Thousands turn out to bid a final farewell to Cardinal Edward Egan
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A funeral Mass was held Tuesday for 82-year-old Cardinal Edward Egan, who led the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York for nearly a decade.
The afternoon sun broke through the clouds as the majestic procession for Cardinal Egan got underway at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Priests and clergy, bishops and cardinals entered the great cathedral as New York's current archbishop - Timothy Cardinal Dolan - greeted them.
Inside the church, a who's who of dignitaries listened as Cardinal Dolan spoke about his predecessor.
Egan, he said, was a gift from God who worked heroically for parishes, charities, health care and education.
Dolan told the 2,500 people packing the cathedral that Egan "was uncomfortable with eulogies" but Dolan went on to praise him nonetheless. He said Catholics from fellow cardinals to "God's good people" could tell of "consolation given on and after 9/11, prayers offered, sick visited, prisoners encouraged, children taught, immigrants welcomed, and parishes strengthened."
"Now this Church thanks God for him and commends his noble, priestly soul to the everlasting mercy of Jesus," Dolan said.
Egan died Thursday after a heart attack. A Vatican theological force, he led the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York for almost a decade, including on Sept. 11, 2001, when hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Center and more than 2,700 died. In the days and weeks that followed, Egan performed many funerals.
"I remember one particular firefighter's funeral that he presided over that was so moving and so beautiful," former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said. "And then what people didn't know is even when he didn't preside over a funeral, he would often drive out to a parish and just sit there and give a blessing."
Among those taking part in the funeral Mass were Cardinal Egan's family members, who served as lectors, readers and gift bearers.
Priests from Chicago, Bridgeport and New York -- all cities where Cardinal Egan served -- filled the massive church to honor a spiritual leader who served with dignity and great faithfulness.
Always a lover of the arts, Cardinal Egan especially adored the voice of Renee Fleming. And after her stirring rendition of "Ave Maria," the body of New York's 9th archbishop was placed alongside his predecessors in the crypt below the main altar where it will remain for eternity.
Tuesday's music-filled service got off to a noisy start with drummers and bagpipers from New York City's police and fire departments accompanying a funeral procession along the blocked-off streets around the cathedral in midtown Manhattan.
In the packed cathedral, amid construction scaffolding, solemn church music took over as several hundred Catholic clergy, including almost a dozen cardinals and archbishops and about 30 bishops, walked slowly down the center aisle toward Egan's casket, draped in white and gold at the foot of the altar.
In the pews were Gov. Andrew Cuomo and four New York mayors: incumbent Bill De Blasio and former mayors Michael Bloomberg, Rudy Giuliani and David Dinkins.
Outside, police barriers held back crowds. Metal detectors were placed at the cathedral's entrances.
At a viewing attended by thousands Monday and Tuesday, Egan lay in the vast stone cathedral where his rich, booming voice once rang out - his hands folded across his chest, a rosary interlaced in his fingers.
With the title of archbishop emeritus, Egan retired in 2009 after nine years of leading the archdiocese, which serves more than 2.6 million Catholics in about 400 parishes in parts of the city and its northern suburbs.
The cardinal, born in Oak Park, Illinois, was an authority on church law and fluent in Latin - one of just a few experts tapped by Pope John Paul II to help with the herculean job of revising the Code of Canon Law for the global church, while deftly navigating the maze of Vatican politics.
He later oversaw an unpopular, thorny overhaul of New York church finances, eliminating a multimillion-dollar debt.
Scholarship fund: https://www.innercityscholarshipfund.org/donate.cfm
Cathedral restoration: https://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/restore/
