OCTOBER 21, 2007

The phone call came at 5:31 AM. The words that greeted me were "It's Dan!" I groggily replied that it didn't sound like Dan. (There is only one Dan that would call me on my cell phone that early in the morning. He had done it on two other occasions, which I will refer to later.) The response was "No, I'm Rocco. It's Dan who has just been named a cardinal in Rome!"

Rocco Palmo is a blogger who is known throughout the English speaking world as a premier Vatican watcher, even though he is still shy of his 25th birthday. His intel on things Catholic is internationally sought and respected. We have been correspondents for a number of years. He was calling to inform me that Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, who started his clerical life as a fellow seminarian to me 44 years ago here in Pittsburgh at the Bishop's Latin School (a high school seminary that no longer exists) had just been made a Prince of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI at the Wednesday audience in Rome.

This was rather earth-shaking, in that he is the first cardinal to be named in the American South, is not yet 60 years old, and had only been an archbishop for less than two years. Every one had expected Archbishop Wuerl of Washington D.C. to be named, since he is shepherd of the nation's capitol and that post has always had a cardinal for the past 40 years. The only other American to be named was a Philadelphian, Archbishop Foley, who has been serving in the Vatican for almost a quarter of a century. Now, Dan is one of only 120 cardinal-electors of the Catholic Church - those who vote on a new pope when one is needed, and from whose ranks popes normally come.

My next call, four minutes later, started with the same words: "It's Dan." But this time it was in fact the man himself. Twice before, when he was named bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, then later transferred to become coadjutor bishop of Galveston-Houston, he called at an early hour to inform me. When he was named an archbishop at the raising of his diocese to metropolitan status, he also told me the news equally early. But on that occasion it was over our first cup of coffee in the morning prior to celebrating Mass at the Church at St. Mary's here at St. John of God Parish.

That's right - our own parishioners are well acquainted with this brilliant, but self-effacing servant of God and His people because he frequently stays at our rectory; and when he does, he delights in celebrating daily Mass. In fact, many more of our people may remember less than two months ago when we were short a priest, that he took both the anticipated Mass for the Assumption Holy Day at the Chapel at Mother of Sorrows. (After which he strolled the grounds of our festival, eating, drinking, and spending his money while meeting and greeting the people.) He also celebrated the Saturday evening Mass at the Church of St. Mary so that I didn't have to try to rush back from St. Catherine's to do it. He loves to stay here. His parents are deceased - more the pity now that he has been so honored in testimony to their upbringing. He treats this as his Pittsburgh home because while here he is once again merely “Fr. Dan” – a Pastor, which is the only ambition he has ever had in life, though the Church has consistently seen fit to assign him other tasks.

Just one story to prove the last point: every time he stays here, he tries to give me money to pay for his expenses, which I of course refuse. Invariably, he leaves behind a check made out to the Parish, but specified for the Parish Share Program. Only a real pastor knows that doing it that way saves the 17.6 % diocesan tax and is therefore doubly appreciated.