Mourners Flood St. Patrick’s for Cardinal Egan Viewing

Mourners are visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a public viewing of Cardinal Edward Egan’s body in advance of tomorrow’s funeral.

 

Cardinal Egan served as the Archbishop of New York from 2000 to 2009. He died on Thursday at age 82. He has been credited with leading the city's Catholics through the September 11th terror attacks. 

 

Before that, he served the Diocese of Bridgeport. Ken MacCallum of Wilton, Connecticut met Egan on a number of occasions then. Today he came to Manhattan to pay his respects.

 

"He will be sorely missed,” MacCallum said. “He's an old-school, wonderful, literally and figuratively larger than life personality, and just a wonderful, wonderful man."

 

MacCallum converted to Catholicism late in life and was confirmed by the late Cardinal.

 

Gene Hickey of Wappingers Falls also came to pay his respects. He remembered when Egan came to rededicate his parish church after it underwent renovations.

 

“He’s just a wonderful inspiration,” Hickey said. “[Egan] was going on about how beautiful the church was, and the amount of work that the craftsman brought back to it after so many years, restored it better than it ever was, such as they're doing right now at the Cathedral."

 

Much of the forward half of the Cathedral’s interior was wrapped in scaffolding as it undergoes renovations. It did not interfere with the viewing, as well-wishers lined up in the center aisle for a turn to see the late Cardinal’s body. The body was flanked by a member of the NYPD and the FDNY, as well as members of the Catholic organizations.

 

TV screens around St. Patricks’ showed a picture of Egan while many visitors prayed or lit candles. 

 

Visitation continues until 9:00, with a Vigil Mass at 6:00. Public visitation continues Tuesday from 7:00 to 11:00AM. The funeral procession starts at 1:30 with Mass set to begin at 2:00. Egan will be interred beneath the Cathedral after the mass.