Milwaukee
Retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland
: “I wish Archbishop Dolan well as he takes on this new and enormous challenge. Together with so many others in this Archdiocese of Milwaukee I will miss his outgoing and forceful presence among us. Personally, I would like to express my gratitude to him for all the kindness he has shown me in these six and a half years. With his extensive knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church in the USA, he understands well the important influence the Archdiocese of New York has played in that history. He will do his best to see that it continues its preeminent role into the future. He and his work remain in our prayers.”

Bishop Richard J. Sklba: “I hear the news of Archbishop Dolan’s appointment to the church in New York with mixed emotions. Certainly my prayers and best wishes go with him as well as my congratulations at this recognition of his pastoral skills and priestly zeal. He faces a daunting task and deserves the support of all of us.

“At the same time I feel a great personal loss for I have come to know and like him greatly. He has become a friend and his outgoing personality proved contagious. Perhaps the best expression of my sentiments can be borrowed from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians: ‘I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be heartened by hearing news of you. For I have no one comparable to him for genuine interest in whatever concerns you’ (2:19f.).

“May God’s grace sustain him as he serves the church in this new phase of his work for the Gospel. I will miss him greatly.”

Bishop William P. Callahan: “All of us, of course, will greatly miss Archbishop Dolan. His deep faith and warm, personal charm will offer a new luster to the church in New York. We here, in southeastern Wisconsin, must remember to effectively live the Gospel message with all the same joy and enthusiasm that Archbishop Dolan offered to us by his tremendous example. The true sense of what he leaves as his legacy is best framed in the living of life, not just thinking about what he did. The true sense of his work among us is living what he taught us to do: Cast out to the deep, be bold in living the mission of Jesus Christ; and never tire in doing the work of Jesus and his church. So, we all move forward as Christ gives us grace to do.”

Wisconsin
Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Diocese of Madison
: “While the State of Wisconsin is losing an excellent pastor, I cannot react to the news of today’s appointment with anything but joy! Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who I’ve been blessed to know for many years — as rector of the North American College, auxiliary bishop of St. Louis, and as my own metropolitan archbishop — is a man dedicated, without question, to the service of Christ and his church.

“While he comes to the Archdiocese of New York equipped with a tremendous understanding of the history of our church and a profound love of the priesthood, Archbishop Dolan is also a man particularly endowed with gifts of charity and zeal, and is truly dedicated to the New Evangelization proclaimed by Pope John Paul the Great.

“Building on the great work already accomplished by the faithful of the Archdiocese of New York, including his most recent predecessors Edward Cardinal Egan and John Cardinal O’Connor, I am certain that Archbishop Dolan will be an outstanding pastor and father, guiding his new flock to ever deeper faith, hope and charity.”

Bishop David Ricken, Diocese of Green Bay: “On behalf of the bishops, priests and faithful of the Diocese of Green Bay I extend to Archbishop Dolan our heartfelt congratulations on his appointment as the new archbishop of New York. He will bring many gifts and talents and his gregarious personality to guide and serve the people of that preeminent and historic diocese. He will be sorely missed in Wisconsin, but a great blessing to New York.”

Bishop Robert Banks, retired bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay: “Archbishop Dolan has a wonderful personality that will fit nicely with the New York scene. He also is well known for his love of the priesthood and his down-to-earth spirituality.”

Bishop Robert Morneu, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay: “Archbishop’s Dolan’s appointment is a loss for Milwaukee and a big gain for New York. He’ll bring to the position a great passion for the church. He has tremendous experience and a spirit of joy and peace.”

Bishop Peter F. Christensen, Diocese of Superior: “On behalf of the Catholic community of northern Wisconsin, I extend our prayers and best wishes to Archbishop Dolan as he prepares to lead the Archdiocese of New York. I am personally grateful for the welcome he extended to me when I became bishop of Superior in 2007, and for his willingness to support and guide my ministry. He has been an excellent and generous mentor to me. His faith is exemplary and will continue to be an inspiration to the Catholic community – locally and universally.

“Archbishop Dolan has the ability to manage many different situations simultaneously. His life gives definition to the term multi-tasking. However, whatever he brings to whatever situation asks him to be present, he enters with profound faith, respect and great wisdom. Milwaukee and the whole state of Wisconsin will miss him.”