Msgr. Robert P. Walton, a beloved priest of the Diocese of Sacramento for 51 years, died on March 18. He was 76. He resided most recently at the Priests' Retirement Village in Citrus Heights.
Bishop Jaime Soto will preside at a funeral Mass on Friday, April 4 at 1 p.m. in Sacred Heart Church, located at 1040 39th St. in Sacramento. A reception will follow the Mass at Sacred Heart School, located at 856 39th St. (across the street from the church). The committal will be held following the reception at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, located at 7101 Verner Ave. in Citrus Heights.
The vigil will be held on Thursday, April 3 in Sacred Heart Church from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Msgr. Walton retired on June 30, 2022, after serving as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish for more than 20 years, from Feb. 6, 2002 to June 30, 2022.
Bishop Jaime Soto made the following statement upon the death of Msgr. Walton:
"Msgr. Robert Walton was a counselor, collaborator and companion for bishops over many years of his priestly ministry. He was a fount of local ecclesial history and experience. He epitomized prudent pastoral judgment and stewardship working in the chancery as well as pastor of a parish. I was honored to enjoy his company and benefit from his wisdom. May the Good Shepherd bring our brother Bob to his place in the eternal liturgy of heaven."
Bishop Emeritus William K. Weigand made the following statement upon the death of Msgr. Walton:
Msgr. Walton’s death deeply saddens me. He was both my close co-worker and friend and I will dearly miss him. But I am also immensely happy for him that he has now been born to eternal life, to glory and joy in Christ that his heart longed for and his holy life prepared him for.
I am grateful that all through my 15 years as the Diocesan Bishop, Msgr Walton served with excellence as Vicar General and moderator of the diocesan staff . In a quiet way, Msgr. Walton participated with a steady hand, and with insight and prudence in virtually everything going on in the diocese, including the planning and transitioning to the Diocesan Pastoral Center, a major capital campaign, the response to the sexual misconduct scandal, the restoration of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the development of new parishes and the priests' retirement village, and the long consultative process of the Third Diocesan Synod -- all the while overseeing the day-to-day operatoins of the diocese, its finances and its many ministries and services.
Msgr. Walton also served for 20 years as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Sacramento, where his priestly dedication will be long remembered by his undertaking the construction of the new Sacred Heart Parish School and a beautiful redecoration of Sacred Heart Church. Msgr. Walton's 51 years as a priest of Sacramento were unusually influential and fruitful. May he now rest in the peace of Christ.
Robert P. Walton grew up as a member of Presentation Parish in Sacramento. After his graduation from Mira Loma High School in 1966, he attended CSU-Sacramento, earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 1970.
He entered St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park for studies for the priesthood in September 1970, and was ordained as a transitional deacon on June 14, 1973. He served at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Carmichael for a year before his ordination to the priesthood by Bishop Alden J. Bell on May 4, 1974. His ordination in Our Lady of the Assumption Church marked the first time an ordination in the diocese was held in a parish church rather than in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He continued as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish until October 1974.
He served as associate pastor of St. Basil Parish in Vallejo from October 1974 to August 1979 and of Sacred Heart Parish in Sacramento from August 1979 to December 1980. On Dec. 31, 1980, he was appointed as secretary to Bishop Francis A. Quinn, with residence at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Sacramento. On April 3, 1989, he was appointed to serve as moderator of the curia under Bishop Quinn. In 1991, he began in residence at St. Joseph Parish in Elk Grove. He served as moderator of the curia until Feb. 28, 2002.
Msgr. Walton also held a variety of other administrative assignments in the diocese over the past 30 years, including vicar general from Dec. 4, 1992 to Jan. 31, 2009, in service to Bishops Quinn, William K. Weigand and Jaime Soto; as a member of the Presbyteral Council, Priests’ Personnel Board, and the College of Consultors and the Diocesan Finance Council; and as vicar for temporalities and administration. He was appointed as a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II on Jan. 4, 1998.
During Msgr. Walton’s pastorate at Sacred Heart, after much negotiation and planning, the parish school, which opened in 1934 at the corner of 39th and I Streets, was torn down. A new state-of-the-art school campus and buildings then opened in 2009 on the west side of 39th Street, with the original site becoming part of the Mercy General Hospital complex.
In 2014, Sacred Heart Church underwent a total interior renovation under the guidance of Jeff Greene of EverGreene Architectural Arts in New York City and the late Sacramento architect, Harry Hallenbeck. The church interior was painted with decorative details highlighting its architectural beauty, new carpets were installed, and all interior systems were upgraded. In addition, re-leading and cleaning of the stained glass windows was begun and completed over a two-year period.
Emilia Jankowski, former chair of the parish pastoral council and a member of Sacred Heart for the past 31 years, told Catholic Herald magazine in July 2022 that what was accomplished in the parish during Msgr. Walton's tenure was “amazing,” including a new school built, a church interior completely renovated, improvements made to the parish grounds, and much adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But most important, the people of the parish, gathered during Mass, no matter what the season, were enriched by Msgr. Walton’s celebration of the sacraments, his wise counsel through homilies, and his guidance in every aspect of parish life,” Jankowski said.
Msgr. Walton left us "more enriched in our faith than how he found us,” she added in the interview with Catholic Herald. “He reminded us every day that being a follower is an opportunity rather than an obligation. As a shepherd, his guidance instilled in us that we are all the voice of Jesus Christ (as well as his arms, legs and eyes) in all the works of mercy and goodness our parish ministries exercise."
Theresa Sparks, who served for 15 years as principal of Sacred Heart School, told Catholic Herald magazine in July 2022 that Msgr. Walton, along with a hiring committee, brought her on during the transition of building the new school and leaving the old school. “It was a challenge I was excited to take,” she said. “What I came to learn was how much work went into building a new school and honoring the past at the same time.”
Msgr. Walton gathered a “strong team of professionals, from attorneys to architects, to see the transition from a charming old building that needed lots of repairs, to our current, state-of-the-art school,” Sparks recalled. “The neighborhood was closely involved with the project and many challenges had to be handled, but with Msgr. Walton’s guidance our beautiful school stands for many generations to enjoy.”
Read the article by Julie Sly, Catholic Herald editor, about Msgr. Walton's retirement, in the September/October 2022 issue of Catholic Herald magazine (pages 28-29) at https://catholicmagazines.org/magazine-archive/catholic-herald/sac0922