago: Santa Maria Addolorata Parish. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. "'Mama Sabatini,' cook and restaurant owner". Chicago Tribune. December 7, 1982. p. 20. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  7. "Michelotti". Chicago Tribune. December 21, 2001. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. "Chicago-born Bishop Lawrence Sabatini has been appointed Bishop of..." United Press International. October 1, 1982. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. "Pastors". North Vancouver: St. Stephen's Catholic Parish. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. "Historical Highlights". North Vancouver: St. Stephen's Catholic Parish. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  11. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF) (in Latin). 70. 1978. p. 472.
  12. "News of the churches". Vancouver Sun. September 9, 1978. p. A23. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  13. Platt, Wallace (1999). Gentle Eminence. McGill–Queen's Press. p. 164. ISBN 9780773518469.
  14. "Members". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  15. "Vanspec hires new coordinator as founding sisters move on". The B.C. Catholic. Vancouver. October 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  16. Todd, Douglas (January 5, 2002). "High-ranking city Catholic named bishop of Kamloops". Vancouver Sun. p. 28. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020. Sabatini was known for his strong support of the B.C. government's treaty negotiation process with native Indians and for seeking reconciliation with natives over Canada's residential schools, most of which were run by Catholics.
  17. Mindus, Angie; Fisher, Ken (December 23, 1998). "Alkali Lake natives receive apologies". 100 Mile House Free Press. p. 28. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  18. Madlener, Dolores (May 9, 2010). "Church Clips". The Chicago Catholic. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  19. "Pope will visit South Korea". United Press International. October 1, 1989. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  20. "Vocations Ordination Dates – Bishop and Active Diocesan Priests by Date of Ordination". RCAV.org. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  21. Yaworski, Kiply Lukan (November 30, 2017). Yaworski, Kiply Lukan (ed.). "Born and ordained in Vancouver, bishop served four years in north". Diocese of Saskatoon, Diocesan Newsletter (Fall 2017 ed.). Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon. p. 2. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  22. "Code of Canon Law – Book IV, Part I, Title VI, Chapter I". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. January 25, 1983. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  23. "James Carney, Vancouver Archbishop". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. September 18, 1990. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  24. Todd, Douglas (September 21, 1990). "Carney 'stood with Pope'". Vancouver Sun. p. 23. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  25. "History". Sacred Heart Cathedral. Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
Catholic Church titles
Vacant
Title last held by
James Carney		 Auxiliary Bishop of Vancouver
1978–1982		 Vacant
Preceded by
Adam Exner		 Bishop of Kamloops
1982–1999		 Sede vacante
Title next held by
David Monroe
Preceded by
Aldo Mongiano		 — TITULAR —
Bishop of Nasai
1978–1982		 Succeeded by
Jorge Mario Avila del Aguila
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