At North American College,
Dolan practiced what he preached

A Man of History A Shepherd of Hope A Catholic Herald special supplement Supplement home Aug. 22 issue home

"At North American College we stress the spiritual and intellectual life. ... Our men in general leave here with a solid, disciplined, firmly rooted spiritual life and fine theological education. But this will not help much if the human qualities are not as refined and attractive. What good will the prayer and learning be for the priest whose personality repels people? A man might know all about the theology of marriage, but, if he's so shy that he can't introduce himself to people, he won't have any young couples coming for marriage at all. A man's homiletic skills might be dazzling, but they won't do a bit of good if he yells at a crying baby from the pulpit." -- Msgr. Timothy Dolan, "Priests for the Third Millennium" (Our Sunday Visitor, 2000)

	BIG THANK YOU -- Msgr. Timothy Dolan, rector of the North American College, Rome, from 1994 to 2001, poses with Pope John Paul II for a thank you card sent to seminary supporters. Surrounding Dolan and the pontiff are several of the college's seminarians. (Photo courtesy of North American College)

MILWAUKEE -- As rector of the North American College from 1994 to 2001, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan worked faithfully to train "priests for the third millennium." But it wasn't just his words to seminarians -- which were compiled into book form and published by Our Sunday Visitor -- that inspired and motivated them. It was his deeds. He practiced what he preached.

According to several priests who served on staff with Dolan at North American College, and a recently ordained priest who attended the Rome seminary, Dolan exemplified the ideal priest.

Spirituality topped the list.

"Bishop Dolan is a man of deep faith, which first and foremost is probably the single greatest gift he will bring to his new duty," said Msgr. Kevin C. McCoy, who succeeded Dolan as rector. "Virtually daily in the Pontifical North American College you would see Bishop Dolan before evening prayer in front of the chapel praying the rosary."

Great devotion for Mary

"He was always walking around and praying the rosary," agreed Msgr. Bernard Yarrish, pastor of St. Boniface Parish in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who served as vice rector for administration at North American College from 1990 to 1999. "He insisted that that was something very important to preparing young men for the priesthood. He was one devoted to Mary in a very big way."

Dolan brought to North American College "a very practical application of all the church teaches in a way that was so easily understood," said Yarrish. "That was his hallmark in a very real sense. He brought the faith to a very practical dimension. Everyone and anyone could embrace it, understand it and believe it. "

"I think his spirituality was expressed in his devotion to the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament," said Fr. Michael Curran, who just completed four years as academic dean and director of admissions at North American College and is now pastor of St. Catharine of Alexandria Parish in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Homilies pack 'wallop of wisdom'

"His prayerfulness, his devotion to the Eucharist, his insightful homilies, which were always to the point and very down to earth, but packed an awful wallop of wisdom in them, those are the ways that I always recall his own deep faith being expressed," he said.

Under Dolan's leadership, North American College "enjoyed an extremely favorable time in terms of morale, in terms of enrollment," said Curran. "People, especially bishops who would come to visit, would see the operation and like what they see, and therefore they would be encouraged to send a man over there because it was a solid formation program.

"Archbishop Dolan, as the leader of that operation, inspired that kind of confidence. He would be the first to say that others prepared for it; but I don't think anybody would be honest not to say he brought it to a point of great success," added Curran.

Fr. James Shea, who was ordained July 3 for the Diocese of Bismarck, N.D., was under Dolan's tutelage during most of his seminary studies in Rome. He said Dolan took a personal interest in his students' lives.

Administrative skills stood out

"He had a personal care for the students and so he taught all of us a lot about the need for kindness in pastoral ministry, the need for patience with people, and the need for discretion and honor in decision-making," Shea said.

Shea also commended Dolan's administrative skills and his ability to link formation and tradition.

"He had a sense about him where his decisions were always for the good of the seminary community," Shea explained. "He ... could identify a need and then deal with that need attentively and creatively."

Incoming students at North American College quickly learn about the seminary's traditions, old and new, said Shea. One longstanding tradition is the spaghetti bowl held on Thanksgiving. The intramural football game pits the upperclassmen against the freshmen.

"Bishop Dolan had a real love for the seminary and the seminary's traditions," said Shea. "He has a good sense of how that brings people alive, and how that becomes part of the blood of the people. He always promoted that. He'd be out there on the sidelines, usually cheering for the new men, the underdogs."

Dolan revived earthly reminders

Dolan also revived old traditions, said Shea. "It used to be years ago, when a priest would (complete) the seminary and go back to his diocese, (the seminary rector) would ring the bells of the seminary and all would gather to cheer him on. That's one of the things that was renewed under Bishop Dolan. He was great about bringing back those earthly reminders.

"He really left a robust community behind him because he was attentive to the human details, the things that really matter to people. He's really great at that," added Shea.

Each priest said Milwaukee Catholics are getting one of the church's finest leaders.

"I think that he's a man who has always encouraged the seminarians to be good, solid parish priests and to acknowledge that that is what we were all about at the seminary," said Curran. "In that sense he will bring to Milwaukee the heart of a pastor. He'll look at everything as a pastor would. He'll be honest -- he's a man of integrity. I think he'll be respectful of the opinions and insights of others. He'll bring to it a true pastor's heart."

"You've lucked out with this one because I think he is genuine person, a likable, humorous guy," said Yarrish. "He will reveal the humanly dimensions to priesthood and the human dimension of belief in Jesus Christ. He does believe that God is humorous. He is the master of good humor. By indicating the funny side of life, I think he underlines the fact that (humor) is much a part of his belief in God."

Bring on the meatloaf, fish sticks, cigars

Shea said Dolan, who holds a doctorate in American church history, has a deep admiration for the Milwaukee Archdiocese. "He was an instructor ... and one class he taught was called history of the Catholic Church in the United States," said Shea. "He spent all sorts of time going through the history of the Catholic Church in Milwaukee. When I read at his news conference, where he talked about how glad he was going to this historic see, I knew he wasn't just blowing hot air."

McCoy said part of Dolan's legend at North American College was his humorous personality.

"People won't have any trouble coming to know the 'lighter humorous' side of Bishop Dolan," said McCoy. "He'll do that quickly himself. But if you want to really see him smile, serve him a fine meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a good cold beer.

"And if it's a Friday in Lent, just exchange the meatloaf with fish sticks -- he loves 'em," McCoy observed. "And last but not least ... never leave him without a Macanudo cigar!"