By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, March 06, 2026

Rev. A.R. Bernard, founder of the Christian Cultural Center megachurch in Brooklyn, and former Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan have both been sworn in as co-chief chaplains of the New York Police Department’s Chaplain’s Unit.

At an installation ceremony at One Police Plaza in Manhattan on Wednesday, attended by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, both men, who recently stepped out of their roles leading large Christian groups, thanked Tisch for the opportunity to continue to serve the city.

“Thank you, Commissioner Tisch, for your vision and your trust. She called us two righteous men. Fortunately, that word does not mean perfect. It means that we've stood the test of time and temptation to compromise our values to live other than the high standard and calling that have been placed upon us,” said Bernard, who handed over his senior pastor duties to his son, Jamaal Bernard, last September

“Congratulations to my dear friend for more than 15 years, Cardinal Dolan, for his appointment as co-chief. I don't know if co-chief represents two halves or two wholes, but we will seek to be the better for each other and for this call,” he added.

“To serve the New York City Police Department is more than an honor. I consider it a calling. The men and women of this department carry extraordinary weight, moral, emotional, and often spiritual. They bear that weight quietly and at good and great personal cost. I believe that spiritual health and moral clarity are not luxuries for policing. They are necessities.”

The Chaplains Unit, which was formed in 1906, supports the spiritual well-being of the NYPD’s more than 50,000 uniformed and civilian members. It has 12 chaplains from various faiths who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, who “respond directly to serious incidents involving members of the service.”

Dolan, who retired in February and was succeeded by Archbishop Ronald Hicks, said he counted the new appointment as a blessing.

“Since the welcome arrival, a month ago of my successor, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, as you might imagine, I've been frequently thanking the Lord for the abundant blessings he gave me during my 17 happy years here as archbishop. And you know what? This morning's ceremony sure ranks high up among them and gives me a lot of hope that His graces will continue,” Dolan said.

“Is it not providential that this ceremony would occur during Lent as we Christians prepare to commemorate the dying of Jesus for us on His cross and His resurrection from the dead at Easter; during Ramadan as our Islamic neighbors fast and pray so as to enhance fullness of life and Allah; as our Jewish friends in just weeks will gather for Passover to reverently recall God's deliverance from evil and death in Egypt to freedom and life in the promised land. Is it not providential?” he asked.

“Life and death, good and evil, light and darkness. All those three feasts center on those opposites. As do you, courageous women and men, I am now summoned and sworn to serve as a chaplain in the NYPD. For you, dear colleagues, see both daily. You see life and death. You see good and evil. You see light and darkness. Boy, you do it so well,” Dolan explained.

“And my duty will be to affirm the life, the goodness, and light while also standing next to you as you witness and do your best to stop the death, the evil, and darkness, reminding you that the God in whom we trust is there in both.”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/ar-bernard-ex-cardinal-timothy-dolan-sworn-in-as-nypd-chaplains.html