Archbishop Dolan’s elevation to cardinal was not unexpected — most of his predecessors over the past century have been similarly honored by the church. But Archbishop Dolan’s style is a striking shift from that of the man he replaced, Cardinal Edward M. Egan, who was known as a no-nonsense and at times aloof administrator during his tenure overseeing the New York Archdiocese, from 2000 to 2009. The last charismatic figure to lead the archdiocese was Cardinal John J. O’Connor, from 1984 to 2000, whose eloquence in expressing the church’s views made him a major figure in the life of the city and beyond.

Catholicism in the key of joy is not an easy sell. Archbishop Dolan is a rising star within the Catholic Church in America — even before his elevation to cardinal, he was the elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. But reframing the church’s public image will take much more than a radio show on the archdiocese-run satellite Catholic Channel, which reaches only those already interested enough to tune in.

“Among Catholic insiders, Dolan is a huge hit,” said John L. Allen, a correspondent for The National Catholic Reporter who recently wrote a book about the archbishop. “But the problem for Dolan is that he has aspirations beyond just playing to that insider crowd. And at that level, he’s got to find a way to make himself visible in the national conversation on something other than the controversial policies” of the church on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.

In Milwaukee, his last post before New York, Archbishop Dolan had more time to mingle at parish events and baseball games, reaching out to parishioners in a city reeling from the sex-abuse crisis and another scandal: The archbishop’s predecessor, Rembert G. Weakland, had resigned after admitting to an affair with a man whom the archdiocese later paid $450,000.

It was there that Archbishop Dolan began experimenting with using the airwaves for evangelism, starting out with 60-second radio messages around the holidays, and later appearing as a guest on a morning talk show hosted by his brother Bob, a professional radio personality. Later, the two brothers hosted an occasional Sunday television show, “Living Our Faith,” that featured discussions of the Gospel and a taste of the good-natured ribbing they learned at their large Irish-American family’s dinner table growing up.