Hoehmtown Happenings

Happy Birthday Cardinal Dolan

Recently, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan visited Clarkstown, specifically St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Nyack, to offer Mass. It was far from the first visit of His Eminence to our town and prompted me to recall a bit about this man who serves as the tenth Archbishop of New York. I thought about writing something about the Cardinal, whom I do not claim to be a personal friend of, but have met numerous times, both as Supervisor and as a congregant. On February 6, 2025, Cardinal Dolan celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday, which under canon law is the age when a Bishop must submit his retirement notice to the Pope. Traditionally, the papers are not accepted immediately; often it will be several years before the Holy Father accepts the retirement and appoints a new Archbishop. As a former cleric with a background in church history, it is interesting to observe the tenure of Cardinal Dolan, which I believe will go down as one of the most eventful of all the Bishops and Archbishops of New York.

Timothy Michael Dolan was not born in New York, rather in St. Louis. He wanted to be a priest from an early age. During a homily he delivered a number of years ago, he discussed how he never could recall a time when he did not want to be a priest. After his initial studies, he was sent to Rome to the Pontifical North American College to receive his advanced theology degree known as an STL. After being ordained in 1976, he spent time serving the people of his Archdiocese until he was sent to obtain his doctorate in Church History in Washington DC, studying under the legendary Church Historian, Monsignor John Tracy Ellis. After a fairly rapid rise, Dolan was appointed first as an Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis in 2001 and within a year was appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee in 2002. On April 15, 2009, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to become the Tenth Archbishop of New York.

His biography aside, I have had the pleasure of meeting Cardinal Dolan a number of times since he came to New York. Each time he has been warm, engaging, personable, and a wonderful personification of a servant leader. This past time was much like the others, where the Cardinal always had time to shake a hand, make a witty quip or joke, or good-naturedly poke fun at himself and others. For the past twenty years I have served as an usher at the 10:15AM Mass at St. Francis. I can recall the very first time the Cardinal came to visit the Parish in 2009 as Archbishop, where he offered Mass and greeted over 1,000 people who had filled the church and hall afterwards for a reception. The Cardinal joked about his affinity for beer, which he drank from a coffee cup while greeting parishioners making the rounds for a lengthy period of time. The job of the ushers that night, he joked to us, was to make sure he had plenty of “coffee” as he made the rounds.  In reality he only had one cup, but it was a great quip that helped the ushers bond with him that night.

A number of years later as Supervisor, I recall when Cardinal Dolan was invited to be a guest of the Rockland Boulders to throw out the first pitch for a day-time game attended by hundreds of school children. The five Town Supervisors were invited to a luxury box to watch the game with the Cardinal, who was traveling with three high school classmates. It was delightful to see their interaction, as these men had been friends for over fifty years. During that meeting, we spoke a bit about some of Cardinal Dolan’s predecessors and his reverence for serving the church in New York. A few months later, just prior to COVID, I had the pleasure of seeing the Cardinal again as he paid a visit to the Joe Raso Hospice House in New City. His visit was beautiful as he blessed the facility, greeted people, and spent some time with several terminally ill patients to whom he offered prayers and solace. While he offered quips to the assembled crowd, he spent quiet time with several patients and their families, which brought them deep comfort. Afterwards, I spoke with staff who said the Cardinal made an impact on several dying people and their families.

It was also after this visit that I learned of his love for Anna’s Bakery in Congers. The plan was for the Cardinal to leave New City and head directly to his next stop in Orange County, but instead he had decided to make a detour to Anna’s. The Clarkstown police were accompanying the Cardinal and had planned to bring him to the town border where the Ramapo police would then escort him through Ramapo to get him quickly and safely on his way.  Instead of turning right out of the driveway as planned, the small motorcade turned left and took the back roads to Congers.  The Ramapo police asked over the radio “Where is the Cardinal?” Upon arrival at the bakery he greeted Anna by name, who was in on the secret visit.   He selected his favorites for his return to his residence. While at the bakery he made jokes, took photos with Anna, our police, and residents who quickly poured into the store. The brief ten minute visit made it clear he had a love of Anna’s pastries, but more importantly a love for the people he met and a fondness for Anna, whom he addressed in Italian from his many years in Rome. Two weeks after the visit, I received a beautiful letter and signed photo, which accompanies this article, from the Cardinal asking me to make Anna’s a landmark!

This brings us to the present day.  A few weeks ago I attended the wake and funeral for Maurice Lynch, the brother of my dear friend, the late Father Thomas Lynch. During the wake, I spoke with Maurice and Fr. Tom’s other brother, who told me that the Cardinal called him to offer his condolences and prayers. It was greatly appreciated by the family to know the Cardinal did not forget Maurice or Father Tom and wanted to personally offer his condolences. It was a simple, yet powerful gesture that speaks directly about who this church leader is for his people—a true servant of God.   

During Cardinal Dolan’s recent visit to St. Francis, he offered a few jokes, an insightful homily, and took time to greet everyone in the hall afterwards. I had the pleasure of presenting the Cardinal with a proclamation honoring his service on behalf of the people of Clarkstown. While we do not expect him to retire soon, we understand that time will eventually come.  It has been a blessing to meet him several times at events and to have had the opportunity to spend some time with him. He is known by many priests to call them for birthdays and major life events. In short, he is a true leader and fine churchman who has had a major impact. So,  Your Eminence: I wish you a belated Happy Birthday and thank you for your stewardship and service to the people of New York—Ad Multos Anos!