The Most Rev. Michael Saltarelli 1932-2009
Oct 9th, 2009 by David Anderson
Bishop Michael Saltarelli passed away. Our sympathies are with the parish family. Wilmington’s eight bishop was a leader to all local Christians, and a blessing to the pro-life community.
Sure in his calling to be a priest since he was 19, he was recalled as a pragmatic bishop with a grounding in faith who particularly enjoyed meeting parishioners during frequent visits to parishes up and down the Delmarva Peninsula.
“People joked that he traveled like he owned a helicopter,” said the Rev. Tom Flowers of Smyrna. “During his busiest years, just reading his weekly schedule could make you tired.”
His tenure as bishop from 1996 until he retired in 2008 was rocked by the priest sexual abuse scandal, and he faced financial and demographic shifts, including an influx of Spanish-speaking Catholic immigrants.
But he always said that his primary concern, in becoming both a priest and a bishop, was to ask: “Is the Gospel being practiced? Are we tending to the needs of the poor, the lonely, the outcast, the needy?”
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Bishop Saltarellii was a wise man. He knew his congregation well.
Every time he called Joe Biden onto the carpet for his pro-choice stance, both men came away smiling.
When Rome was pushing for sanctions on pro-choice politicians and even voters, to influence the 2004 election, the US bishops wisely left the ultimate choice up to local bishops, and Bishop Saltarelli, in the best Catholic tradition, left voter decisions up to the conscience of the individual.
The good Bishop served God and man well.
He was a good Bishop and a good man.