MILWAUKEE (WI)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
April 27, 2012
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 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 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’s ebullient personality and pastoral presence endeared him to many in the 10-county archdiocese. Still, he had 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.
The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two years after he left as a way to settle its mounting sex abuse claims.
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