Dolan to Haiti

Whispers in the Loggia reports:

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and Chairman of the Board of Catholic Relief Services, will attend the funeral Mass for Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who was killed in last week’s catastrophic earthquake. The funeral will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2010 in the plaza in front of the demolished Cathedral.

Because he is the Chairman of CRS, the Archbishop was asked to attend the funeral by the Papal Ambassador to Haiti, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, and the surviving bishops of Haiti. While in Haiti, the Archbishop will also take the opportunity to offer support to CRS workers already working in Haiti and assess the progress of relief efforts being undertaken by CRS so as to help determine how the Church in the United States can best respond.

Prayers for NY's Archbishop as he heads off to mourn the death of Archbishop Miot and to access the needs of the country. I was struck by the fact that the funeral will be in the plaza in front of the demolished Cathedral. That has to be a tough place to witness to this man's life. The Cathedral's collapse along with the city's speaks to the need for public worship and gathering. This was where everyone came to pray--indeed why should that change now?

A church is never marked by a building itself, but rather by what it is that the church inspires the community to be. In this case, scenes from this funeral should be a remarkable symbol of the faith of the Haitian people. Don't miss it.

Now Blogging from Gotham

From high in the spires of St Patrick's Cathedral where I can only imagine that Archbishop Tim Dolan has carved a little nook out for his personal reflection time in which he types out his thoughts on, you guessed it, a new blog.

The Archbishop makes a good point today on healthcare.

The Catholic community in the United States hardly needs to be lectured to about just healthcare. We’ve been energetically into it for centuries. And we bishops have been advocating for universal healthcare for a long, long time.

All we ask is that it be just that -- universal -- meaning that it includes the helpless baby in the womb, the immigrant, and grandma in a hospice, and that it protects a healthcare provider’s right to follow his/her own conscience.

This is what the President says he wants; this is what we bishops say we want.

Indeed. Now let's see if we can all get together and make it happen.

A h/t to the good deacon.

NY Catechetical Day

So I got to conduct a workshop on technology and ministry for the NY Archdiocese's Catechetical Day. A true honor as a son of the Archdiocese (raised in Yonkers, NY). My big thrill was hearing Archbishop Dolan preach and getting to meet him in person. Fr James Martin, SJ and I were chatting and he wanted to go and say hi to the Archbishop whom he has met before so I tagged along seizing the opportunity. I introduced myself as one of the presenters and I have to say Archbishop Dolan really does make you feel like you are the only one in the room who is important to him while he's talking with you.

Archbishop Dolan: "Hey Mike, thanks so much for being here""

ME: "Oh sure, please, thanks for inviting me."

Archbishop Dolan: "So what are you talking about here today?"

Me; "Technology, ministry and young adults. I brought you my book too on the subject. I'll leave it with Sr. Joan (who is the director of catechetics for the Archdiocese)."

Archbishop Dolan: "Thanks so much. Hey, y'know they keep telling me that I should do the ipod thing and facebook. What do you think?"

Me: "You absolutely should!"

Archbishop Dolan: "Well I don't know, I'm kind of a novice at this."

Me: "Well...this is stuff is pretty new so most people have been novices and now are doing well with it. Look if you need some help I'd be happy to give you a crash course."

He proceeded to take me up on the offer so we'll make some plans and he also invited me to be a guest on his radio show.
OK, I'm not impressed all that easily but that was pretty smooth. Just a nice man. I'm off to call his producer now.

Archbishop Dolan Talks to the New York Post

A candid conversation...but one on heavy issues.



He seems to have great respect for journalists and doesn't talk down to them. I wish they had pressed him a bit more on the death penalty. While I agree with the church's statement that the death penalty is warranted in certain extreme situations, I would say that there is not the possibility of that existing in the United States and certainly is not the case in any of the situations in which people have recently been put to death. Regardless of this, the point that abortion is a far worse problem is certainly a valid.

A tip o the hat to the king of clerical whispers Rocco Palmo. Who also points out that the Archbishop will visit ground zero.

Archbishop Dolan - When I Was in Prison You Visited Me

This was truly inspiring to me. If the Archbishop ever wants some company I think a group of young adults would love to accompany him on a trip. Gotham's bishop visited Bedford Correctional Facility the only maximum security prison for women in New York State. He wanted a prison to be one of his first visits. He gave them an opportunity for mass and communion.

After Mass, Dolan stood outside the chapel and greeted each woman individually. He embraced most and said at least a few words.He happily chatted with those who had a comment or question.

He asked many women to pray for him. Several of the inmates asked to be blessed by the new archbishop and one remarked “You are so cute.”

Afterward, Dolan took a couple of questions and told me that visiting inmates and others in need is his sacred responsibility.

“They do more for me than I do for them,” he said.

After the Mass, Dolan was going to visit with long-term patients in the prison’s hospital. Then he was heading to the nursery, where babies born to pregnant inmates can live for up to a year.

A huge hat tip to Blogging Religiously for the story.

Dolan Wears Rusty's Number

Archbishop Dolan showed up at Citi Field signing autographs and earlier visited the West Bronx Community Center in Highbridge working with Catholic Charities and the Rusty Staub Foundation in giving our free meals.

I thought with that relationship between the Archdiocese and Staub's foundation that perhaps Staub, a former Met and a Catholic, might have asked if Dolan could wear his old number. But coincidence of coincidences Dolan is the 10th Archbishop of NY.

I'd like to get this jersey and wear it to the Cathedral!

Gov. Patterson doesn't let Dolan's seat get cold

Introduces gay marriage bill:

“What we have is not a crisis of issues; we have a crisis of leadership,” Paterson said. “We’re going to fill that vacuum today. I’m introducing a bill to bring marriage equality to the state of New York.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood by Paterson’s side during the announcement to demonstrate his support for the bill.

“When it comes to recognizing civil rights, New York state has always been a leader,” Bloomberg said, citing the fight for women’s suffrage, immigration rights and equal rights for African Americans. “Keeping with that proud history, I agree with the governor that New York should be the next state to allow same-sex marriages.”

It won't be an easy road, however. Just yesterday, newly installed Archbishop Timothy Dolan pledged to fight Paterson's bill for gay marriage in the state. Dolan made his intentions clear at his first press conference when asked about the issue.

"The topic you raise -- other topics that are controversial, that the church has a message to give -- yeah, you'll find that I do'nt shy away from those things and I wouldn't sidestep them," Dolan said.

Indeed these two along with Mayor Bloomberg will make interesting sparring partners and it looks like the new Archbishop will do so in a charitable way that remains dedicated to church teaching.

Highlights from Archbishop Dolan's Homily

One of the things I loved about Archbishop Dolan's homily was his great sense of NY's history. He mentioned many Catholic New Yorkers and how proud he was of their contributions. Such as:

St. Isaac Joques, Venerable Felix Varela, Issac Hecker (YAY! The Paulist's founder!), Fighting Father Duffy, Fulton J. Sheen, Richard John Neuhaus, Avery Dulles, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Francis Xavier Cabrini, and Michael Judge.

Pierre Toussaint, Dorothy Day, and Governor Al Smith were also mentioned as outstanding lay Catholics.

He even went into the political realm when he mentioned "Mayor Ed Koch’s observation that the Catholic Church is the glue that keeps this city together."

Indeed. Not lost on me was the two bursts of applause--including a standing ovation--when the Archbishop mentioned the protection of the unborn in his homily. He compared the church to a "big momma bear" who will always protect her cubs. A nice image and a true one. The standing ovation that followed was interesting and had to be an uncomfortable moment for the politicians who simply sat on their hands throughout the thunderous ovation--which I thought was bad taste on their part. They could clap for the church's commitment to her principles, something to be respected even by those on the other side of the aisle.

Rocco has all the highlights of the day's events and he has excellent commentary on WNBC 4 TV yesterday along with my main man, Fr Joseph O'Hare, SJ - former President of Fordham.

Installed! Works great so far!

They hooked him up and threw the switch and indeed Archbishop Timothy Dolan does not look like he'll have to go back to the factory for repairs!

It was about as perfect an installation as one can get. Verizon Fios doesn't even do that good a job.

But don't take my word for it. Look for yourself when you have a few hours free to spend and enjoy.

Archbishop Dolan: Knock Three Times on The Cathedral If You Want Us

Archbishop Dolan - Always Leave Them Laughing

I watched the Solemn Vespers service last night, my favorite part being the expression on the new Archbishop's face when he knocked on the door with a hammer. He looked as if to say, "If anyone else did this the cops would have them arrested." He seems to be having fun in these early days.

My friend Dave added this comment on my facebook wall yesterday:

Sadly, sitting in a chair isn't much of a spectator sport, nor is gazing at a papal autograph from 300 feet away... perhaps if they made it more interesting - blindfolded him and turned him around a few times first, with the congregation calling out "hot" or "cold"... or if he had to choose the right chair from among several ones (a la indiana & the grail...).

Hysterical. Even more hysterical was when Archbishop Dolan who is always is self-deprecating about his weight said: "Thanks for opening the doors wide enough for me to get in."

Looking back in history, I remember John Cardinal O'Connor's installation mass well. I was in 8th grade and we got the day off from school. Later in the year I attended his first youth mass (Surprisingly, our teacher asked if anyone wanted to go and only 3 hands went up! Mine being one of them--hey it was an afternoon away from class and we got to go to the Cathedral).

What I remember most about O'C's installation were his words at the end of mass. He simply looked out at the congregation after the final blessing with outstretched arms and said:

"For better or for worse...this is what ya got!"

Perhaps NY's new top prelate will have a new one-liner today?

You can hear all the action on Sirius XM today. Get a temporary account on Sirius.com

Photo Credit: NY Daily News