I am so impressed with and thrilled by the appointment of Archbishop Timothy Dolan as the new Archbishop of New York. He is a faithful shepherd of the Church, an man of Irish descent and a man with a great sense of humor. There were great stories on him in the New York Press today, but in particular, here are a few funny snippets from a story in the New York Post. He's a funny guy:
Before celebrating Mass at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, Dolan said President Obama had phoned him.
"He said, 'I just wanted to call and congratulate you and assure you of my prayers.' And I said, 'Thank you, Mr. President. I need those prayers.' "
"Well, I need yours, too," Obama responded.
"He said, 'You know, we're in kind of a tight financial situation,' " Dolan recalled. "And I said, 'If we can have a second collection or something, let us know.' It was a remarkably pleasant and enjoyable and friendly call."
Dolan's appointment, which had been rumored for weeks, came two years after Egan submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict, a requirement for bishops reaching age 75.
Like Egan, Dolan is considered a conservative when it comes to church teachings. And, like Egan - and all but one of his 12 predecessors in the New York Archdiocese - Dolan is of Irish descent.
"That's a sign of the Holy Father's infallibility, don't you think?" Dolan quipped.