Cardinal Egan Back At Pulpit For Easter Weekend

Before a service at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, Edward Cardinal Egan told reporters, "I'm feeling pretty good but not as good as I should be. To miss Holy Thursday and Good Friday would be a heavy cross to bear. I decided not to bear that one if I didn't have to." The 77-year-old head of the NY Archdiocese had been hospitalized for a few days starting last Saturday for stomach pains (which the NY Times says was a "gastrointestinal virus") and will need surgery to have a pacemaker implanted. But Egan was upbeat and said he would lead services today, tomorrow and Easter Sunday, which will then lead into next week when his successor, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, will be installed. One NJ woman who attended the service told the Times, "It’s kind of incredible he was able to make it. I have a lot of respect for his determination."