The entire New York community mourns the death of His Eminence, Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop-emeritus of New York.

The cardinal was a brilliant canon lawyer, astute organizer and a natural-born leader. From his early days in Chicago, to his work in Rome (most especially his integral role in the formulation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law) to serving as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York (and his work in preserving Catholic education) to his tenure as bishop of Bridgeport to his time as cardinal-archbishop of New York, Cardinal Egan wore many hats and had many titles. It was clear that he preferred one, above all, and that was “Father.”

As a bishop, he had many obligations, but he was known for his genuine interest in the poor, in the sick and suffering and in the immigrant.

Even with some of the tough decisions he had to make, the cardinal always tried to live up to his episcopal motto: “In the Holiness of the Truth.”

May Cardinal Edward Egan live now forever in the presence of the One who is the Holiness of the Truth incarnate, Jesus Christ, the true and eternal Shepherd and High Priest.