Looking Forward to Retirement

Retirement. I look forward to it. For me, unfortunately, it is several decades away. Given the economy, it may very well be a lifetime away.

However, for a few Church leaders in the United States, it is at hand or just a few years away. In New York, things are changing with the transition from Cardinal Edward Egan to Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Within three years, there will be similar transtions in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, Cardinals Roger Mahony (LA), Francis George (Chi) and Justin Rigali (Phil) will all turn 75, the mandatory retirment age for bishops, within three years. While these bishops will be required to submit letters of retirement to the Pope, His Holiness does not have to accept them right away. In fact, Cardinal Egan of New York submitted his request over two years ago and it was not accepted until a few weeks ago. However, it is quite likely that the face of the leadership of the Catholic Church in the United States will be quite different 5 years from now. Look for Archbishop Dolan to be a key figure, as will as Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

Change is good. If we are not changing, we are not living.