July 27, 2020

Even the Bible Is Full of Flawed Characters
 
The destruction of monuments only impoverishes our sense of history.
 
By Timothy Cardinal Dolan
June 28, 2020   Wall Street Journal
 
   U.S. Park Police stand guard after protesters attempted to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House, June 22.
 
   Years ago I was dedicating a new parish to St. Peter. A woman wrote to protest: “Why would you name a Church after such a coward, a sinner who denied even knowing the Lord when Jesus needed him most, at the hour of His arrest and crucifixion?”
 
   Knowing her and what parish she was from, I wrote back, “But you’re a proud parishioner at St. Mary Magdalene Church. She was sure not a paragon of virtue for a chunk of her life. Yet, by God’s grace, she became a radiant, inspirational saint. If we can’t name churches after sinners, the only titles we’d have left would be Jesus and His Mother!”
 
  Isn’t the same true of America’s historical personalities? All of them had flaws, yet all of them still contributed a lot of good to our nation’s progress.
 
   Defacing, tearing down and hiding statues and portraits is today’s version of Puritan book-burning. Our children need to know their country’s past, its normative figures and their virtues and vices. That’s how we learn and pass on our story. Is there any more effective way to comprehend America’s history of racism than reading “Huckleberry Finn” or one of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, works of literature now ominously on the chopping block?
 
   My own mom kept a photo of her parents hanging on the wall of our house. Her dad, my grandfather, was an abusive drunk who abandoned his family. I’m glad we got to know of him, the good and the bad.
 
   The same is true of the church I love and am honored to serve. Yes, there are scandalous parts of our history, and countless episodes when popes, bishops, priests and others—including some who are now saints—didn’t act as they should have.
 
   God forbid we’d go through a cultural revolution as China did five decades ago. Beware those who want to purify memories and present a tidy—and inaccurate—history. And who’s to say which statues, portraits, books and dedications are spared? Remember when some objected to raising the status of the Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday to a national holiday, citing his self-admitted flaws?
 
   If literature that depicts prejudice, or words or scenes that are today rightly abhorred, is to be banned, I don’t know if even the Bible can survive. If we only honor perfect, saintly people of the past, I guess I’m left with only the cross. And some people would ban that.
 
  As a historian by training, I want to remember the good and the bad, and recall with gratitude how even people who have an undeniable dark side can let light prevail and leave the world better. I want to keep bringing classes of schoolchildren to view such monuments, and to explain to them how even such giants in our history had crimes, unjust acts and plain poor judgment mixed in with the good we honor.
 
     With prayerful best wishes for you and your loved ones, I am,
 
Faithfully in Christ,


Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York

Dear Family of the Archdiocese of New York,

     Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has presented all Catholics around the world with a wonderful opportunity: to examine how the Church is living up to the ideals established for us by Jesus, and how She can more effectively live out Her mission in the world today.

     To accomplish this, the Holy Father has asked dioceses, religious communities, Catholic institutions and groups – really everyone! -- to come together for prayer, listening, discussion, and discernment, what Pope Francis terms synodality.  After receiving responses from all who participate, the Holy See will convene bishops from around the world who will meet in Rome with the Holy Father to further discern what steps the Church needs to take in order to more fully carry out its sacred mission.  The Pope has made it clear that this is not meant to discuss what the Church teaches or believes, as that is unchangeable; it is meant to discuss how the Church teaches its truths, and lives out its beliefs.

     Here in the Archdiocese of New York, it is time for us to do our part!  We are arranging “listening sessions” in each of the 12 deaneries (geographic areas) of the archdiocese for the various Saturdays of Lent, beginning Saturday, March 12, at Saint Joseph’s in Middletown (Orange County Deanery) and Corpus Christi in Manhattan (North Manhattan Deanery).  A full list of the other currently scheduled listening sessions is attached, and you can register for a session and find updated information here. (Note: The South Westchester Deanery will meet on a Tuesday, April 5.  See the schedule.)

     Here’s what will happen: the listening session will last about three hours, and begin with everyone joining in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, asking the Holy Spirit to guide the discussions.  The assembled members of the deanery will then break down into smaller groups for discussion, guided by a facilitator, with everyone given a chance to have their voice heard and noted.   The responses from each of the small groups will be collected,  then combined and synthesized with others from the deanery, and then with responses from throughout the entire archdiocese, before eventually being shared with the bishops’ conference and then the Vatican. (Don’t worry – no names will be attached to any of this, so you can speak freely!)

     Allow me to add my own invitation to our Holy Father’s by asking you to take part in this important “examination of conscience” for the Church Universal. Please register today!
Two quick reminders, if I may.

     On Tuesday, March 1^st, Bishop-elect John Bonnici and Bishop-elect Joseph Espaillat will be ordained as bishops at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  Would you please remember them in your prayers?  And Wednesday, March 2^nd, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and a day of fast and abstinence.  I join with our Holy Father in asking that we pray in a special way on this day for peace in Ukraine.

With gratitude and prayerful best wishes, I am,

Faithfully in Christ,

+ Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York




Listening Session Schedule
(All sessions Saturday unless noted)

 March 12: Saint Joseph’s Parish, Middletown (Orange County) 9:00 a.m.
Corpus Christi Parish, Manhattan (North Manhattan) 9:00 a.m.

March 19: Saint Augustine Parish, New City (Rockland County) 10:00 a.m.

March 26: Saint Patrick Parish, Yorktown Heights (North Westchester) 9:30 a.m.
Saint Columba Parish, Hopewell Junction (Putnam/Dutchess) 9:30 a.m.

April 2: Our Lady of Pity Parish, Staten Island (Staten Island)  Start time TBD
Saint Joseph’s Seminary/Spellman Recreation Center, Yonkers (West Bronx)  9:00 a.m.

Tuesday April 5: Resurrection Parish, Rye (South Westchester) 5:15 p.m.

Still to be scheduled:
Ulster Deanery
South Manhattan Deanery
Sullivan Deanery
East Bronx Deanery
Check this page for updates!
 

October 18, 2021
Year of Saint Joseph


Dear Members of our Catholic family:

Many of you are asking about this “synod process” initiated by Pope Francis.  Maybe my homily from yesterday at the Cathedral can help: [CTD]
 

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mass for the opening of the Synod Process
October 17, 2021
Timothy Cardinal Dolan

Synodality

A blessed Sunday!

Can we consider a bit today the role of authority and leadership in the Church?  Jesus teaches us about all that in our Gospel passage at Mass this morning.

Yes, the Church is of divine origin, but she is composed of flawed human membership; yes, Jesus gave us a rather fluid blueprint about the structure of His Church – his apostles, the sacraments, a basic creed and moral expectations, bishop, priest, deacon, women and men with duties in marriage, family, communities of faith, using gifts – which the bible calls charisms – of teaching, worship, charity, administration, healing, and service; the mandate to teach the nations about Him.

Throughout her colorful history of two millennia, the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church has expanded and developed its style of organization and authority.

We’ve had popes at the head of conquering armies and popes all by themselves in jail;

Bishops called “princes,” and bishops beheaded by princes;

We’ve had women and men living as solitary hermits, or as members of thriving, vibrant, communities;

The Church hast taught sternly with threats of punishments in this life and the next, or softly and gently under the shade of a tree outside the parish church;

She has managed property, buildings, and money to compete with a Wall Street firm, or existed solely on faith, prayer, bread, wine, the Bible, and the goodness of her people;

The Church has members trying to raise families, run businesses, make a living, while ever in allegiance to the teachings of our Lord…

This only touches on the array, the sample of how the Church we cherish has tried to lead, teach with authority, govern and serve since Jesus commissioned us to do so.

And now the successor of Saint Peter as bishop of Rome and pastor of the Church Universal, Pope Francis, has asked us all to commence an examination of conscience on how we as a Church are living up to the model of the Church given us by Jesus.  Pope Francis has asked us to begin a process of preparation and prayer for a Synod of Bishops in Rome in two years, on the topic he calls all this: synodality. 

Thus do I welcome this morning leaders from the archdiocese who generously participate in the consultative organs of these vast areas of the Lord’s vineyard – members of our boards, committees, religious orders, schools, charities, health care, witness in the public square, business and governance.  

And just what is this synodality of which Pope Francis so often speaks?  I don’t know if I completely understand it; and the Holy Father is honest in admitting that neither does he have the full comprehension, which is precisely why he has summoned us to this endeavor.  He wants us to join him in praying, listening, discerning, examining ourselves personally, and the Church communally, to see if we’re truly on the path Jesus has set for His beloved bride, His mystical body, the Church.

He has reminded us of certain clear essentials intended by Jesus, constant, although, at times, we admit clouded and dimmed, in the Church’s amazing 2,000 year drama.  Here are some those non-negotiables.

• The energy and direction driving the Church comes from the Holy Spirit, not ourselves;
• While in the world, we are not of the world, and thus our guiding principles come from the Gospel, revelation, and the patrimony of the Church’s settled teaching;
• That the principles of the innate dignity of every human person and the inherent sacredness of all human life are the towering moral lighthouses on our path;
• That our journey through this life back to our true and eternal home of heaven is most effectively accomplished precisely as a journey as we walk with and accompany each other, with Jesus as our guide, His mother and the saints, and we sinners at each other’s side;
• That on this journey we pay special attention to those at the side of the road, especially those who are sick, weak, poor, or unable to keep up with us;
• That our wealth only comes from faith, trust, prayer, the sacraments, and His grace;
• That mercy, love, invitation, humility, joy, selfless, generous service, and good example are our only tools, never harshness, condemnation, or pride.

That seems to be synodality in a nutshell.  We are loyal Catholics.  The Holy Father has asked us to help him keep the Church always under the direction Jesus, our good shepherd, intends.

Thank you for accepting his invitation to enter this walk of synodality.  Stay tuned for other invitations as the process continues.   Stay tuned as our own team led by Elizabeth Guevara and Monsignor LaMorte, keep us posted.  

And stay tuned to those words from the gospel this morning:

“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt.  But it shall not be so among you.  Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.  For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (MK 10: 42-45)

Faithfully in Christ,
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York

Dear Family of the Archdiocese of New York,

A blessed first week of Lent!  I pray that this season of increased prayer, penance, self-sacrifice, and acts of charity is off to a strong start.  It is easy to feel downbeat or discouraged these days with last week’s bad weather compounding the continued hardships brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.   Might I suggest that, in this year when we have all sacrificed so much already, that one way we can observe the season of Lent is to try and let go of some of the negativity we might be inclined to feel about the hardships we’ve all had to endure, and unite whatever suffering we face with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross! What a powerful Lent we will have if we – and I certainly include myself – can accomplish this.

My thanks to all those who reached out with appreciation for my Flocknote of February 11.  Many were anxious to tell me of their gratitude for being able to have their children in their local Catholic school, or for the way their pastor has done remarkable work reaching out to parishioners who are homebound, or for the help they have received through Catholic Charities and ArchCare, our health care ministry.  A few asked, understandably, for an update on how the archdiocese was doing financially, like I did last Spring.  While I realize that this is never anyone’s favorite subject, since we are about half-way through our fiscal year, it might be good to give you some highlights of where things stand. Our annual audited financial reports covering the past fiscal year, which ended August 31, 2020, are currently under review by our independent, outside accounting firm, and will be reported as it is each year in July in Catholic New York.  

Long story short: Thanks to the generosity of you, our people, the dedication and commitment of our pastors and priests, and the hard work behind-the-scenes of people in the field and in the chancery, we have managed to hold our own in some ways, but continue to face some uphill battles in others.  Allow me to give you some details.

Offertory (aka “The Sunday Collection”)

The offertory shared by the faithful each week is critical to sustaining the operations of our parishes and reaffirms support for the work our pastors and parish staff undertake.  Many people went out of their way to continue supporting their parishes during a very difficult time.  This stewardship helped to make up the shortfall that resulted from limited parish activity during the lockdown, which has seen the overall offertory income in our parishes decrease by more than 10% since the pandemic began.  Fortunately, most of our needy parishes properly made use of the Paycheck Protection Program funds, which went to pay the salaries of parish and school staff, and partially offset this overall decline in offertory throughout the archdiocese.  In so many cases, a parish is not just a place of worship but a second home for people.  It is important that we continue our effort to support these communities of worship.

WeShare

One key to the continued parish support was much greater use of online giving, primarily through the WeShare program.  I will admit that I am often lost when it comes to technology.    Fortunately, our people and pastors are rapidly becoming much more comfortable in utilizing these modern tools.   Our parishes, which had already been promoting our online giving platforms, saw a marked increase in parishioners utilizing this tool, and since March 2020, our parishes have seen online giving activity more than double, from 10% to 25% of all offertory. If you have not signed up yet, please consider doing so – it will be a great help to your pastor and parish. You can find a link on your parish’s website to enroll.

Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal

As you know, the Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal helps fund important ministries and initiatives throughout the archdiocese each year.  During the 2020 year, appeal activity was lower than previous years, given the uncertainty stemming from the pandemic, yet the demands were towering! This did not deter our pastors, who continued to seek support from parishioners and allowed us to meet our goal of $20 million for 2020.  Thank you!

Renew + Rebuild

The Renew + Rebuild Capital Campaign is centrally managed to utilize the resources available to our parishes at the archdiocese.  Parishes were not mandated to participate in the program but involvement was encouraged.   At the beginning of the campaign, each participating pastor was asked to complete an assessment of its buildings and identify projects needed in his parish, such as replacing boilers or roofs, painting, or fixing cracked windows and walls.  Through contributions from parishioners, parishes have been able to make substantive improvements to their buildings, rather than a “band-aid” approach. Pastors are now relying on donors to honor the pledges made at the beginning of the campaign, in order to bring projects to completion. Everywhere I go, priests and people are eager to show me the repair and expansion done in our parishes due to Renew + Rebuild.

Central Services

Central Services is the administrative body of the archdiocese. It receives funding from a number of sources and redistributes these resources to assist needy parishes and schools.  One source of that funding comes from the parishes in the form of the cathedraticum, a small percentage of regular parish income – mainly the Sunday collection.  The cost for shared services, which are centrally negotiated to achieve purchasing power, like medical insurance, pension for parish employees, as well as property insurance is billed through what is known as the “consolidated bill.”  Because Central Services also acts as the purchasing arm of the archdiocese, with our expansive geographical area and hundreds of operating entities, it provides economies of scale that benefit all.  We thank the majority of our parishes that pay this “consolidated bill” in a timely manner.  You should know that the annual operating budget for Central Services for the 2021 fiscal year, which began last September 1^st, has been reduced by just over 10%.  Although “finance people” can get a bum rap for being only interested in money, I can attest that their interest is solely on helping the archdiocese to be able to carry out its pastoral, educational, and charitable work.   We’re all indebted to them.

Child Victims Act

Finally, another word about the Child Victims Act.  We are still assessing what the economic impact will be on the archdiocese, although it is likely to be extremely significant.   Cases continue to be filed, and we are anxious to reach just settlements with those who have meritorious claims, just as we already did through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program.  We are prayerful and hopeful that our primary insurance carrier recognizes the moral imperative to resolve meritorious suits as soon as possible though unfortunately we have met resistance in our effort.  We will continue to press and will report back soon.    

Just like you must do with your family’s budget, the archdiocese and its parishes and institutions must pay careful attention to its income and how it spends its money.  It is our sacred responsibility to be good stewards of the funds you entrust to us, and to make certain that they are used for the purposes for which they are given.   I thank you for sticking with me through lengthier than intended letter.  

Be assured of a continued remembrance in my Mass and prayers each day, that Lent 2021 will be an especially fruitful one for you and your loved ones.

Faithfully in Christ,
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York

Statement of Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York, regarding Hate-crimes

 
      The news of last night’s attack at the home of a Jewish family in Monsey, New York, is the latest in a series of sickening acts of violence against our Jewish brothers and sisters.  Such acts must be condemned completely and without reservation as totally contrary to everything that people of faith stand for. 

     An attack on any individual or group because of his or her religious beliefs is an attack on us all.  This hatred has no place in our city, state, or nation, or anywhere else on our planet. 

     At my Sunday Mass this morning, I prayed in a special way in solidarity with the victims of these heinous acts of violence, and urge all people to come together in a spirit of unity to reject such hatred and bigotry wherever it occurs.

Dec. 29, 2019