Retiring NY archbishop celebrates last Easter Mass

NEW YORK - In spite of a recent health scare, Cardinal Edward Egan has celebrated his final Easter Mass as the archbishop of New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The 77-year-old Egan made his last appearance as archbishop at Sunday's services at the historic Fifth Avenue church in Manhattan.

After spending Palm Sunday in a hospital with what he described as a severe gastrointestinal virus, he said that to miss Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter would be "a heavy cross to bear."

Egan is retiring leading the New York Archdiocese for nine years. The archdiocese serves 2.5 million Roman Catholics in parts of New York City and the northern suburbs.

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan is to be installed as Egan's successor on Wednesday.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)