Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien, the man who will replace Cardinal William H. Keeler as leader of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, described learning of his appointment as an unexpected "thunderbolt." For many Marylanders, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, the notion that the influential Cardinal Keeler will be retiring from the nation's original diocese came as something of a shock as well.
There is no shortage of affection for the courtly, energetic and intelligent man who has led the archdiocese for 18 years. From the recent $32 million restoration of the historic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the creation of the new Our Daily Bread soup kitchen and employment center downtown, the 76-year-old cardinal's legacy is far more than mere bricks and mortar.
An advocate for forging better relations between Catholics and other faith communities, Cardinal Keeler will long be admired for speaking out on interfaith matters. He will also be remembered for leading the archdiocese through what he has acknowledged was the most difficult time of his tenure, the revelations of child abuse by priests in Baltimore and elsewhere, a scandalous and still-frustrating episode for church leadership.
Archbishop O'Brien arrives with an impressive r?sum? of his own. His extensive work in the military - and in education - might prove a useful background in dealing with the challenges that confront Baltimore and the church. The declining enrollment at some Catholic schools, a drop in church attendance, the difficulty in recruiting new priests and the struggles of urban parishes in general are well documented.
But these issues are unlikely to overwhelm a clergyman who has spent a decade ministering to the needs of the armed forces around the globe. Even as he embraced his new job at a news conference last week, the 68-year-old Bronx native expressed some disappointment at leaving so many dedicated service men and women behind.
Just as any parish welcomes a new priest with mixed feelings, there was excitement but also regret in Baltimore's Catholic community this past week. It will be "hard to measure up" to Cardinal Keeler's tenure, Archbishop O'Brien observed. No doubt that is true, but the new leader of the Baltimore archdiocese appears ready to try, and we wish him great success.