"America's Parish" welcomed Archbishop Timothy Dolan with expectations and excitement.
Even before Mass began, a visibly choked up Kathy Guarino from New Hyde Park Long Island said, "I'm already touched."
Then Archbishop Dolan said, "Welcome to Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral."
He said those words for the first time before a standing room only crowd, later describing the experience as, "exhilarating but not intimidating."
Several people in the crowd were from Milwaukee, where Dolan worked for the past six and a half years.
Staci Jenson said, "You guys haven't seen anything yet," referring to Dolan's sense of humor. She went on to wonder how he might fair in the midst of big city politics.
Maripat Blankenhein described the Archbishop as the "greatest PR asset for Catholicism," and said he is "our loss and New York's gain."
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As for the Mass itself, the homily focused on faith and mercy.
