Pope Names Former St. Louis Bishop as Cardinal - Patch.com

A St. Louis native who served the Catholic archdiocese as its auxiliary bishop in 2001 has been named one of the church's newest cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI on Friday.

Timothy M. Dolan, was born in St. Louis, attended church as a youth at Ballwin's Holy Infant Roman Catholic Church and "began his high school seminary education at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South in Shrewsbury,"according to the New York archdiocese website. He has been the archbishop of New York since February 2009.

The Vatican named Dolan to the College of Cardinals on Friday, according to the New York Times. According to the newspaper's website, Dolan was one of 22 newly named cardinals and "eighteen of them, including Archbishop Dolan, are under the age of 80...and are therefore eligible to participate in the secret conclave to elect a new pope after Benedict dies."

His cousin-in-law, the Reverend Pamela Dolan, is rector at Town and Country's Church of the Good Shepherd. Dolan tells Patch she learned of the news Friday morning while watching NBC's TODAY Show.

"In a way, I was thinking we've all been expecting it. I think it was inevitable, with him being arch bishop of New York and being such a talented leader, but we weren't expecting it today," Dolan said. "My husband and I, we were both just excited and delighted for him, delighted for the church. I think everyone in St. Louis is excited. He's a hometown boy."

Dolan said the appointment also added some fun to a running joke in the Dolan family, a family of St. Louis Cardinals fans.

"It was funny that on the TODAY Show they gave him a Cardinals pennant. We've always joked in the family that we'd love to have a baseball player Cardinal, but we're getting the other kind instead, so it's really neat," Dolan said. "We have a lot of wanna-be ball players. Lots of Cardinals fans. It's a very St. Louis family that I've married into."

Pastor Dolan, who just became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd on Dec. 5, said she has been swamped with her new position and has not had a chance to speak other family members yet. She also has not had a chance to speak with Timothy Dolan Friday, but sees him about once and year.

"He's been really wonderful about keeping in touch with the family. We've have some deaths in the family recently and he came out and held our hands and has been a very string presence," Dolan explained.

Timothy Dolan will be 62 on Feb. 6.

Dolan was one of two American clerics named cardinal, according to the Times. The pope also elevated Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, who was archbishop of Baltimore until August 2011, and now serves at the Vatican as the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

A CNBC report online lists the 22 clerics named cardinal on Friday. They will officially be elevated and receive the red cap of the cardinal on Feb. 18.

According to the New York archdiocese website: "(Dolan) had served as Archbishop of Milwaukee since he was named by Pope John Paul II on June 25, 2002. He was installed as Milwaukee's 10th archbishop on August 28, 2002, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, papal nuncio to the United States, installed Archbishop Dolan."

After his ordination in 1976, Dolan was an associate pastor at the Church of the Immacolata in Richmond Heights until 1979.

In 1992, he was appointed vice rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury, where he also served as director of spiritual formation and professor of church history.