Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current archbishop of New York, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Dolan served as the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2010 to 2013 and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2012. The National Catholic Reporter says that Dolan represents conservative values and has a charismatic media personality. He previously served as rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 1994 to 2001, an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis from 2001 to 2002, and archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009. Biography Early life The eldest of five children, Timothy Dolan was born on February 6, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Robert (1925-1977) and Shirley (née Radcliffe) Dolan (1928-2022) . His father was an aircraft engineer, working as a floor supervisor at McDonnell Douglas. He has two brothers, one of whom, Bob, is a former radio talk-show host, and two sisters. The family later moved to Ballwin, Missouri, where they attended Holy Infant Roman Catholic Parish. Dolan exhibited a strong interest in the Roman Catholic priesthood from an early age, once saying, "I can never remember a time I didn't want to be a priest." He would also pretend to celebrate mass as a child. Dolan entered Saint Louis Preparatory Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri, in 1964. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury, Missouri. He was sent by Cardinal John Carberry to attend the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Dolan earned the degree of Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1976 from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Priesthood Dolan was ordained a priest on June 19, 1976, for the Archdiocese of St. Louis by Auxiliary Bishop Edward O'Meara, . Dolan then served as an associate pastor at Curé of Ars in Shrewsbury and Immacolata Roman Catholic Parish in Richmond Heights until 1979. From there he began his doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. under Reverend John Ellis, with a concentration on the history of the church in America. Dolan's thesis centered on Bishop Edwin O'Hara of Kansas City, and was eventually published in book form. Upon Dolan's return to Missouri, he performed pastoral work from 1983 to 1987. During this time he collaborated