In a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the New York Catholic community said goodbye to its archbishop emeritus, Edward Cardinal Egan, on March, 10, 2015. Egan passed away due to a heart attack on March 5 at the age of 82. Appointed to the position in the year 2000, he was the predecessor to the current archbishop, Timothy Cardinal Dolan. An educator, theologian and canon lawyer, Egan was less outspoken – at least in the media – than Cardinal Dolan is, but he made difficult decisions for an archdiocese plagued with sexual abuse scandals, unpaid bills and empty pews. Egan served the archdiocese of New York during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and through the budget difficulties that have led to church closures all throughout the city. In 2009, he became the first Archbishop of New York to retire in over 200 years.

Cardinal Egan was also a great friend of Fordham. Egan celebrated Mass on both of Fordham’s campuses, rededicated the Rose Hill University Church after it went through renovations in 2004, and, most recently, blessed the space of the new Fordham Law School building. “He was passionate about education, and about improving the lives of the most disadvantaged New Yorkers,” Rev. Joseph McShane S.J., president of Fordham, said in an official statement. “He was a good friend to the Society of Jesus, and held a special place in his heart for Fordham. He combined great expertise with great humility, and he was one of the kindest men I’ve ever known.”