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The announcement that Pope Francis officially confirmed plans to visit the United States in September 2015, for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, was among the biggest newsmakers of the Church at the close of 2014. Cardinal Dolan, upon the Nov. 17 announcement, said, “We don’t have it officially that he’s coming to New York. I got a good hunch that he is... He would like to come, he hopes to be able to, but we don’t have any official word yet. When we do, believe me, I’m going to be calling you and shouting it from the rooftops.”
JANUARY
In solidarity with the 41st annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., parishes in the archdiocese conducted Holy Hours, Eucharistic Adoration and other prayerful gatherings on and near the march’s Jan. 22 date. Cardinal Dolan kicked off the annual archdiocesan “Feeding Our Neighbors” food collection for the needy Jan. 19. After Mass, he stepped outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral and helped to load waiting trucks with boxes of donated food bound for food pantries and soup kitchens that serve New Yorkers. Mayor Bill de Blasio made an afternoon house call on Cardinal Dolan at his Madison Avenue residence Jan. 13, and both leaders promised to work together on issues. Dr. Anne Nolte, founder and director of the National Gianna Center for Women’s Health and Fertility, was named chair of the archdiocesan Pro-Life Commission. The board of trustees, with the approval of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jan. 14 announced the closing of Mother Cabrini High School in Manhattan at the end of the academic year.
FEBRUARY
Pope Francis accepted the retirement of Auxiliary Bishop Josu Iriondo, the archdiocese’s longtime vicar for Hispanic Ministry who has also served for many years as regional vicar of the South Bronx and pastor of St. Anthony of Padua parish there. The Feb. 1 announcement came about six weeks after Bishop Iriondo had turned 75. The archdiocesan Office for Vocations launched a Vocation Prayer Apostolate Feb. 11. The apostolate is comprised of women and men, many of whom are homebound, in hospitals and nursing homes, who offer up their prayers and suffering for an increase in priestly vocations. The archdiocese has announced the creation of a 40-person Archdiocesan Advisory Group, as part of the next stage in its pastoral planning process, Making All Things. Msgr. Patrick McCahill, moderator of the archdiocesan Deaf Center, received high honors from the National Catholic Office for the Deaf in appreciation of his “outstanding service with the Catholic deaf and hard of hearing community.” Cardinal Egan, Archbishop Emeritus, offered the Jan. 25 Funeral Mass of Avonte Oquendo, a 14-year-old autistic boy whose body was found along the East River in mid-January after a three-month disappearance. The Catholic bishops of New York urged compassion and acceptance for people suffering from mental illness in a new pastoral statement. Msgr. James Doyle, who was pastor emeritus of St. Joseph’s parish in Bronxville, died Feb. 15. He was 80.
MARCH
An estimated 1,330 candidates and catechumens across the archdiocese are expected to come into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil April 19. Banks of church pews at St. Patrick’s Cathedral returned to their rightful place Feb. 25 after refurbishing in conjunction with the cathedral’s restoration project. Cardinal Dolan and other Catholic bishops of New York state were in Albany in mid-March to meet with political leaders and rally more than 1,000 New York Catholics in support of the education investment tax credit legislation under consideration in the legislature. On the first Sunday of Lent, Cardinal Dolan traveled downtown to express solidarity with the clergy and parishioners of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church as the homeland of many there struggles to retain its independence. Father John Jaume, C.R., pastor of Our Lady of Fatima parish, Plattekill, died March 1. He was 73.
APRIL
Cardinal Dolan joined with Calvary Hospital executives and members of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University during a March 31 visit to Calvary. The hospital and the university are involved in a partnership to serve the needs of observant Jews for end-of-life care. Dr. Conrado M. Gempesaw, a Filipino-American, was named the 17th president of St. John’s University. It marked the first time in the university’s 144-year history that St. John’s president will not be a Vincentian priest. Father Fabian Lopez, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Manhattan, died April 21 after a battle with leukemia. He was 47. Msgr. Victor Pavis, who served as pastor of three parishes in the archdiocese and was principal at Cardinal Hayes High School, the Bronx, died April 26. He was 95. Father Joseph W. Hickey, a former pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish, the Bronx, and St. Mary’s parish, Wappingers Falls, died on Good Friday, April 18. He was 83. Sister Winifred Danwitz, O.S.U., who founded the Mount St. Ursula Speech Center, died April 29. She was 93.
MAY
Cardinal John O’Connor, who as Archbishop of New York cherished strong ties with the Jewish community, was the son of a mother who was born Jewish. The fact came to light during a genealogical search undertaken by Mary O’Connor Ward, the cardinal’s sister, and reported exclusively by Catholic New York. In a pastoral visit to Jordan last week, Cardinal Dolan witnessed firsthand the work and presence of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. As New York City sets forth on an ambitious task of creating 200,000 units of affordable housing throughout the next 10 years, the archdiocese stands as a ready and able partner. Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, executive director of archdiocesan Catholic Charities, delivered that message to Mayor Bill de Blasio on behalf of Catholic Dolan when the mayor unveiled his $41 billion joint initiative to refurbish or create new housing for middle- and low-income New Yorkers May 5. Cardinal Dolan ordained six men to the priesthood—five for the archdiocese and one for the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal—at a Mass of ordination in St. Patrick’s Cathedral May 24.
JUNE
With final recommendations in the Making All Things New pastoral planning process due later in the month, cluster teams from around the archdiocese this week submitted “their best thinking” on the subject, said Father John O’Hara, director of strategic pastoral planning for the archdiocese. New York made history and broke its own record—to the tune of $2.1 million in scholarships—in hosting the 25th American Cardinals Dinner on behalf of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The archdiocese has been awarded additional free Universal Pre-Kindergarten seats at 33 of its schools, adding 1,300 new seats to existing and new programs at elementary schools for the 2014-2015 academic year. Cardinal Dolan ordained 11 men as permanent deacons of the archdiocese at a Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral June 21. After 43 years playing the organ at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Donald Dumler retired with the honorary title principal organist emeritus. On June 14, Pope Francis named three priests of the archdiocese with extensive service as parish pastors as auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of New York: Bishop-designate John Jenik, longtime pastor of Our Lady of Refuge parish in the Bronx; Bishop-designate John O’Hara, director of strategic pastoral planning for the archdiocese and the former pastor of St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus parish on Staten Island, and Bishop-designate Peter Byrne, the pastor of St. Elizabeth’s parish in the Washington Heights sections of Manhattan and former longtime pastor of Immaculate Conception parish on Staten Island. The possible miracle needed for the beatification of Archbishop Sheen took another step toward papal recognition June 17 when a panel of theologians met at the Vatican. Principals have been appointed at 10 Catholic elementary schools for the 2014-2015 academic year, according to Dr. Timothy McNiff, superintendent of schools for the archdiocese. Catholic New York won its second consecutive first-place General Excellence Award from the Catholic Press Association.
JULY
Amid a picturesque backdrop of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Cardinal Dolan and Sen. Charles Schumer led a contingent of comprehensive immigration reform advocates who spoke at Battery Park June 27, urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass immigration reform in July. Cardinal Dolan hosted Jewish and Catholic leaders at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan June 24 for a day of Catholic-Jewish dialogue. Cardinal Dolan dedicated the new St. Joseph’s Church in Somers June 22. Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Walsh, vicar general, presided at the liturgy and administered the final blessing at St. Clare’s Church on Staten Island for the July 10 Funeral Mass of Lt. Gordon Matthew Ambelas, a 14-year veteran firefighter who died July 5 in a blaze at a Brooklyn high-rise apartment. The faithful venerated a first-class relic of St. John Paul II at St. Patrick’s Cathedral July 12-13. The relic’s weekend visit drew about 18,000 both days. Father John J. Delaney, who served as assistant judicial vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal from 1986 until his retirement in 2002, died July 4. He was 84. Deacon Guillermo Romagosa, who served as Hispanic coordinator for the diaconate program in the archdiocese, died July 14. He was 81.
AUGUST
Cardinal Dolan ordained the three new auxiliary bishops for New York—Bishop John J. Jenik, 70, Bishop John J. O’Hara, 68, and Bishop Peter J. Byrne, 63, Aug. 4 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Sheila Power Potter, a former Vatican delegate to the United Nations, died Aug. 23 at age 78.
SEPTEMBER
Parishioners and members of the New York City Mass Mob attended Mass at St. John the Baptist Church and Friary in Manhattan Aug. 24, boosting attendance by 250 people. Cardinal Dolan hosted Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner William Bratton and religious leaders from across the city Aug. 20 at his Manhattan residence for a roundtable discussion. The focus was on reconciliation, trust and peace-building between police and community after the July 17 death of Eric Garner by an NYPD officer during an arrest. Twenty-six Sisters of Charity of New York planned to move into assisted living facilities at Jewish Home Lifecare in the Bronx after a multi-year study conducted by the religious congregation. Cardinal Dolan blessed the new Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Lower Manhattan Sept. 15. Cardinal Dolan was named Grand Marshal of the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, it was announced at a press conference by the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. In a break from tradition that was not without controversy, the parade committee also announced that a marching unit from Out@NBCUniversal, a gay and transgender organization at the broadcasting company, would march under its own banner. Msgr. Nicola Marinacci, the oldest and longest-serving archdiocesan priest in New York, died Sept. 13. He was 103. He served as pastor of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in lower Manhattan, 1970-1985. Msgr. Lawrence Connaughton, pastor of St. John Nepomucene parish, Manhattan, died Sept. 29 at age 70. Father Aldo J. Tos, who twice served as a pastor and was an educator at three high schools in the archdiocese, died Sept. 20 at age 86.
OCTOBER
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, visited New York in late September for the first time since being appointed the Vatican’s highest-ranking official behind Pope Francis. Stops included a Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral; the Cardinal’s Residence; the United Nations; Fordham University, and an awards dinner sponsored by a Manhattan-based interfaith coalition. Catholic groups joined a sea of people who streamed along Manhattan’s West Side Sept. 21 to urge global action on climate change. Organizers of the People’s Climate March estimated nearly 400,000 rallied. New York State’s Office for New Americans, in cooperation with a coalition of partners, including Catholic Charities, rolled out a comprehensive initiative at a press conference at the new headquarters of Catholic Charities’ Division of Immigration and Refugee Services in lower Manhattan Sept. 18. It will combat fraud against immigrants across New York state. John O’Keefe, one of three winners of this year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine—is a graduate of Regis High School in Manhattan. Cardinal Dolan, presiding at the 69th annual Al Smith Dinner Oct. 1 at the Waldorf-Astoria, presented the foundation’s Happy Warrior Award to Kenneth G. Langone, co-founder of Home Depot, in recognition of his support for the Church and the city. Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, the Spanish bishop who worked as an engineer before becoming the first prelate of Opus Dei, was remembered at a Mass Cardinal Dolan celebrated Oct. 26 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral a month after his beatification. Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., a co-founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and renowned author, psychologist and pro-life advocate, died Oct. 3 at age 81 Msgr. William B. O’Brien, the founder of Daytop Village, the largest rehabilitation center for drugs and alcohol in New York state, died Oct. 19 at age 90. Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete, a theologian, author and a leader of the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation, died Oct. 24 at age 73. Msgr. Daniel Flynn, who twice was a pastor in the archdiocese and served for nearly a quarter of a century at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, died Oct. 20 at age 91. Sister Marion Agnes Daniel, M.S.B.T., founder of Nazareth Housing on the Lower East Side, died Oct. 27 at age 90.
NOVEMBER
The archdiocese announced Nov. 2 the largest restructuring of parishes in its more than 200-year-old history. The first list of 48 merged parishes included 24 parishes churches and 24 other churches, no longer parishes, where Mass and sacraments will continue to be celebrated. A second list of 64 merged parishes would result in 31 parish churches, after Aug. 1, 2015. Masses and the sacraments would no longer be offered in the other churches, except on special occasions. Cardinal Dolan ordained 21 men from the Archdiocese of New York and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre for the transitional diaconate Nov. 1 at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie. Cardinal Dolan led an archdiocesan pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. Nov. 15 where participants visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the St. John Paul II National Shrine. Cardinal Dolan blessed the archdiocesan archives facilities Nov. 19 at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie. The U.S. bishops at their November meeting in Baltimore endorsed the sainthood cause of Father Paul Wattson, S.A., co-founder of the Society of the Atonement. Deacon Joseph A. Witt, who served at Sacred Heart parish, Suffern, died Oct. 18 at age 73. Father Joseph D. Sullivan, who was pastor of Most Precious Blood parish, Walden, and Holy Name of Mary, Montgomery, died Nov. 5 in Middletown at age 84. Retired Archbishop Joseph T. Dimino, a New York native who headed the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services for six years, died Nov. 25 in Washington, D.C. at age 91. Sister Rose Marie Franklin, M.M., a Maryknoll sister who was a missioner in Korea and served as general secretary for her order, died Nov. 23 at age 88.
DECEMBER
A newly crafted statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe visited parishes in the archdiocese during the week leading to her feast Dec. 12 when she was brought in procession along Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The same day, construction scaffolding was removed from much of the cathedral’s front and sides revealing a gleaming exterior. The day after a grand jury decided it would not indict a New York police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island, the New York City Commission of Religious Leaders, which includes Cardinal Dolan, urged protests arising from the matter be peaceful. All Hallows High School in the South Bronx has been selected as the National Hispanic Institute’s School of the Year.
