Today, 17 October 2007, the great Republic of Texas has received her very first cardinal. His Excellency Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, age 58, was named by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI as among the 23 upcoming recipients for the red hat at the next consistory on the 24th of November. Archbishop DiNardo was originally a priest from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upon the announcement, His Excellency stated: “I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his kindness in appointing me and for his trust in allowing me to be placed in the College of Cardinals. May I immediately add that it is also very humbling and surprising! I promise him my fullest communion, loyalty and obedience.”

The blog Way of the Fathers writes:

He earned his license in patristics at the Pontifical University Augustinianum in Rome. I know no other preacher who produces quotations from the Fathers so readily, from memory. (Back in the day when he was a pastor, I saw him do this at baptisms, funerals, ordinary Sunday Masses, and gatherings of Catholic school teachers.) He is, as you can probably guess, a Pittsburgh priest.

There was another interesting comment about him left on the same page, by a Vincent Uher:

He is my Archbishop as well, and there is nothing more thrilling than one of his sermons where he quotes the Gospel in Greek and then translates on the spot while connecting the teaching of the Fathers to us today. In short, he is a genius and a tremendous pastor. I recall the first time I heard him preach I realised I was in the presence of an Apostle.

Here, I'll also leave a link to Fr. Z's analysis of Archbishop DiNardo's statement in response to the Pope's motu proprio, which were very positive.

Here also is the Archbishop's latest statement on the pro-life movement. No minced words there. Ladies and gentlemen, behold: a bishop with a backbone. Deo gratias for that. I'm excited now.