Archbishop Henning to Newsmax: Dolan a 'Tremendous Model' of Faith

Boston Archbishop Richard Henning on Saturday reflected on Cardinal Timothy Dolan's legacy, calling the retired archbishop of New York a "tremendous model" of leadership and faith and offering simple advice on Newsmax's "America Right Now" for his successor, Bishop Ronald Hicks, as he steps onto one of the church's biggest stages.

"I love Cardinal Dolan. I always have," Henning said on Newsmax, noting that during his time as an auxiliary bishop in New York, Dolan was not only a public face for the church but also a steady, personal support.

"I have always been uplifted by his own personal example of deep and abiding and humble faith," he said.

Henning said Dolan combined spiritual grounding with a rare ability to communicate the Catholic message in a way ordinary people could hear and receive.

"He has tremendous skills for communicating the beauty and the truth of the gospel, and he has put those skills at the service of the church's mission in New York and beyond," Henning said.

"I can't say anything other than thank you to him for the grace of his witness."

Turning to Hicks, Henning acknowledged the size of the assignment and the reality of leading a high-profile archdiocese with enormous influence.

"I certainly understand that the task ahead of him is daunting," he said.

But Henning said his early impression of Hicks was a good one. He recalled meeting him in 2018 in Rome in what bishops informally call "Baby Bishop School," and said Hicks stood out for his interior life and approach to ministry.

"I was deeply struck by his humility, by the prayerfulness and authenticity of his priestly life, by the fact that he has a missionary heart," Henning said, calling him "a fine choice for the Archdiocese of New York."

As for advice, Henning kept it direct: "Just be who you are, a priest of Jesus Christ, live that to the full. And that's what the people hope for and long for."

After discussing the changing of the guard in New York, Henning turned to the season now reaching its peak, with Christmas just days away.

With shopping, food, and packed schedules competing for attention, he urged Christians to refocus on what he called "the heart of the season," welcoming Jesus "into our hearts and into our homes."

Henning suggested a surprisingly practical spiritual step: slow down long enough to actually listen to what familiar Christmas music is saying.

"Take advantage of the beauty of the carols that are used in Advent and Christmas season," he said, calling them "rich with the language of the scriptures and of the church's faith."

He recommended pulling up the lyrics and reflecting on them intentionally, rather than letting the songs fade into background noise.

For parents trying to keep Christmas from becoming a purely material celebration, Henning pointed first to the adults' own example.

"Your children observe everything you do," he said. "So I think the quality of your own faith, your trust in the Lord, your openness to God's word, that's sort of where it begins."

From there, he encouraged families to use the nativity scene as more than decoration, walking children through the figures and what they represent. "It's not just an ornament," he said. "It's a way to explain the story of the birth of Christ."

Henning also addressed why the Christmas story still matters in a culture he described as increasingly secular. He pointed to what he sees as a deep hunger beneath modern life: "a tremendous sense of loneliness, of disconnection."

One of Christmas' central messages, he said, is that people are not alone.

"The Lord loves us, and the Lord comes to us," Henning said, describing the child in the manger as God drawing near, not as an emperor, but in vulnerable human form.

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