Timothy Dolan will be installed this afternoon as the new Archbishop of New York. As a means of introducing himself to his new flock His Excellency has an op-ed piece running in this morning's edition of the NY Daily News.
I aim to be a happy bishop, sharing joys and laughs with you. So you will see me at the St. Patrick's parade, and at the new Yankee Stadium, and at processions and feast days and barbecues across our almost 400 parishes. Being Catholic is not a heavy burden, snuffing the joy out of life; rather our faith in Jesus and His Church gives meaning, purpose and joy to life. I love being a Catholic, I love being a priest, and I fully intend to love being archbishop of New York while loving all of you in the Church in New York.
Loving the Church here means supporting her indispensable work caring for the poor, the immigrants, the sick and elderly, the lonely, the unborn and the abandoned. It means working hard for her Catholic schools, in many ways the pride of the archdiocese. It means ensuring that our parishes are places where people encounter the Lord Jesus in the Mass, the sacraments and in an authentically Catholic community. It means inviting more young men to become priests and women to become sisters.
It means speaking from America's most famous pulpit for justice and peace, for religious liberty and the sanctity of all human life. It means teaching the Catholic faith in season and out of season, as a good shepherd must.
That last sentence tells me that the Archdiocese of New York is in very good hands.
13 comments:
I followed the closing of St. Patrick's Church in Erin, Wisconsin for some time, but lost track of the parishioner's good fight. If my memory serves me well, the parishioners became very disappointed with Timothy Dolan, after he became the new Archbishop of Milwaukee.
At this point, I wonder if Dolan is just another Bishop Matthew Clark? A bishop who destroyed his own diocese.
http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/39685467.html
Maureen Fitzsimmons-Vanden Heuvel, who fought Weakland's plan to close St. Patrick Church in Erin, said she and members of her church preservation group were "thrilled" with Dolan's appointment.
Anon. 8:25,
I'm not sure exactly what your point is. The article you cite seems to say that in 2002 a particular person was hopeful that Dolan would reverse a church closing ordered by his predecessor.
Assuming that he did not, so what? Closing down one church pales in insignificance to what's been happening around here.
Another article I just came across here states,
In Milwaukee, Dolan has led an ambitious planning process that has taken into account many of the same challenges to the church that he will confront in New York.
In a pastoral letter released Jan. 24, he addressed: half-empty city churches; a lack of priests; growing numbers of Catholics leaving the church; a general rejection of the church's moral message; and other problems.
He endorsed the expansion of lay leadership for parishes, a lessening of administrative responsibilities on pastors, the sharing of clergy, lay leaders and buildings by parishes, and new forms of governance for Catholic schools.
Dolan challenged parishes, pastors and himself to push forward and to be accountable.
"You see what's happening here," he wrote. "Our conversations about planning have not been reduced to nervous chatter about closing parishes or trimming numbers of priests, but about the challenges and needs of God's people right now."If the writer got this anywhere near right then it looks like Dolan is more interested in helping parishes survive than in closing them down.
Or am I missing something here?
I would raise an eyebrow more to why he didn't reverse the destruction of the Cathedral in Milwaukee (redesigned by none other than Dr. Vosko of Sacred Heart fame). But still, if he teaches the faith the way it needs to be taught; fully and without compromise; then these issues are less significant.
~Dr. K
Archbishop Dolan is the first breath of freshh air in a very long time.
Bishop Timothy Dolan treated those people real bad. I know it got to the point where I couldn't even stand the sight of him, when he appeared on EWTN. I believe that Maureen Fitzsimmons-Vanden Heuvel quickly became less than "thrilled" with Dolan's appointment.
Cardinal Egan has also fought his own parishioners in New York City, as he has closed many parishes.
As published in previous articles by the media, the bishops in the United States are rapidly loosing their credibility. Their decisions to close Catholic schools and parishes against the will of parishioners are being questioned and challenged.
Let's watch New York City and see how many parishes and schools Dolan will close and how many new people he will bring into the Church. Talk is cheap. Let's see what this Archbishop can do.
It was sad to hear a Priest mention in his homily on the EWTN Mass, that Mass attendance in the United States is approaching 20%.
Anon 8:29 - so what are you doing to help bring people into the Church, or are you just griping about the bishops?
You're a baptized Catholic - start acting like one.
"Lay people have the right and even at times a 'duty' to manifest to their pastors, their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful". Catechism of the Catholic Church
Why am I not surprised you came back with that? Typical.
It looks like Anon is more interested in his or her opinion than the 8th Commandment. Catholic Catechism 2464+
Anon, if you're going to make allegations, please refernce a credible source. AND where to find it: in the case of the Catechism, a paragraph number. I have no reason to believe that your cited paragraph is even in the Catechism.
As it is, you simply sound like a troll.
Paragraph #907
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p4.shtml
Anon - you left out some words: Paragraph 907 starts with: "In accord with the knowledge, competence and preeminence they possess, [lay people]..."; and it ends with (picking up where you conveniently left off) "...with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward their pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons."
Seeing as how you choose to remain anonymous, I'm going to presume charitably that you have neither the knowledge, nor the competence nor any preeminence to offer an opinion on Abp Dolan's actions.
Sorry to 'hijack' here, Mike. I'll stop now.
A cow goes moooooooo.
Cardinal Egan has also fought his own parishioners in New York City, as he has closed many parishes.
When the only tool in your box is a hammer, the world looks like a nail.
We get it, Dan; you're upset about parish closures. But your concern does not permit you to engage in calumny or to take an eraser to the fourth mark of the Church. Get a grip and think about what you are doing.
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