Never in the modern era, and perhaps not in American history, has someone been dragged kicking and screaming into the most powerful position in Congress. It took weeks of frantic phone calls—from McCarthy, Priebus, Boehner, Mitt Romney, even Cardinal Timothy Dolan—to talk him into it, and even then he was reluctant.
continue at Milwaukee Catholic HeraldYou grand folks of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee have known and loved him a lot longer than I have, so please pardon my presumption in claiming some special affection here.
My provenance goes back only to Sept. 1, 1972, when I arrived as a new man at the North American College in Rome, there to be warmly welcomed by the friendly class ahead of me, among whom was one Jim Harvey, a second-year seminarian from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
While not what you’d call an effusive, backslapping guy, Jim was unfailingly friendly and helpful, and we hit it off from the start. Seems like we had a lot in common: both our dads were named Bob, and had served in the Pacific during the war; both of us were the oldest of five kids, with two brothers and two sisters; both Jim and I had been attracted to the priesthood from an early age; both of us were lifers, entering the seminary right after eighth grade; and the two of us had warm attachments to home, me to St. Louis, him to Milwaukee, to our two dioceses which had fostered our faith in a sustaining Catholic culture of vibrant parishes, great priests, wonderful sisters, excellent parochial schools, and happy homes and neighborhoods.
Oh, we had our differences: he was rather trim, while I was . . . never mind; he was good at golf, thanks to his dad, who ran a driving range, while I wasn’t bad at softball.
From June 1-4 New York City will be host to Sacra Liturgia USA 2015, the first Sacra Liturgia initiative in the United States. It follows on from its international conference in Rome in 2013 on liturgical formation, celebration, and the role of the liturgy in the mission of the Church, convened by Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon, France. The proceedings of the Rome conference, Sacred Liturgy: The Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church, were published by Ignatius Press in 2014.continue at Catholic World Report
Catholic World Report recently corresponded with Dom Alcuin Reid, Sacra Liturgia’sinternational coordinator,about the upcoming conference in New York City.
CWR: How did the initiative for a Sacra Liturgia conference in New York come about?
Dom Alcuin: Following our conference in Rome in 2013, at which a large number of American clergy, religious and laity were present, an approach was made through me to Bishop Rey to see if a similar initiative could be organized in the USA. We were delighted at the request and have done all that we can to support an event in the States.
Once New York City was identified as the most appropriate location for a conference Bishop Rey wrote to the Archbishop, His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan. The Cardinal welcomed the initiative immediately; indeed, he will honor us by presenting an address of welcome at the opening session on Monday afternoon, June 1st.
continue at NY Daily NewsTimothy Cardinal Dolan grew up in Holy Infant parish in Ballwin, Mo. Years before New York claimed him as its own prince of the Catholic Church, Dolan was your average teenager, struggling with normal boyhood problems. As Dolan moved through St. Louis Preparatory South and Cardinal Glennon College on his way to the priesthood, he was greatly influenced by two men: parish priest Father Adolph Schilly, and assistant pastor Father Robert Foley. Schilly was a precise, reserved man of German heritage, whereas Foley was young, newly ordained and passionate about ideas of social justice and civil rights. In this excerpt from “An American Cardinal,” author Christina Boyle describes Dolan’s struggles to justify his human longings with a pastor’s calling.
There were typically two approaches to dealing with celibacy among students in Dolan’s year. There were those guys who went off and secretly got girlfriends or developed close platonic friendships with the opposite sex to explore the idea. And there were those who tried to shut out all female contact as if it didn’t exist. The latter group tended to be the ones who caved in their early twenties at the first glimpse of a fluttering eyelid from a pretty girl. They acted like young teenagers with a delayed crush, while the others had perhaps worked out what it meant to turn these relationships into lifelong friendships. “The whole tension of falling in love with someone and having someone to be very intimate with is attractive and desirable,” Dolan’s classmate said. “But to commit to anything, you’re going to have to give something up. To get married you have to give up being single.” And to become a priest, you had to give up sex.
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| Their Eminences, Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Cardinal Raymond Burke along with Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia |
continue at JSWisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls) converted to Catholicism in a quiet ceremony at Milwaukee's St. Francis de Sales Seminary on Monday — a private affair reportedly attended by at least two Wisconsin bishops and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.
Sensenbrenner's office confirmed the conversion in an e-mail. But it turned down an interview request, saying the congressman "sees this as a private matter."
The ceremony was first noted by Mark Silk, professor and director of the Greenberg Center for the study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Connecticutt, on his blog, Spiritual Politics. In addition to Dolan, Silk said, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and Madison Bishop Robert Morlino were on hand.
A spokesman for Morlino confirmed Wednesday that he attended the ceremony. Listecki's chief of staff, Jerry Topczewski, said, "We don't comment on his private calendar." A representative for Dolan could not be reached.
The Republican lawmaker had previously identified himself as an "Anglican Catholic," Silk noted, "so jumping the Tiber was for him not much of a leap religiously."
"Sensenbrenner seems to have been traveling this road for awhile," said Silk.
The year 2013 was definitely a “two for” for the Church Universal. It was the year we had two Popes. Benedict the XVI abdicated the Papal throne. This was the first time in more than 400 years that a pope stepped down. His frail physical condition forced his personal decision for the sake of the Church. True leaders think not of themselves but the people they serve. The Vicar of Christ on earth knew that the role of Peter would be better served by someone who could lead the Church with strength during these difficult and contentious times.continue at ArchMil
Many questioned who the Cardinals would choose as a successor. Would it be an “insider”? Would he be young? Would he be older? Perhaps he would be an interim. Speculation abounded. Who emerged was someone almost no one expected. It must be the work of the Holy Spirit.
Cardinal Bergoglio from Argentina immediately captured the hearts and the imagination of the world. His humble and non-pretentious style spoke volumes about the Christian personality that now serves the Church. The excitement seems to continue as Time Magazine named Pope Francis the Person of the Year. However, popularity is fleeting and this pope like others will be used by various groups to try to further personal agendas, rather than embrace the teachings offered by the Vicar of Christ and be challenged by the Gospel message in its totality. A true religious leader understands that the throne he assumes is the Cross of Christ and the crown is thorns. I know that the prayers of his predecessor are offered daily for his courage.
2013 was also a “two for” for the Archdiocese. It was the year we hosted two cardinals in one week, Cardinal Timothy Dolan for the Pallium Lecture and Cardinal James Harvey as the honored guest of the Seminary Dinner. Two different personalities yet; both tremendous credits to the Roman Catholic Church they serve.
continue at Arch MilTimothy Cardinal Dolan (2013)
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Encountering Christ and Responding to Christ Through His Living Body, The Church
His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York
Thursday, September 5, 2013
The first of five video segments will begin shortly. At any time, you can select an individual segment by clicking the title below.
Introductory comments Following an introduction by Fr. Paul Hartmann, Cardinal Dolan greets the audience and discusses the Pallium. (18:17)
continue at MilCatHeraldDuring an exclusive interview with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, who returned to his former Milwaukee Archdiocese to present the Pallium Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 5, our Catholic Herald learned what the cardinal hopes for the future of the series he started 10 years ago, what he misses about Milwaukee, and got a glimpse into his life in the Big Apple.
Cardinal Dolan said he’s grateful to return to Milwaukee, where he was installed as the 10th archbishop on Aug. 28, 2002.
“I love Milwaukee. I love the archdiocese. I love the people, so any chance I get, I like coming back,” he said, adding that he planned to eat a fish fry and visit family and friends while in town.
He hopes the lecture series continues to expand as it has since its inception in 2003.
“And to be honest with you, I didn’t know it would continue. I just thought, ‘Well, let’s do it this first year to celebrate the pallium, but then it took off and there was such an interest, and the Bradley Foundation was so generous in saying, ‘Let us help you, because this is a project aligned with our mission.’ That it’s been excellent,” he said.
In New York, where he was installed as archbishop on April 15, 2009, before being appointed to the College of Cardinals on Jan. 6, 2012, Cardinal Dolan said he appreciates that people from Milwaukee continue to call, write and, that many, visit him – he invites visitors to Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, which he usually celebrates at 7 a.m. weekdays and 10:15 a.m. on Sundays.
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan called on Milwaukee-area Catholics Thursday to embrace the church as their spiritual family — despite its flaws — and to fight those forces in the secular culture that would seek to destroy it.continue at JS
"Are you prepared to defend your faith from those who would take it from us?" Dolan asked an enthusiastic and near-sold-out audience at the Milwaukee Theatre.
"These liberators might be the late night talk show hosts, classmates of our kids ... or editorial page journalists who misunderstand the beauty of our Catholic faith," he said. "Are we prepared to engage them ... to live and die for the church? That, my friends, is apologetics. And that, my friends, we need more than ever."
The former archbishop of Milwaukee and one of the nation's most influential American prelates was the featured speaker for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's 10th annual Pallium Lecture series, which he founded during his tenure here. Thursday's talk, which stressed the beauty and mystery of the church, as well as its sins, gave local Catholics insight into Dolan's role as the Vatican's point man for what it calls the new evangelization to spread the faith.
This first week of September 2013 will usher in one very special week for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.continue at Arch Mil(link not up as of scheduling this post)
On Thursday, September 5, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, former Archbishop of Milwaukee, will be the keynote speaker at the annual Pallium Lecture at the Milwaukee Theatre. Cardinal Dolan will speak on the “Church.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen, hopefully soon to be a saint, frequently said in his many lectures that the theological question of our time is ecclesiology (the understanding of “church”). How we understand “church” and its necessity in shaping our spiritual lives, is a question we must answer for the good of our souls. Cardinal Dolan will offer his insights on the Church that he serves and loves.
The very next day, Friday, September 6, Cardinal James Harvey, one of the newest cardinals and a Milwaukee native, will join Cardinal Timothy Dolan as special guests at a dinner to support Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. The dinner will take place on the seminary grounds. The seminary itself is the oldest theological seminary in the midwest and one of the oldest in the country. The dinner will provide an opportunity for guests to tour the seminary and view firsthand the institution that trains and directs the lives of those aspiring to the priesthood.
The vast majority of the priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee received their training at St. Francis de Sales, an institution that produced three Cardinals. All of us are truly proud of the work of our seminary, as well as that of the vocations office, which challenges young men to listen to the call of the Holy Spirit.
On Saturday, September 7, we will gather at the Wisconsin Exposition Center for the Hearts United 2013: Eucharistic Rosary Rally for Peace and the Family. The Exposition Center is located at South 84th Street and W. Greenfield Avenue in Milwaukee, and begins at 12:30 p.m. Some may call it coincidental, but Pope Francis just recently called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace on September 7, the Vigil of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, at the same approximate time that the rally will take place. He called upon the churches of the world – even those representing our separated brethren -- to join him in prayer for peace at this specific time, with a special focus on the crisis in the Middle East.
As Comedy Central's Colbert Report returned from its end-of-summer hiatus last night, the revered satirical news-show blasted out of the gate with one of its most intensely desired bookings... and it didn't exactly take a set dweller to know that the sight of Tim Dolan at Stephen Colbert's interview table has been a long time coming.continue at Whispers(video)
Make that a very long time – the idea was pitched and has been percolating around 452 Madison for the better part of three years. Even with a standing invite to appear, though, the cardinal-archbishop of New York – no stranger to raucous humor, by any stretch – reportedly took a bit of convincing that a sit-down with the famously devout comic wouldn't descend into a "shtick" unbecoming of his office. While a key icebreaker came at a Fordham conversation the duo headlined on laughter in the spiritual life, it'd take another year before the mix of a burgeoning friendship and Colbert's ability to draw the crucial 18-49 demographic coveted by TV advertisers – and, well, much of the Stateside church, to boot – finally got Dolan on-set. (Taken in Colbert's green room, the shot above was tweeted out by the cardinal before the show aired with the message "Here are words I never thought I'd say: watch me on Comedy Central tonight.")
whole interview at CardinalDolan.orgI pray with and for Alex Rodriguez as I would with anybody who is going through personal difficulties. But I am kind of grateful that baseball is in reform mode. Lord knows we in the Church are, right? ‘Ecclesia semper reformanda,’ the Church always in need of reform. And so is baseball. It’s constantly trying to clean up its act and I’m glad they are because it is important to us. It is important to the psyche of the nation, isn’t it?”
MILWAUKEE - A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that funds dedicated to the cemeteries run by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will be shielded to creditors in the bankruptcy case against the organization.continue at WTMJ
"The sacred nature of Catholic cemeteries — and compliance with the church's historical and religious traditions and mandates requiring their perpetual care — are understood as a fundamental exercise of this core belief," Judge Randa said in the case, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Some of the money could have gone to sex abuse victims in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki joined Charlie Sykes on Newsradio 620 WTMJ Friday morning to discuss the case.
"We feel it was a right decision on the part of the federal judge to make that determination, because... it would force me into the awkward position of trying to maintain both the cemeteries, which are a separate entity from the archdiocese, and Archdiocese, Inc., and at the same time being forced to take those funds and place them elsewhere after they have been committed for a particular reason for perpetual care," Listecki explained.
A federal judge has ruled that the Milwaukee archdiocese was justified in setting up a $50 million trust fund for the care of cemeteries.Photo
Creditors of the archdiocese, which is now in bankruptcy, had argued that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was then Archbishop of Milwaukee, acted improperly to set up the trust fund. The creditors argued that the fund was created in order to shield archdiocesan funds from plaintiffs in sex-abuse lawsuits. Cardinal Dolan had replied that establishing the fund was mandated by state laws, which require secure funding for cemeteries.
Federal Judge Rudoph Randa sided with the archdiocese, ruling that the cemetery funds could not be included in a listing of assets available for payment of archdiocesan creditors.
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| CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz |
MILWAUKEE – On Thursday, September 5, 2013 Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be the main presenter for this year’s Pallium Lecture Series.ArchMil
The Pallium Lecture is a presentation selected by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki to focus on catechetical formation and spiritual renewal. Archbishop Listecki will lead a prayer service to begin the evening.
Cardinal Dolan’s presentation, “Who Do You Say That I Am?” will explore how Catholics encounter the living presence of Christ in the Church as Mystery, Sacrament and Communion. At the same time, it will explore how our encounter with Christ in the Church invites a response of discipleship and evangelization. Like Mary, the Mother of the Church, we say “Yes” to a life born of faith so we can embody that faith through lives of witness at home, work, and in the broader culture.
This year’s Pallium Lecture will take place at the Milwaukee Theater, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave., Milwaukee, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Click here for additional information and to order tickets.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan said Wednesday that he welcomes the upcoming release of documents related to sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, where he previously served.CBSNewYork
Dolan gave a deposition in February in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case involving the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The deposition is among some 3,000 pages of documents that the archdiocese announced on Wednesday that it would post by July 1.
The Archdiocese in Wisconsin’s largest city had been fighting release of the documents, and faced a hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Milwaukee. It declared bankruptcy two years ago as it dealt with about 500 sex abuse claims.
In a statement, Dolan said he was glad to give his deposition and hopes the release of the documents will help in the healing of abuse survivors.
Vice President Joe Biden attended mass and received communion on Sunday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York where the mass was celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
At a time when the administration is being sued by Dolan and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference over the Obama health care provision on birth control, the meeting was seen as an attempt to create a new dialogue.
An Irish American Catholic, Biden receiving communion was also seen as significant. Dolan’s predecessor Cardinal Edward Egan refused to give communion to those who differed with the church on the abortion issue.
Unlike his predecessor, Dolan does give communion to Catholics who stray from church dogma on abortion policy, saying he prefers to persuade them in discussion rather deny them the Eucharist. [FAIL]
Dolan and Biden had coffee after the service, though neither addressed the press.
