Serious yet sociable, scholarly yet jolly, natural leader arrives

St. Louis - When Timothy Michael Dolan knew that he would be returning from Rome, where he had served as rector of the Pontifical North American College for seven years, he remarked that he would like to spend some time as a parish priest.

It made perfect sense that he would set such a seemingly humble goal for himself, this man who still roots for his beloved St. Louis Cardinals, displays a lively wit, and so enjoys the pleasures of a good meal that some describe his appearance as "jolly."

But those who knew Dolan well considered the advanced degree he had earned in Rome, the five years he had spent in Washington at the Apostolic Nunciature helping the Vatican ambassador to the United States and the appointment he was finishing at the college in Rome.

"I thought to myself, 'Not much chance of that,' " said Monsignor John Maguire, the St. Louis Archdiocese's vicar for administration, who has known the incoming archbishop of Milwaukee for 30 years.

"He had such a rich background and spent so much time in Rome, and everyone who knew him knew he was so talented, we just knew he'd be needed as a bishop rather than a pastor. I don't think anybody who knew him had any doubt that he would not only be a bishop but a major archbishop like he's going to be."

Maguire was right in predicting that the tall, gregarious Dolan would not come home to be a parish priest. On June 19, 2001, the 25th anniversary of Dolan's ordination to the priesthood, Pope John Paul II named Dolan auxiliary bishop of St. Louis.

And even then, word was that the Missouri native would not be in St. Louis for long.

"Ever since he came here, we'd heard the archdiocese was guaranteed he'd be here about nine months," Maguire said. "We envy Milwaukee because we know that he's an extremely able man and a loyal church man."

There is a dichotomy to Dolan. Here is a serious man who doesn't take himself too seriously, who can joke and laugh at himself and put people at ease.

In May, Dolan returned to his old church, Little Flower Parish, just east of St. Louis, for a confirmation ceremony. At the reception afterward, he posed for photographs with the children.

"Bishops wear these skullcaps. When he'd take a picture with a kid he would take the skullcap off and put it on the kid's head," said Father James J. Benz, pastor at Church of the Little Flower. "He got a big kick out of that himself."

Dolan, 52, the oldest of five children, grew up in an Irish Catholic family in Ballwin, Mo., a small town about a half-hour's drive west of St. Louis. They were one of the first families to move into the first subdivision in what was then a rural area, and the Catholic parish there opened the year they arrived, the bishop recalled.

His brother, Bob Dolan, 44, of Brookfield, Wis., described their home as very modest, with three bedrooms. The three boys were in one room, the two girls in another. All but Bob - and now Tim - still live in the St. Louis area.

"We all attended Holy Infant Parish," said Bob Dolan, the co-host of WISN-AM's morning radio show, where the new archbishop will make a guest appearance this morning. "Their big fund-raiser every year was St. Patrick's Day because our nuns were directly from Ireland and they spoke with a thick brogue and you could hardly understand them at times."

The Dolans' father, an engineer at McDonnell Douglas aircraft corporation, died of a heart attack 26 years ago at the age of 50. At the time, Timothy Dolan had been ordained a priest for 10 months.

The bishop said his father was a big influence on his life. So were his two grandmothers, "women of very simple and deep faith. Hardworking."

His mother, Shirley, lives in Washington, Mo., where his two married sisters live, about an hour from St. Louis.

"Literally, he always knew he was going to be a priest," recalled Bob Dolan, the third-oldest in the family. "So at times, I'd be doing the things that most kids are doing outside, you know, kicking the soccer ball. And he'd be inside either reading or studying or, believe it or not, practicing Mass. He would literally practice Mass when he was 10 years old. He'd call the family together and have a fake Mass. It was quite the sight."

All that practice must have paid off, according to George Weigel, a Washington theologian and papal biographer. He called Dolan "a priest's priest," charming and gregarious, with an infectious enthusiasm for his faith, a man who is as bright as he is funny.

"He's the only person I know who can make me laugh at the breakfast table," said Weigel, who has known Dolan for more than 20 years. "But don't forget, this man is also a scholar on the history of the church."

Dolan is what other priests can look to as a role model, said Weigel. "He radiates Christian faith, hope and love."

Benz said the move to Milwaukee should be smooth. "St. Louis and Milwaukee are very similar - both Midwestern cities, large German backgrounds. Neither of us is Chicago. We're not New York or Philadelphia."

Benz said the city, like Milwaukee, has a long tradition of Catholic schools. "St. Louis is known for the question: Where did you go to high school?"

Frank Malloy, pastor at St. Luke's in Brookfield, where Dolan's brother Bob is a parishioner, said Dolan is "just what we need in Milwaukee right now - a very outgoing personality, someone who loves being a priest and loves being bishop."

Malloy recalled that Dolan came to St. Luke's for Christmas and recently attended his niece's graduation from St. Luke's grade school.

"He was wonderful, reaching out to all these kids," Malloy said. It was at a barbecue at Bob Dolan's house that Malloy saw a side of the new archbishop that warmed his heart.

"He was going through the buffet line helping the kids with their food," Malloy said. "I get the feeling that this is a guy who would rather be out of the office than in the office. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw him at Summerfest."

Dolan may not have played sports often as a child, but he's a fan. He roots for the St. Louis Cardinals, but now said he's faced with a dilemma because the Cards and the Milwaukee Brewers began a series Tuesday night in St. Louis. He wasn't sure what he'd do on Tuesday afternoon.

"I have always followed the Brewers, but even more, as a kid growing up, my favorite team second to the Cardinals were the Milwaukee Braves. The first guy I ever saw hit a home run was Eddie Mathews. Bob, remember that? The first home run I ever saw at Busch Stadium was hit by Eddie Mathews."

Bob Dolan's daughter, Erin, 15, who will be a junior this fall at Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha, called him "one of the funniest people you'll probably ever meet."

"When he and my dad are together, we don't even talk, we just sit there and laugh."

Have the archbishop-elect's relationships with the family changed over the years?

"I don't think so, because Tim has always been incredibly supportive of our family, of our marriage," said Beth Dolan, the development director at Catholic Memorial. "He is always a friend, always a brother to all of us. He is an incredible uncle. He is so loving. He has 11 nieces, and he would do anything for anyone.

"He's very funny. His sense of humor is just so joyful. I think all the Dolans are very witty. When Bob and Tim are together - Erin's right - you just sit back and laugh. You just enjoy the ride, because they have such a rapport with each other that they finish each other's sentences."

Meg Kissinger, Marie Rohde and Tom Heinen of the Journal Sentinel staff, reporting from Milwaukee, contributed to this report.

Ordained: June 19, 1976, by Edward T. O'Meara, then auxiliary bishop of St. Louis.

Education: St. Louis Preparatory Seminary in Shrewsbury, Mo.; bachelor's degree, Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury; master's degrees, Pontifical

University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.; doctorate, Catholic University.

From 1987 to 1992, he was secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C.

We think he's Catholic. He seems interested in building up the Catholic Church. That should be a refreshing change in what we have seen.

- Al Szews, Weakland critic and Milwaukee chapter president of Catholics United for the Faith

- Terry Ryan, member of Voices of the Faithful, on how liberals would accept Dolan

I think he can give us some balance that has been lost over these last few months.

he would do anything for anyone.

What a veritable blessing for that diocese!! After the scandals they have endured - the wreckovation of the cathedral and Weakland's confession - they deserve nothing less! Let's keep the entire Dolan family in our prayers and celebrate along with them on this tremendous blessing from God and the Holy Father.

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