In what was perhaps his final visit to the parish as Archbishop, His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan celebrated with the faithful at St. Columbanus Church in Cortlandt Manor as they rejoice their anniversary of seventy-five years as a parish.

"This is what I enjoy most, being with you, God's people," he told the crowd.

After reaching the mandatory retirement age of seventy-five for bishops and archbishops, Dolan's sixteen year tenure as Archbishop of New York will officially end in February, when he is succeed by Bishop Ronald Hicks, who has led the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois since 2020.

It's a time of reflection and prayer, honoring the Christian season of preparation and anticipation for Christmas.

But for some, there are still feelings of sadness in the wake of Dolan's recent retirement announcement.

"We're very happy to have him here, because we knew he was retiring, so we're very grateful that he was able to be with us today," said church member Gina Forgione.

Parishoner Eileen Lepore agreed, adding, "With his recent acknowledgement that he is retiring, we still have the privilege of him being here."

When asked about his plans for the future, Cardinal Dolan said, "My successor, who's a winner, Archbishop-designate Hicks, he said 'You're staying in New York aren't you?' I said, 'if you'll have me,' he said I'm going to put you to work. That's not to say that I wouldn't travel more, spend time with family, but in general I'll be around and you'll see more of me."

Archbishop-designate Hicks will be installed in his new role on February 6th.