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Knock, Knock Who's There? Archbishop Dolan

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Photograph of Archbishop Dolan knocking on the doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral by Frank Franklin II/AP

Archbishop Timothy Dolan marked his beginning as the new leader of the New York Archdiocese—and about 2.5 million Roman Catholics in the area—with the ritual of knocking on the doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Post described the scene, "Using a blue hammer, Dolan pounded on the bronze doors six times, asking to be accepted as New York's new archbishop. Then he paused and knocked another three times just to be sure he was heard. A roar of laughter erupted in the church. The doors swung open and the 59-year-old Dolan walked in to an explosion of applause."

The Post explains that Dolan was actually supposed to give three sets of three knocks (the Holy Trinity tripled!), which makes sense in what the NY Times called "ceremonies marked by solemn Christian ritual and the stagecraft of the grand entrance." Dolan told those gathered about his inner thoughts when he was asked to lead New York's Catholic community, "Go away, Lord! I’m not your man. My Spanish is lousy and my English not much better. I’m still angry at New York for taking Favre and Sabathia from us in Wisconsin. The Yankees and Mets over the Cardinals and Brewers? Forget it!" The Times adds that Dolan "passingly" referred to the Catholic church's sex abuse scandal among the problems facing the church (other problems include "threats to marriage and family, to the unborn baby and fragile human life at all stages," and few priests).

Dolan will be formally installed today in a service starting at 1:30 p.m. It will be carried on the local news stations as well as their websites (WCBS 2, WABC 7, WNBC 4, MYFoxNY 5) as well as the Archdiocese's website. Dolan also has a column in today's Daily News, essentially introducing himself to the city, "I aim to be a happy bishop, sharing joys and laughs with you. So you will see me at the St. Patrick's parade, and at the new Yankee Stadium, and at processions and feast days and barbecues across our almost 400 parishes...I fully intend to love being archbishop of New York while loving all of you in the Church in New York."

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Comments [rss]

  • Novanglus

    Wow, Time Warner Cable, MSG, and now the Catholic church! Is there no end to Dolan's reign!!?!?

  • mmlanglie

    Ha! You guys are killing me!

  • Snoopy

    I don't get the blue hammer thing either. Did he forget his keys? With all their money don't you think they could have installed a doorbell?

    Any relation to Mickey Dolan?

    Did he say anything like,"Shit man. It's raining out here. Let me in."

  • Sleepy

    Letting our fellow citizens/humans marry those they love, regardless of race or gender, is an affirmation of marriage and family. So the threat Dolan was referring to was divorce, spousal abuse, and pedophilia, right? Right?

  • mmlanglie

    You've hit the nail on the head (and maybe with Dolan's pretty blue hammer). High-five!

  • babyhitler

    Dudes wearing lace doilies on his arms and using a blue hammer, and people are supposed to take this religion seriously? I wonder what mr. Dolan would say about abortion if the father of the unborn child was a sex abuse priest?

  • Rocknrope
  • Rocknrope

    What a card that Archbishop is.

  • Guest

    I find it funny that he has to be invited in... like he's a vampire or something.

  • Guest

    Archbishop Dolan with the punches

  • atmanone

    Archibishop Dolan who?

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