\nAn Epistle in a Picture, (H\/T)<\/a><\/p>\n
And so, at the close of the rather distant and disappointing tenure<\/strong> of Cardinal Edward Egan, New York finally gets an Archbishop who might be called the \u201cworthy successor\u201d to the Mighty John Joseph O\u2019 Connor<\/a>, one Timothy Michael Dolan of Milwaukee<\/a><\/p>\n I love this quote, highlighted by Deacon Greg<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cI was at the vespers when he was installed as bishop. And there\u2019s a part where the bishop knocks on the door. Most do it timidly. Tap, tap. Not him \u2014 \u2018Bang! Bang!\u2019 It echoed through the cathedral and let everyone know that Timothy Dolan was there.\u201d New York \u2013 and the greater metropolitan area \u2013 needs that, and badly: an archbishop who walks boldly, fearlessly and with openness.<\/p>\n Like an uncommunicative, nearly moribund patient who suddenly takes a huge cleansing breath<\/strong> and declares, \u201ckindly don\u2019t build the casket just yet, if you please, and do you have a bit of Jameson\u2019s for my coffee,\u201d the See of New York<\/a> rattled back to vibrant life with the naming a feisty and outgoing Irishman in the mold of O\u2019 Connor and of Cardinal Cooke, before him. Dolan\u2019s elevation to the Archdiocese of New York makes Egan\u2019s 9-year venture feel more than ever like an \u201cinterim appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n People are both excited, and busily trying to define Dolan before the man even takes his office. The NY Times, unable to view anyone except through the lens of political categories, and resolutely horrified by Catholics who believe that the baby boomers are not the last word in our social and spiritual formation, calls him a \u201cgenial conservative\u201d<\/a> and of course, an \u201cenforcer.\u201d Dolan may have a PhD, an impressive resume, a gift for languages, but the Times has managed to find those who sniff that he\u2019s not intellectual enough. He betrays a whiff of Middle America, and too much of the common touch, you know.<\/p>\n But cosmopolitan, dreaming, always-immigrant New York \u2013 which bustles with the energy of the masters and the migrants \u2013 needs the balance of Middle American values, and the common touch is what makes the city go. Gotham needs a Cardinal who knows how to bring the faith into the streets, who can mix it up with the public, the pundits and the politicians. It also needs a spiritual leader who will challenge as much as he will support, who will teach, as much as he will advocate. That need appears to be met in Dolan, who the super-knowledgeable John Allen characterizes as center-right with a human face<\/a>.<\/p>\n To be fair to Egan,<\/strong> who gave the impression of spending most of his time at St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral hiding from the masses and the press, the city was simply never a good fit for him. With his affected air and fastidious-seeming nature, the elegant Egan was better-suited to the Bridgeport, CT seat from whence he came. New York needs its archbishop to be a bit of a happy warrior and \u2013 more importantly \u2013 \u201ca priest first, then a \u2018prince of the church'\u201d, not the other way around; Egan\u2019s diffidence failed him there. He simply never had O\u2019 Connor\u2019s warm genius for reaching beyond the throne to embrace and challenge his rambunctious \u201cprincipality.\u201d One suspects, given his comments here<\/a>, that Egan is a bit relieved to be done with this duty.<\/p>\n One further suspects that Dolan and New York will fit \u201chand-to-glove\u201d and that the man will manage to hobnob with the swells and eat hotdogs at the city\u2019s two new baseball stadiums, with equal grace.<\/p>\n This is precisely why New Yorkers will understand and love Dolan \u2013 they identify with leaders who can straddle the chasms of class and culture, because every New Yorker believes he or she does just that, every day. We\u2019ll see vocations out of this bishop<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is a very good call by Pope Benedict XVI \u2013 himself \u201ca priest first\u201d, whose appointments have been rather uniformly \u201cpastoral and principled\u201d<\/a>, as writes Irene Lagan.<\/p>\n Rocco Palmo<\/strong> at Whispers in the Loggia<\/a>, who knows Dolan well, is overjoyed at this appointment<\/a>, and he is also the go-to guy for comprehensive coverage on this appointment, both today and in the coming weeks. He\u2019s got all the links you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n It is worth noting that over at center-left America Magazine, Michael Sean Winters<\/a> is every bit as pleased as Rocco. That doesn\u2019t mean either will always be happy. But they both recognise a good man when they see him.<\/p>\n The AP selects a few Dolan quotes<\/a>, by way of introduction.<\/p>\n Our pal, Fr. James Martin<\/strong> \u2013 who once spent a whole day here chatting<\/a> \u2013 emails:<\/p>\n The Holy Father has made a superb choice by appointing Archbishop Dolan as the next leader of New York\u2019s Catholics. His pastoral experience in Missouri means that he knows the needs of the faithful; his time as rector of the prestigious North American College in Rome means that he understand the needs of priests and religious and his stint as archbishop of Milwaukee means that he understand the needs of a large and complicated archdiocese. Archbishop Dolan is warm, gregarious, pastoral, smart and, best of all, has a sense of humor.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Welcome to New York, Archbishop Dolan!<\/strong> May I give you the same bit of advice Yankee Shortstop Derek Jeter gave to President George W. Bush<\/a> before he threw the first pitch at the 2001 World Series, post 9\/11: \u201cDon\u2019t bounce it. This is New York; they\u2019ll boo you.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n UPDATE:<\/strong> A great story<\/a><\/p>\n
\n \u2014Rev. Steven M. Avella<\/a>, history professor at Marquette.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n