A week after the worst storm in history bashed the east coast of the United States, leaving devastation in New York and New Jersey, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has praised those people affected. The New York Cardinalsaid the horrific storm brought out the best in people.
 
Writing in the New York Daily News newspaper, the Cardinal gave an NYPD officer as example of the sense of community felt throughout the city over the last week.
 
He wrote “It was a couple minutes after midnight, early Tuesday morning, the winds and rain at their peak. “Officer!” I shouted to the police officer on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. There he was under the scaffolding, looking through binoculars at all the surrounding buildings.
 
“Come in for a cup of coffee!” I invited him.
 
“Thanks, Father,” he replied, “but I gotta keep looking in case somebody up there is signaling for help.”
 
That police officer was an icon of this entire community this last week — poised for service, ready to respond.”

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Dolan commended the people of New York who instead of panicking, fending for ourselves and leaving people behind came together and faced the threat in unity, helping each other out.
 
He wrote, “This last week, New York chose option two. Thanks for the great sermon. Thursday, as I was visiting another of the storm shelters, a lady called out to me, “Hey, Cardinal, isn’t today All Saints Day?”
 
“It sure is,” I replied.
 
“Well,” she responded, pointing to the volunteers folding blankets or handing out sandwiches, “There are lots of saints here.” She was right. The selfless service and compassionate care extolled by the Bible were obvious all over the place."
 
The Catholic Church leader also commented on the great sense of loss that the city has felt in the past week. He observed that the city was knocked to its knees only long enough to offer “to whisper a prayer and then stood tall to start helping.”
 
“And once again, we confirmed what’s most important to us — life itself, faith, family, friends and community.”
 
He ended by saying, “At Mass today, I’ll pray for our dead and those grieving; for those who have lost so much; and in thanksgiving for a community that exemplified what is most noble, good, true and beautiful in the human soul; people that showed grace under pressure.
 
"And I won’t preach long, because, this Sunday, the sermon has come from you.”

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