Age, Biography, and Wiki
- Birthdate: February 6, 1950
- Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
- Occupation: Archbishop of New York, Cardinal
- Education: Ordained as a priest in 1976, studied at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary and the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan was born into a Catholic family and pursued a career in the priesthood. He rose through the ranks, becoming the Archbishop of Milwaukee before being appointed Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Dolan was elevated to cardinal in 2012.
| Occupation | Presidents |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 6 February 1950 |
| Age | 75 Years |
| Birth Place | St. Louis, Missouri, US |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is no publicly available information on Timothy Dolan's height, weight, or other physical measurements.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
As a member of the clergy, Cardinal Dolan has taken a vow of celibacy, which means he is not married and does not have a romantic partner. In an interview, he expressed a hypothetical desire for marriage and children but emphasized his commitment to his religious vows.
Louis, Missouri, to Robert (1925–1977) and Shirley (née Radcliffe) Dolan (1928–2022). His father was an aircraft engineer, working as a floor supervisor at McDonnell Douglas. Timothy Dolan has two brothers, one of whom, Bob Dolan, is a former radio talk-show host, and two sisters. The family later moved to Ballwin, Missouri, where they attended Holy Infant Parish.
In June 2023, Outreach Catholic, an LGBTQ Catholic advocacy group, held a conference at Fordham University. Francis sent his best wishes to the conference attendees. Prior to the event, Dolan sent a letter to Reverend James Martin, the leader of Outreach, stating: "It is the sacred duty of the Church and Her ministers to reach out to those on the periphery and draw them to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Your vital and important ministry is a valuable and necessary contribution to that effort."
* Isaiah Award for Exemplary Interreligious Leadership, presented on November 2, 2015, by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). It cited Dolan for "his steadfast contribution and ongoing commitment to the relationship between our respective faiths".
| Parents | |
| Husband | |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
Cardinal Timothy Dolan's personal net worth is not publicly disclosed. However, there has been some misunderstanding regarding his financial situation; a 2013 article mistakenly estimated his net worth at nearly $5 billion, which was actually referring to the wealth of a different individual involved in fundraising for the St. Patrick's Cathedral restoration. Cardinals typically do not have personal wealth akin to that level, as their financial resources are tied to the church's assets and operations.
In August 2020 offered the opening prayer for the 2020 Republican National Convention. In February 2023, Dolan announced that the archdiocese was closing 12 schools that had not recovered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 13, 2024, during a visit to Jerusalem, Dolan and his entourage were forced to take cover due to an Iranian missile attack on the city. The attack was a response to an April 1 Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. No one in Dolan's group was injured. Dolan on October 1, 2024, announced that the archdiocese was suing its insurers, Chubb Group, for its alleged failure to pay insurance claims related to the sexual abuse scandal.
In July 2013, documents made public during bankruptcy proceedings for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. They showed that Dolan, then archbishop of Milwaukee, in 2007 had sought permission from the Vatican to shield $57 million in church funds from victims lawsuits. In the letter, Dolan wrote: "By transferring these assets to the trust, I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability." Dolan had previously denied shielding assets from child sex abuse victims claiming compensation, calling the accusations "old and discredited" and "malarkey." The Vatican approved the 2007 request from Dolan five weeks later.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Archbishop of New York: Since 2009, Dolan has led the Archdiocese of New York, overseeing significant projects and initiatives.
- Restoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral: He played a crucial role in raising funds for the cathedral's restoration, working with prominent donors.
- Addressing Clergy Abuse: Dolan has been involved in efforts to address clergy abuse scandals, including a lawsuit against an insurance company for failing to cover abuse-related claims.
In 2009, Dolan defended his silence in 2001 regarding US President George W. Bush's appearance at the University of Notre Dame. Some Catholics had criticized Bush for his support of capital punishment. Many Catholics later condemned him for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Dolan said, "Where President Bush would have taken positions on those two hot-button issues that I'd be uncomfortable with, namely the war and capital punishment, I would have to give him the benefit of the doubt to say that those two issues are open to some discussion and are not intrinsically evil. In the Catholic mindset that would not apply to abortion."
Social Network
Cardinal Dolan is active on social media platforms, such as Twitter, where he engages with followers and shares religious reflections and updates about archdiocesan activities.
On February 23, 2009, Dolan was appointed the tenth archbishop of New York by Benedict XVI. Dolan succeeded Cardinal Edward Egan, who had reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 for prelates in 2007. According to Dolan, Apostolic Nuncio Pietro Sambi notified him by phone of his appointment in New York "nine, ten days" prior to the official announcement. Dolan said that when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of St. Louis and archbishop of Milwaukee, he was told on the phone that John Paul II "would like [him] to" take the posts. In contrast, Sambi told Dolan that "the Pope [Benedict XVI] had appointed [him]" to New York, giving Dolan little choice other than to accept it.
Soon after his arrival in New York, Dolan oversaw two "strategic planning" processes on the utilization of archdiocesan schools and parishes. "Pathways to Excellence," held from 2009 to 2013, examined the elementary schools. "Making All Things New," from 2010 to 2015, examined the parishes. Like in many other American dioceses, Dolan closed dozens of underutilized schools and parishes would close or merge with others in their neighborhoods, due to decades-long trends of shifting populations, increasing expenses, declining attendance, and decreasing clergy.
Within the USCCB, Dolan chairs the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee and sits on the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa. In November 2007, he lost the election for USCCB vice president, being defeated by Bishop Gerald Kicanas by a margin of 22 votes. Dolan was elected on November 16, 2010, to the USCCB presidency, becoming the first New York prelate to hold this post. Dolan replaced Cardinal Francis George, who did not run for re-election. In a vote of 128 to 111, Dolan defeated Kicanas and eight other candidates to win the three-year term. Dolan took office two days later and served as president until November 12, 2013.
In a July 1, 2020, opinion piece for the New York Post, Dolan called for ending the perceived demonization of the New York City Police Department. He said that "the most stinging rebuke [of the murder of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis] comes from ... cops I chat with on the sidewalks of New York". He added that "in a recent meeting with community activists, one black leader reminded us, 'Don't give me this 'get-rid-of-the-cops' rant! You on Madison Avenue or Park Avenue might not need the police. We up in The Bronx sure do!
In 2019, The Washington Post reported that Dolan, along with some other American prelates, had received substantial cash gifts from Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, which he took from investments owned by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Bransfield had resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct and embezzlement, and was later forced by the Vatican to make restitution to his diocese. Dolan never commented on this allegation.
Education
- Pontifical North American College in Rome: Dolan studied theology here as part of his preparation for the priesthood.
- St. Louis Preparatory Seminary: He received his early theological education here before moving to Rome for further studies.
In conclusion, Cardinal Timothy Dolan's career is marked by his leadership in the Catholic Church and his efforts to address significant challenges within the institution. His net worth is not publicly disclosed, and his financial activities are largely tied to the church's operations and charitable initiatives.
Dolan is seen as representing conservative values. He previously served as rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 1994 to 2001, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2001 to 2002, and as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009.
Dolan exhibited a strong interest in the priesthood from an early age, once saying, "I can never remember a time I didn't want to be a priest." He would also pretend to celebrate mass as a child. Dolan entered Saint Louis Preparatory Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri, in 1964. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy degree from Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury. Cardinal John Carberry then sent Dolan to reside at the Pontifical North American College in Rome while studying there. Dolan earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1976 from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
Dolan was ordained a priest at Holy Infant Church on June 19, 1976, for the Archdiocese of St. Louis by Auxiliary Bishop Edward O'Meara. After his 1976 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Dolan as an associate pastor at Curé of Ars Parish in Shrewsbury and Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights. In 1979, the archdiocese sent Dolan to Washington D.C. to begin his doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America under Reverend John Ellis, concentrating on the Catholic history of the United States. Dolan's doctoral thesis centered on Bishop Edwin O'Hara of Kansas City; it was eventually published as a book.
Upon Dolan's return to Missouri in 1983, the archdiocese assigned him to pastoral work in parishes for the next four years. During this time, he collaborated with Archbishop John L. May in reforming the archdiocesan seminary. In 1987, the Vatican appointed Dolan as secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, serving as a liaison with the American dioceses. Dolan left Washington in 1992 after Archbishop John May named him as vice-rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. He also served as spiritual director at the seminary and taught Catholic history. Dolan was also posted as an adjunct professor of theology at St. Louis University in St. Louis.
Dolan returned to Rome in 1994 after the USCCB appointed him as rector of the Pontifical North American College. During his tenure in Rome, he published Priests for the Third Millennium, and taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University and St. Thomas Aquinas. He was granted the title of monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
Dolan served as chair of the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, in which capacity he visited Ethiopia and India, until his election as USCCB president. He remains a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.
On January 5, 2011, Dolan was appointed to the newly created Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. Also in 2011, at the Vatican's request, Dolan led a visitation (investigation) of the Pontifical Irish College, the seminary for Irish seminarians and priests studying in Rome. His 2012 report was highly critical of the college. It said that "a disturbingly significant number of seminarians gave a negative assessment of the atmosphere of the house". The report said that the staff were "critical about any emphasis on Rome, tradition, the magisterium, piety or assertive orthodoxy, while the students are enthusiastic about these features". It also said: "The apostolic visitor noted, and heard from students, an 'anti-ecclesial bias' in theological formation.
Dolan's report recommended that the college make staff changes. As a result, the college reassigned three staff members back to Ireland and a fourth one resigned. The four Irish archbishops (Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin; Archbishop Michael Neary; and Archbishop Dermot Clifford) responded to the report, saying that "a deep prejudice appears to have coloured the visitation and from the outset it led to the hostile tone and content of the report".
On December 29, 2011, Dolan was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications for a five-year renewable term. On April 21, 2011, he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. On January 24, 2012, Dolan went on a religious pilgrimage to Israel and the West Bank, where he met the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal. On November 30, 2013, Pope Francis named Dolan a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Dolan was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Benedict XVI on February 18, 2012. The day before the consistory, Dolan addressed the pope and the College of Cardinals on spreading the faith in a secularized world. He was created Cardinal Priest of the Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario church in Rome. Dolan was the first archbishop of New York since 1946 not to receive the titular church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, as that title was still being held by his predecessor, Cardinal Egan. After Benedict XVI announced his retirement as pope due to ill health, effective February 28, 2013, the press suggested Dolan as a papabile, a possible successor to Benedict.
In July 2020, the progressive National Catholic Report reported that Ignatius Press sent copies of the book The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission, by conservative author George Weigel, to all 222 cardinals. The publishers included a copy of a letter from Dolan, stating: "I am grateful to Ignatius Press for making this important reflection on the future of the Church available to the College of Cardinals." Some cardinals saw this as a violation of the 1996 apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis in which John Paul II "forbid(s) anyone, even if he is a Cardinal, during the Pope's lifetime and without having consulted him, to make plans concerning the election of his successor." Dolan had earlier been critical of the way Francis had organized the 2015 Synod on the Family. Replying to criticism about his book, Weigel stated that it "does not contain a single sentence about a future conclave. No potential candidates are named and no conclave strategy is discussed. The book is a reflection on the future of the Office of Peter in what Pope Francis has called a Church 'permanently in mission'. Period."
* Dolan, Fr. Timothy M. (1992). Some Seed Fell on Good Ground – The Life of Edwin V. O'Hara. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 978-0-8132-0748-3.
* Dolan, Fr. Timothy M. (circa 1993). A Century of Papal Representation in the United States. South Orange, New Jersey: Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology of Seton Hall University..
* Dolan, Monsignor Timothy M. (2000). Priests For The Third Millennium. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 978-0-87973-319-3. (A collection of talks given to the seminarians and priests at the Pontifical North American College, a school in Rome, Italy, for Roman Catholic seminarians and priests.)
