Archbishop Ronald Hicks was installed on Friday as the 11th Archbishop of New York, calling on Catholics to spread the faith while respecting all people and helping the vulnerable. Source: Crux.
With a few thousand people inside St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan and hundreds more packing the streets outside, Archbishop Hicks officially succeeded the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
“We are called to be a missionary Church, a Church that catechizes, evangelizes and puts our faith into action,” Archbishop Hicks said. “A Church made up of missionary disciples who go out and make disciples, passing the faith on from one generation to the next. A Church that takes care of the poor and the vulnerable. A Church that defends, respects and upholds life, from conception to a natural death.”
The change in leadership represents a significant new chapter for the Church in the United States, which is forging a new era with the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV as the first American pontiff.
Pope Leo and the US hierarchy have already shown willingness to challenge the Trump Administration on immigration and other issues, and Archbishop Hicks is seen as very much a Leo-style bishop.
Hicks, 58, was most recently bishop of Joliet, Illinois. He now leads one of the largest archdioceses in the nation, which serves about 2.5 million Catholics in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City, as well as seven counties to the north.
Paying homage to New York, Archbishop Hicks read a mashup he made from lines from famous songs about the city.
“So start spreading the news. I’m starting today,” he declared, playing on the lyrics of Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York.
The Pope chose Archbishop Hicks in December to replace Cardinal Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the US Catholic hierarchy. Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation in February 2025, as required when he turned 75. Friday was his 76th birthday.
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New Catholic archbishop of New York wants a Church that ‘shows respect for all’ and builds unity (By Dave Collins, AP via Crux)
