Archbishop William E. Lori observed his 75th birthday May 7 with a celebration with Catholic Center staff in Baltimore.
After being serenaded by a chorus of “Happy Birthday to You,” the archbishop expressed his gratitude to staff for being “extensions of my ministry.”
“Every day, you make a gift of yourself to the Church and to God’s people. And every day, you extend the Gospel to so many people across the archdiocese. I regard that as a gift to me as the archbishop,” he said before sharing cupcakes with those gathered in the Catholic Center’s eighth-floor lunchroom.
He noted that 75 is the “magic age” for bishops of dioceses around the world to submit a letter to the Vatican about their retirement according to canon law, which he did. He said he has not yet received a response from the Holy See.
“I don’t know when I will (receive a response), but I think there are two things I know: Whatever the pope decides, I accept with great serenity. And number two, I’ll work till the very last day, and happily work until the last day.”
There are currently 16 bishops of dioceses in the United States who are age 75 or older, including Cardinal Blaise Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, who is 77. The archbishops of Las Vegas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami; and Santa Fe, N.M.; are also serving in their archdioceses past their 75th birthdays. Cardinal Wilton Gregory of the nearby Archdiocese of Washington retired at age 77 when Cardinal Robert McElroy was appointed archbishop of Washington in January 2025.
Archbishop Lori told his staff at the Catholic Center that he was continuing his work “onward and upward.”
Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org
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