The Archdiocese of New York has announced the death of Edward Cardinal Egan, former Archbishop of New York and 7th Cardinal of the See of New York.
The cardinal was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Medical Center at 2:20 pm; the cause of death was cardiac arrest. He was 82-years-old. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Cardinal Egan was born on April 2, 1932, in Oak Park, IL to to Thomas and Genevieve (née Costello) Egan. His parents' families were from County Mayo and County Clare.
He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on December 15, 1957.
Cardinal Egan was consecrated a bishop in 1985. From 1985 – 1988, Cardinal Egan served as Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Education of the Archdiocese of New York. In 1988 he was appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport by Pope John Paul II and in 2000 he was appointed Archbishop of New York. He was made a cardinal in 2001.
According to his bio on the Archdiocese of New York website, "during Cardinal Egan’s tenure as Archbishop of New York, the number of registered parishioners increased by 204,000, the budget of Catholic Charities more than doubled, enrollment in Catholic elementary and secondary schools grew by 15,400, the Archdiocesan newspaper became the largest in the nation, and the Archdiocese and its various agencies were made debt-free."
In May of 2009, at the age of seventy-seven, Cardinal Egan retired as Archbishop of New York. He resided in Manhattan and assisted in the works of the Archdiocese while serving on a number of offices of the Vatican.
Following the announcement of Cardinal Egan's death, Cardinal Timothy Dolan issued a statement asking parishioners to join him "in thanking God for his life, especially his generous and faithful priesthood."
He extended his sympathy to Cardinal Egan's "natural family, who will grieve for their uncle, and to you, his spiritual family here in the Archdiocese of New York."
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