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Dolan to Return Saturday to Lead Mass at Holy Hill

By Annysa Johnson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 27, 2012

http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/dolan-to-return-saturday-to-lead-mass-at-holy-hill-q256jci-149294405.html


New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan returns to Wisconsin for the first time since receiving his red cap in Rome for a special Mass of Thanksgiving on Saturday at the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, at Holy Hill.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is bracing for what could be 2,000 or more worshippers converging at the historic church and basilica to welcome Dolan, whose popularity while archbishop of Milwaukee has only skyrocketed since his move east and onto the international stage.

"You can just sense the growing anticipation. The energy in the air is just phenomenal," said Julie Wolf, spokeswoman for the archdiocese.

"I've never experienced anything like it - the closest I can come to it was at the cardinal's consistory in Rome. This man is very special," she said.

Dolan led the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese from 2002 to 2009, coming at one of the darkest times for the local church as it reeled from revelations of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades and the public fall from grace of his predecessor, the now retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland.

Dolan does have his critics, including sex abuse victims who believe he didn't do enough to address their concerns and others who considered him too theologically conservative. But his ebullient personality and pastoral presence endeared him to many in the 10-county archdiocese.

The move to New York thrust Dolan onto the national stage, where he was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, rallying conservative Catholics in a battle with the Obama administration over contraception and religious freedom.

That battle led Time magazine to name him one of the world's 100 most influential people, saying he's done what no Catholic prelate has done in years: He put himself and his church at the center of a national political debate.

Dolan's high-profile role at the February consistory in Rome, where he emerged as the voice of the Vatican's New Evangelization efforts, fueled talk of a first American pope and caused even naysayers to reconsider the possibility.

At a Milwaukee speech shortly after the consistory, veteran Vatican journalist, author John Allen, who had consistently dismissed such speculation, called Dolan "the closest thing to an American papabile - papal candidate - that we have ever seen."

All of that has led to a surge in his popularity among a segment of Catholics in Wisconsin, prompting the archdiocese to prepare for what could be thousands of followers at the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, on Saturday.

A heated tent with a video monitor has been set up in the parking lot to accommodate any spillover from the 2,000-seat shrine. And the archdiocese is handing out wristbands beginning at 1 p.m. for admission to the 4:30 p.m. Mass.

A small number of seats has been reserved for dignitaries, family and close friends, according to Wolf. "But they are very limited," she said. "The consensus was that he was coming back to be with the people of the archdiocese. And there was a concerted effort to make sure that the majority of people there would be from parishes and schools, and others who may never have a chance like this again."

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If you go

  • New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, at Holy Hill, 1525 Carmel Road, Town of Erin. The rosary begins at 4 p.m.
  • Grounds open at 5 a.m. Wristbands will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis for those with disabilities beginning at 1 p.m., followed by general admission bands at 1:30 p.m.
  • Shuttles will transport attendees to and from the upper and lower parking area.





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