TRR photo by Chris Conroy Edward Cardinal Egan accepted a spiritual bouquet (a collection of prayers and flowers) from the students of Saint Peter’s Regional School. Saint Peter’s is the only Catholic school in Sullivan County. (Click for larger image)

God’s own part of the world

By CHRIS CONROY

LIBERTY — Breathing deeply of the country air, Edward Cardinal Egan smiled broadly and told the crowd that Sullivan County was “God’s own country.”

Cardinal Egan came through Liberty on June 7, marking his first visit to Sullivan County as a Cardinal and Archbishop of New York, with a luncheon meeting with local priests and a community vespers service at Saint Peter’s Church.

Standing in front of the nearly packed pews, Cardinal Egan gave his definition of the Archdiocese of New York. “It is 413 communities of faith,” he said, “who gather around the altar to become holy, bring holiness to the world and give glory to God.” Twenty one of those 413 communities are in Sullivan County.

“Everyone without exception is created in the image of God,” Egan told the congregation, “and should be treated as such.”

Egan was elevated to Archbishop on May 11, 2000, and then to Cardinal on February 21, 2001, to fill the vacancy left by the death of John Cardinal O’Connor.

Well known in the media, partly because of his high-profile position and partly for his outspoken nature, Egan shared with the crowd some information on the “not so pleasant” parts of his new job, namely being the one in charge of getting the Archdiocese back on track financially.

During the open question session that followed the vespers service, one young parishioner asked him why he closes down schools. “You can’t spend more than you have,” Egan said.

In order to balance the books, Egan has had to make the difficult request to some Catholic schools in the state to either increase their enrollment or close their doors. “We are going to have to face reality,” he said. “We wish we had scads and scads of money. There are situations where we’re going to have to take criticism for getting things in order.” Luckily, Egan said, some of those schools are doing much better now.

Along similar lines, the Cardinal also put out a call for others to take on the challenge of a life with the church. “We need priests and sisters and brothers,” he said. Even if someone does not feel a calling to join the clergy, Egan encouraged everyone to “witness by example.”

When asked by a community member what could be done to get more children to come to religious instruction, Egan put the task to parents, not educators. “One sentence from a parent,” he said, “is worth a year of catechism.”

Many of society’s current problems, Egan told the crowd, stem from a lack of spirituality in today’s world. Citing weddings as a specific example, he mused, “Sometimes I wonder if the photographer hasn’t become more important [than the sacrament of marriage].”

A short biography of Edward Cardinal Egan can be accessed at the New York Archdiocese web site, www.ny-archdiocese.org/abouttheArchBishop.cfm.