For more than a decade, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has been a presence not only at St. Patrick’s Cathedral but also in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Through the eye of The Tablet’s Editor Emeritus, Ed Wilkinson, these images offer a behind‑the‑scenes look at Cardinal Dolan, a prelate who has left an unmistakable mark on the local Catholic community.
On April 15, 2009, I had to talk my way into St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as the Archdiocese of New York welcomed its new spiritual leader, Archbishop Timothy Dolan. I hadn’t called ahead to reserve press credentials, so I found my friend, Joseph Zwilling, the archdiocese’s director of communications, who was as cooperative as always.
I was there in plenty of time to witness a beaming prelate process his way down the main aisle of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, waving and gesturing to the congregation. He was warmly received.
I had a great angle when Archbishop Dolan stepped into the pulpit and spoke to his new flock, telling them that the Church’s mission was “to embrace and protect the dignity of every human person, the sanctity of human life, from the tiny baby in the womb, to the last moment of natural passing into eternal life.”
I was struck by the solidarity of Cardinal Dolan, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, and Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre on Nov. 14, 2011, at a press conference at the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, when they announced a new major seminary would be shared by the three dioceses at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie.
Cardinal Dolan was on hand Sept. 19, 2013, when Brooklyn-born Bishop Frank Caggiano was installed as the bishop of Bridgeport, Conn. During the outdoor procession, the two stood in the shade and shared a laugh outside of St. Theresa Parish in Trumbull, where the installation was held. I believe they were unaware of the camera.
Cardinal Dolan is flanked by Bishop DiMarzio and Bishop Emeritus Howard Hubbard of Albany on April 14, 2014, when Brooklyn-born Bishop Edward Scharfenberger is ordained and installed as bishop of Albany at the capital city’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral.
Following the Mass, I was outside when I glanced to the side and saw Cardinal Dolan wearing his famous straw hat getting into a car for the ride back to the city. The late Msgr. Mike Curran, a good friend of Cardinal Dolan, once told me that the hat was worn only during a specific time of year.
I had a blast when I was chosen as one of the two photographers allowed on the tarmac at JFK Airport when Pope Francis landed on Sept. 24, 2015. Bishop DiMarzio provided the official welcome, but Cardinal Dolan was also in attendance and hosted the Holy Father in Manhattan for the next three days.
It’s hard to take a bad photo of Cardinal Dolan. Here, he stops to greet a young family at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens on Sept. 26, 2015, after the departure of Pope Francis following a three-day visit to New York City.
This photo was taken from atop a concrete barrier as Cardinal Dolan joined Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio for a Way of the Cross procession across the Brooklyn Bridge on Good Friday, 2016.
The second photo shows the procession along Jay St. on Good Friday in 2016.
It was a cold, rainy day when the funeral for police officer Steven McDonald was celebrated on Jan. 13, 2017, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, flanked by Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of Brooklyn and Auxiliary Bishop John O’Hara of New York, awaited the coffin carrying McDonald’s remains.
The 50-year-old member of New York’s Finest was shot on July 12, 1986, by a teenager in Central Park. Despite being paralyzed for the rest of his life, he publicly forgave the young man who shot him.
Bishop John Barres is joined by Cardinal Dolan on Feb. 2, 2017, when the former is installed as the bishop of Rockville Centre at the diocese’s St. Agnes Cathedral. Cardinal Dolan, as the metropolitan bishop of New York State, is in charge of installing and consecrating bishops in the Province of New York.
Everyone loves a parade, even bishops. Cardinal Dolan and Bishop DiMarzio are seen outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral as they watch the 2021 Columbus Day Parade. Regardless of the occasion, Cardinal Dolan would always wave his shillelagh in celebration.
Bishop DiMarzio then hopped on the diocesan float and rode the rest of the way up Fifth Avenue.
In the second photo, Cardinal Dolan greets Msgr. Robert Romano, chief of the NYPD police chaplains, during the 2019 parade.
I snuck into the sacristy of St. James Cathedral Basilica in Downtown Brooklyn. I captured this side shot of Deacon Ron Rizzuto assisting Cardinal Dolan on Aug. 14, 2022, during the Mass celebrating the 200th anniversary of St. James Parish.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic moments I’ve ever photographed came during the National Eucharistic Procession in 2024, when Cardinal Dolan blessed the Statue of Liberty from a boat in the New York Harbor.
Cardinal Dolan, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Edmund Whalen and Gerardo Colacicco of New York, escorted the Blessed Sacrament from the Brooklyn waterfront to Jersey City.
On the ride over, Cardinal Dolan led a holy hour for the small delegation chosen to accompany him. It was an honor!