Welcome, Cardinal Dolan

It was nice to see a smiling face as I read about the event in the St. Louis Review. Mary Hagemeister, one of my sisters, became a relative of Cardinal Timothy Dolan through her marriage to Charles Hagemeister, and his sister's connection to the Murray family—Tim Murray, a friendly Irishman from whom the new American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church received his name.

But that was long ago, when people communicated better through song and laughter and friendship.
 
Of course I followed his career as he used much the same talent to suddenly be able to speak to the Pope and College of Cardinals during that remarkable week.
 
While I still received ETWN on my cable, I watched their correspondent Raymond Arroyo interview Cardinal Dolan after one of his promotions, probably as Archbishop of New York.  He asked,  "What will be your greatest problem as Archbishop?
 
His answer was true, but startling:  "Keeping people believing."
 
Now he is in the College of Cardinals at a troubled time in the massive church, suddenly becoming a logical prospect for consideration to become the first American Pope as his speech to them the evening before his installation was well received as he used his Italian language for the delivery.
 
The event occurred almost the same time as a massive TV advertising effort is being put forth by the church with the purpose being to ask fallen-away Catholics to come back to church. With viewers being bombarded by so much advertising that it makes it impossible to see the programs they hope to view, few of them pay any attention to the ads.
 
For myself, after 87 years of attendance at masses all over the world, from military mass on board ship, as a temporary chaplain assistant at two different Marine Corps bases all the while being trained by my government to kill every one we see in the invasion of Japan, before they kill us, I have to agree that his biggest challenge is what he said: "Keeping people believing."
 
With more than 7 billion people now in the world and a prediction of 10 billion by 2050 plus the terrible consequences that will bring, this year and the surprises we might find in the election, I would suggest we guard against an October surprise, which will chart the future.

I've included in this blog pictures of some other notable church officials that I have worked with over the years.