Cardinal Dolan on “God’s Work of Art”

“A year-or-so-ago, on Pentecost Sunday, appropriately, I had one of those rare-but-dramatic moments of divine illumination.

“I had just finished celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation for about two-dozen of our special needs children.

“None other than the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, had attended that 10:15 Mass at St. Patrick’s that morning, and was very moved by the ceremony.  She graciously asked to meet each of the children and their beaming families.

“As I began the introductions, I bought her to our first child.  ‘Madam President’ I began, ‘this is a wonderful Down Syndrome young man.’

“The proud parents, with all the courtesy and respect possible, wisely and properly corrected me.  ‘Oh, no, Archbishop Dolan and Madam President!  This is Mark, who happens to have Down Syndrome.’

“That was a moment of inspiration for me!  I am eternally grateful to those parents.”

In a recent entry in his blog (The Gospel in the Digital Age),Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, reflected on how each of us has an inherent identity, a dignity, from God and how who we are is infinitely more important than what we have or do.

To access Cardinal Dolan’s post, please visit:

The Gospel in the Digital Age: God’s Work of Art (29 AUG 12)