Timothy M. Dolan: priesthood could be spiritually demanding, emotionally fulfilling, intellectually rigorous -- AND FUN!

| | Comments (2)

'Larger Than Life' Figure Dolan Taught What Priesthood Means

by Father Raymond J. de Souza

National Catholic Register

The garrulous Timothy Michael Dolan, preacher and raconteur extraordinaire, chooses his SHJ.jpgwords carefully. And when ordained a bishop in 2001 in St. Louis, his first words were: "Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me! Immaculate Heart of Mary, help me!"

 

He then went on to express his joy in the priesthood, his love for the Church, his delight in his parishioners -- and also brought the house down with his ever-ready wit. The newly appointed archbishop of New York is just that -- a larger-than-life figure completely at home with the simple faith of ordinary Catholics.

 

Raised in a Catholic home in Ballwin, Mo., young Tim learned the faith from parents who never missed Mass -- but also looked forward to cold beer and barbecues on Sunday afternoon. That formation came to the fore when Archbishop Dolan remarked that, among other things he looked forward to in New York, he noticed hot dog vendors close by the archbishop's residence on Madison Avenue.

 

TMD3.jpgCritics of Archbishop Dolan consider the backslapping, guffawing, cigar-smoking, beer-drinking prelate an old Irish neighborhood pol, eager to lead the St. Patrick's Day parade but not sophisticated in the life of the mind or the life of the spirit. A faithful son of St. Louis, he knows not only where every parish is, but how to get from the local rectory to the nearest Steak-n-Shake, a Midwestern diner chain. A nice fellow, his critics agreed, but not to be taken seriously.Those of us who lived under his guidance at the Pontifical North American College (NAC) know better.

 

Father Dolan served as rector of the American seminary in Rome for seven years (1994-2001). He was my rector from 1998-2001.

 

We were the privileged ones who regularly heard him preach -- and he is a superlative preacher -- not only during Mass, but at the memorable rector's conferences that were later collected and published to great acclaim under the title Priests for the Third Millennium.

 

The printed page cannot capture fully his enthusiasm -- and is excised of many of the in-house comments that provoked laughter all round -- no one enjoys his jokes more than he does. Yet, the conferences are evidence of a fine mind at work, with a facility for bringing the Church's perennial wisdom to current challenges. A historian by training, Msgr. Dolan taught a course on American Church history at both the Gregorian and Angelicum universities; a demanding professor, he did not cut corners for his own seminarians.

 

Thumbnail image for TMD1.jpgAs a seminary rector, Msgr. Dolan lived the "both/and" intuition that is at the heart of the Catholic approach: both popular piety and liturgical prayer; both traditional music and contemporary styles of worship; both adherence to a rule and an encouragement of creative initiative; both theological orthodoxy and a cultivated life of the mind; both serious formation and fraternal good times; and, yes, both the pasta and the main course at pranzo. It was from Msgr. Dolan that I learned that the priesthood could be spiritually demanding, emotionally fulfilling, intellectually rigorous -- and fun!

 

Before arriving at the NAC, I knew that the priesthood was a life of noble service, but looked ahead to a life of duty rather than looking forward to an enjoyable life. It has been repeated so often that it has become a caricature, but the first time I ever saw the rector, rosary in one hand and cigar in the other, I knew that I had found a compelling model of the priesthood.

 

My fellow seminarian at the time, Father Roger Landry, editor of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., newspaper, The Anchor, has commented that Archbishop Dolan is a needed corrective to the perception that the Catholic faith is a necessary burden that strips the joy out of life. "If there's any priest in America capable of preaching the 'good news' of the Catholic faith with contagious enthusiasm and heart-piercing eloquence," he wrote upon hearing the news of the New York appointment, "it's Archbishop Timothy Dolan."

 

The appointment itself showed Archbishop Dolan at his best.

 

TMD2.jpgNot so much the bonhomie -- though only he could have slapped Cardinal Edward Egan on the back. It surely has been some time since the cardinalatial back had been so heartily thumped, but, then, Dolan has rarely encountered a back he considered unslappable. The real Dolanesque touch was to use the questions about the appointment as a teaching moment about the liberating potential of obedience.

 

"I wasn't asked," he said simply of the message from the apostolic nuncio. He was told of the Holy Father's decision, and, therefore, the path was clear. Obedience can be liberating. It's a Christian truth, but a disputed one, and something that many of those watching in New York and Milwaukee may not have considered before. It reminded me of the rector's conference on obedience that he gave to us years before -- an indication that this jolly teacher is capable of speaking hard truths.

 

"My own spiritual director believes that it is precisely in obedience -- not in celibacy, strangely enough -- that the priest of today is most countercultural," Dolan said. "This culture of denigrating obedience is particularly obvious in our beloved United States of America, which was founded on disobedience. We legitimately celebrate the courageous patriotism of the revolutionaries who risked all to gain independence from an oppressive king, yes, but we also admit that at times we do equate liberty with license, freedom with rights unbridled by duty; that we exalt dissent over docility, and view with suspicion authority, tradition and accepting things purely on faith. ... Astute foreign observers of the American scene, from Tocqueville to Solzhenitsyn, and from Bedini to Mother Teresa, have keenly perceived this flaw in American society, namely, to resist obedience to God, to tradition, and to moral principles, for the sake of choice, convenience or personal preference."

 

When Archbishop Dolan arrives in New York, America will discover an articulate, critical preacher of the Gospel, deeply learned in the history of the Church in the United States, and confident of her future despite all the manifest difficulties. But more than that, America will rediscover that it is a proud, happy thing to be a Catholic.

 

Father Raymond J. de Souza is a priest of the Archdiocese of Kingston (Canada) and was the Register's Rome correspondent from 1999-2003.

2 Comments

I was quite disturbed this morning when I heard on the ABC News that the new Archibishop wants to bring back "pride" to being a Roman Catholic!

Isn't that a ridiculous thing for him to have said? I am thinking with the way the media operates he may have been misquoted. I hope so.

I am a Roman Catholic -- I have never thought in terms of being proud to be one, but of being blessed and deeply grateful.

I am not sure the Archbishop's comments are worth getting annoyed over since they're mere sound bites. My impression from what I've seen of him and the state of Catholicism in the USA and in other places is that the Archbishop wants Catholic faith and life to thrive. In the recent past you will notice a tremendous amount of ignorance regarding Christian/Catholic faith. If you believe in the Truth of Catholicism, i.e., that Christ founded the Church and the Church is a sacrament and not a mere sociology, then reasonable people will make known the beauty of the Church to others. I am interpreting the Archbishop correctly richness of Catholic culture is significant to him and he wants to share that richness with others. Is this reasonable? What Catholic focused on the Incarnation, indeed, the Paschal Mystery, doesn't want his or her faith to thrive and draw others to it? Some may use the word "pride" to communicate thoughts and feelings when other more appropriate words would be germane. Being proud can have both positive and negative connotations. I would err on the positive. In the end, it is Jesus who we adhere to and find salvation in, not Timothy Michael Dolan, 10th archbishop of NY.

Leave a comment

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

Categories

Archives

Humanities Blog Directory

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Paul Zalonski published on March 11, 2009 12:00 PM.

Human dignity leads to a free society: get on board with the World Youth Alliance TODAY was the previous entry in this blog.

Novena to St. Benedict is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.