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Archbishop Timothy Dolan was met with hearty applause Monday from the future priests of the New York Archdiocese.

"It's just been overwhelming. It's been a great gift," said Dolan.

For his last visit on his whirlwind first day as the leader of the New York Archdiocese, he went to St. Joseph's Seminary to take part in the evening prayer.

One of Dolan's biggest challenges going forward is recruiting men to join the priesthood.

Priests in New York and around the world are getting older. In New York, the average age is over 60. In recent years, the number of priests ordained each year in the New York Archdiocese has been in the single digits. Back in the 1950s, more than 30 were ordained each year.

"There is a great line in the scripture, where St. Peter says 'always be ready to explain to people your hope', and when they see us as people of hope and joy, you can attract people to the priesthood and the faith so it's going to be a major goal," said Dolan.

Dolan said President Barack Obama called him to offer his support.

"I said thank you Mr. President, I need those prayers. And he said well I need yours too. We're kind of in a tight financial situation and I said well if we can have a second collection," said Dolan.

Archbishop Dolan will need the laughter and the prayers, as he prepares to take on the tough challenge of steering the church through its own economic challenges.