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Cardinal Egan, Former Archbishop Of New York, Dies At 82

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Cardinal Edward Egan, the former Archbishop of New York, died Thursday in Manhattan He was 82.

Cardinal Edward Egan, the former Archbishop of New York, died Thursday in Manhattan. He was 82.

Cardinal Edward Egan, the former Archbishop of New York, died Thursday in Manhattan. He was 82.

Egan was the archbishop of New York, the Roman Catholic spiritual leader of the largest city in the U.S., from 2000 to 2009. He served as bishop and head of the Diocese of Bridgeport in Connecticut from 1988 to 2000.

Egan was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Medical Center at 2:20 p.m. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to a release from the Archdiocese of New York. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Born on April 2, 1932, in Oak Park, Ill., Egan was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on Dec. 15, 1957. 

From 1985 to 1988, 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. 

In 2000, he was appointed Archbishop of New York and made a cardinal in 2001. He retired in 2009.

"I am saddened to tell you that our beloved Cardinal Edward Egan, the Archbishop of New York from 2000-2009, has gone home to the Lord," Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a statement. Egan died after lunch, "with the prayers and  sacraments of his loyal priest secretary, Father Douglas Crawford, in his residence at the Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary." 

Dolan thanked "God for his life, especially his generous and faithful priesthood."

He expressed his sympathy to Egan's "natural family, who will grieve for their uncle," and to the faithful, "his spiritual family here in the Archdiocese of New York."

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said he was proud to call Egan a friend.

"I will forever be grateful to him for hiring me to run the Catholic Channel on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio and for giving me the honor of co-hosting a weekly show with him," Astorino said in a statement. "One of my most cherished photos sits in my office and it's one of Cardinal Egan, Pope Benedict XVI and me.  He was a good and Holy man and I will miss him dearly." 

On Nov. 8, 1988, Pope John Paul II appointed Egan to be the third bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. He was installed on Dec. 14, 1988.

 

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