Cardinal Edward M. Egan, Retired NYC Archbishop, Dies

CBS News
March 5, 2015

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cardinal-edward-m-egan-leader-of-new-york-archdiocese-dies-of-cardiac-arrest/

Retired New York archbishop Cardinal Edward Egan died Thursday of cardiac arrest, archdiocese officials said. He was 82.

Egan was pronounced dead at 2:20 p.m. NYU Langone Medical Center, according to an archdiocese statement.

Born in Oak Park, Ill., Egan was ordained a priest in 1957 in the Archdiocese of Chicago. In 1985, he was consecrated as a bishop and served as Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Education of the New York archdiocese.

In 1988, he became bishop of the diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., named by Pope John Paul II, but returned to New York to serve as archbishop in 2000 as successor to the late Cardinal John O'Connor. He was named cardinal in 2001.

Egan was archbishop during the Sept. 11 terror attacks during which he anointed the dead at a lower Manhattan hospital and presided over many funerals for victims.

According to an archdiocese biography, during Egan's tenure, the number of parishioners in New York increased by 204,000, the budget of Catholic Charities doubled, and enrollment in Catholic elementary and secondary schools grew by more than 15,000. The Archdiocese of New York and its agencies also became debt-free.

Egan was a scholar of church law and spoke Latin fluently. Throughout most of his career, Egan held positions between the United States and the Vatican, and several popes entrusted him with the massive job of reviewing a revised canon law code for the global church.

In 2009, at age 77, Egan retired as archbishop in New York, but continued to work with the archdiocese as well as serving in a number of offices in the Vatican.

Egan's successor, Cardinal Timothy Dolan released a statement expressing grief at Egan's passing:

"Thank God he had a peaceful death, passing away right after lunch today, with the prayers and sacraments of his loyal priest secretary," Dolan said. "My sympathy to his natural family, who will grieve for their uncle, and to you, his spiritual family here in the Archdiocese of New York."

Funeral arrangements are pending.