Archbishop Timothy Dolan: 'God Is the Only Treasure People Desire to Find in a Priest'

By Deacon Keith Fournier
6/2/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

'Sometimes I wonder if we are being invited back to the Church of the Acts of the Apostles. Sometimes I wonder if we priests, bishops -- indeed the entire Church -- have been reduced to the utterly basic reply of Peter and John to the crippled beggar in Temple Square in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 3: "Silver and Gold I have not, but what I do have, I sure give you: In the name of Jesus Christ, stand up and walk! Pizzazz, glitter, gold, clout, prestige, power, property, wealth -- we ain't got! All we got is Jesus -- and that's the greatest treasure of all. That's what people want! And we can't give Him unless we got Him. And that's called holiness.'

Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

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CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - In a recent conversation with a friend we bemoaned the great challenges we face as Catholic Christians as the West implodes around us. Those challenges affect not only the culture, but even more so, the Church. The Church alone has what is needed to resuscitate Western Civilization. Yet, the Church is besieged with seemingly endless struggles within. I reminded my friend of a theme I often repeat in my writing, that this is a new missionary age. We can trust that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing because the Church is His Plan and He has not changed His mind.

The conversation occurred on June 1, 2010, the Feast of the great apologist and Martyr Justin. I had reread some wonderful hagiography in my morning prayer. I was inspired once again by the excerpt concerning his martyrdom in the Office of Readings. I reminded my friend that the Church has been in this kind of position many times in her 2000 years and that, in fact, this is her very mission. Finally, I told my friend that the Lord uses "Living Stones"- in every generation - to rebuild and renew His Church. I shared that phrase, and other words, which the Apostle Peter used to encourage the early Christians who were dispersed throughout Asia Minor in one of the first persecutions (1 Peter 2: 4 - 10).

I ended our discussion by expressing my deep conviction that in this crucial hour the Lord has placed significant "Living Stones" in the Office of Bishop, successor of the Apostles, in some very strategic places. We have only to look at two of the US Dioceses in need of recovery as examples; Archbishop Gomez in Los Angeles and Archbishop Wenski in Miami. Finally, I mentioned that one of my heroes, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who had done such extraordinary work in the Milwaukee recovery and is now leading the Church of New York, would be playing a prominent role in serving the recovery of the Church in Ireland.

After the conversation I began my work of writing. In my research I found Archbishop Dolans address given on May 27, 2010 at St. Patrick's College, in Maynooth, Ireland. He had been asked to speak on the priesthood. As I read his talk I knew it was just one more affirmation from the Holy Spirit that the Church is in good hands; the hands of Jesus Christ. He is Her Head and she is His Body, carrying forward His redemptive mission into what will be a Third Christian Millennium. This address from this good Archbishop is extraordinary. It can be read in its entirety here. We offer just a few excerpts to encourage our readers around the world to trust, pray and continue their own participatory part in the work of the Church in this new missionary age.

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Archbishop Timothy Dolan: 'God Is the Only Treasure People Desire to Find in a Priest.'

".. Not long after Pope John Paul II appointed me Archbishop of Milwaukee in the summer of 2002, I was chatting with one of our many splendid priests. Keep in mind, now, that 2002 was a high crisis period in our own history, very similar to what you are going through right now. It was even worse in Milwaukee, because my predecessor had sadly resigned in ignominy after revelations that he had paid an adult male partner $450,000 of archdiocesan funds.

Thus I asked this priest, holding my breath, "How are you doing?" "Thanks for asking," he replied, rather, to my surprise, upbeat and chipper. "Actually, considering all the fodder" -- he actually used another word but we're in mixed company -- "we've been through, I think, thank God, I'm doing pretty good. I find myself more grounded than ever."

I was fascinated by that phrase, "more grounded than ever ." and asked him to elaborate. "Well, for one," he began, "I'm grounded because the trauma of these months has literally dropped me to my knees, to the ground, in more and better prayer." "Two, I'm grounded because I have grown in my humility, which comes from the Latin word for soil, earth, ground." "And finally," he went on, "I'm grounded because I've had to rediscover the foundation, the base, the ground of my very life: my faith in and love for God, my very identity as a child of God, saved by His Son, reconfigured to Jesus at the very grounding of my being as a priest."

And then, in a finale I'll never forget, he concluded, "So, my new archbishop thanks for asking. To answer your question as to how I am; Lightning has struck me these recent months, but, don't worry, I'm fine! I'm grounded !" Not bad, huh! And what I propose is that those three groundings this priest mentioned -- prayer, humility, and a rediscovery of identity -- can provide a response to the statement of faith inherent in my ...

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

Norman Merski
2 years ago
I am saddened by priests failing to teach and uphold our Catholic religion. Since Vartican II there doesn't seem to be the emphasis on evil, sin or the sacraments.And in particular Confession. Is confession a sacrament or not. It is not addressed by most priests, but only put in a corner .
The Church owes it's followers education and emphasis on pre as well as post vatican II teachings. Catholics no longer hear about mortal sin or evil. It's all about
feelings and individual efforts. No longer are we a congregation. It's about the individual. Like the new effort to say I beleive versus we believe. We as a whole
are the church it's not one individual but all together. God loves us all as His church. WE know longer preach confession or mortal sin because it is too demanding on the new catholic church. Christ suffered and died for us so to keep our catholic numbers up we water down our church practices and belief. May our Lord have mercy on us laiety and it's priests. In the end I don't judge. I leave that up to our Lord and savior.
God Bless our Catholic church and its priests.
Taylor
2 years ago
This is achievable. Lay-persons can help our priests by providing for them a reverent and holy life example and the expectation, therefore, of their MORE-reverent and holy life example. Priests are our brothers and we should treat them as we would want to be treated, and in keeping with our proper state in life. And it is better to give than to receive. So, let us get serious and perhaps we may attempt to merit a serious response from our priests. Let us be strong and dignified and holy human beings so that our priests may be stronger and even more dignified and even more holy human beings. Let us also rise to the occasion WITH our priests and for our priests for the sake of the Church and most especially for the love of our Most High God.
Johnny
2 years ago
I wonder if we are being invited back to the Church of the Acts of the Apostles myself. I pray we go back to our roots.There was a great deal of prudence in those days. We need bishops and priest to be courageous and cultivate prudence,the virtue that makes us effective decision makers.As far as scandals goes, the bishops and priests who fail to remove the wrong people from positions of influence on the grounds of mercy is not showing mercy to those who will suffer from his decision.His higher responsibility is to the general welfare of the Church and the people who serve there.We must pray for all bishops and priest.The words of Pope JohnPaul II come back again and again,"Be not Afraid". God bless Our Church.
Nino Baldino
2 years ago
Madness,,why did he refer to this character as a priest..instead of 'priest' was Benedict Arnold a patriot even after he sold out our side after the battle of Saratoga? Until it is recognized for what it is..evil men trained to destroy faith in the clergy and innocence in our youth.a conspiracy of evil..then all the pretty talk is just that....
Andy Holland
2 years ago
This is exactly what is needed for reconciliation between the East and West: " God is the only treasure people desire to find in a priest."

The big issue that split the Church in 1054 was authority - Papal primacy. God is the only treasure people desire to find in Patriarchs, in fathers - for we do not have many fathers but one Father who art in Heaven - and heaven has come to Earth and dwells in us, in the mother - the Church.

If you cannot see the Icon of God in your own Father, or in a humble monk or Priest or in the Papacy - in the Pope - you cannot see God.

The Pope is the first among Christians - he is therefore the Icon of the Father on Earth, and from the primacy of love (God is love) his true and absolute authority flows. Its not jurisdictional worldly authority - its the charisma of the Father in the Priest.

Patriarchs are like the Father, matriarchs like the Church. As Christians we were commanded by Christ to call no man Father - we don't - we call the Father in Heaven Father whom we see in his, our spiritual fathers, who are His children in whom God has made His habitation - Heaven in Earth.
Elana
2 years ago
Yes we want Holy Priests.
We want Priests who preach in accordance with the "Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition" first printed in the US in March 2000, rather than doing their own thing.
We want Priests who say the Mass reverently, and expect all in Church to be reverant.
We want Priests who will say Mass in accord with the 2011 Mass, so that Masses are Uniform in the USA.

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