New Catholic archbishop of NY wants a church that ‘shows respect for all’ and builds unity

Ronald Hicks was installed Friday as the 11th archbishop of New York in a ceremony at the revered St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, calling on Catholics to spread the faith while respecting all people and helping the vulnerable.

With a few thousand people in the cathedral and hundreds more packing the streets outside, Hicks officially succeeded the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan in an elaborate Mass that included choir singing, prayers and readings from the Gospel.

“We are called to be a missionary church, a church that catechizes, evangelizes and puts our faith into action,” 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 U.S. Catholic Church, which is forging a new era with the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV as the first American pontiff. Leo and the U.S. hierarchy have already shown willingness to challenge the Trump administration on immigration and other issues, and 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 that serves roughly 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, 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.”

PHOTOS: New Catholic archbishop of New York wants a church that ‘shows respect for all’ and builds unity

The pope chose Hicks in December to replace Dolan, a prominent conservative figure in the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. Dolan had submitted his resignation in February 2025, as required when he turned 75. Friday was Dolan’s 76th birthday.

Hicks’ appointment came shortly after Dolan finalized a plan to establish a $300 million fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse who had sued the archdiocese.

Hicks called for a church that “cares for creation, builds bridges, listens and … protects children, promotes healing for survivors and all those who have been wounded by the church. A church that shows respect for all, building unity across cultures and generations.”

The ceremony began when Hicks stood outside the cathedral in his red robe and white mitre and knocked on the front doors three times with a small mallet. He was welcomed into the building by Dolan and received loud applause from the crowd inside.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, read the official letter from the pope declaring Hicks as the new archbishop of New York. Hicks then showed the letter to those in attendance before being led by Dolan and Pierre to the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair. Hicks officially became the archbishop when he sat down in the cathedra.

Among the attendees were Catholic Church leaders and laity, and representatives from other faiths, government, business, labor, education, the arts and first responders. Some of Hicks’ relatives attended, while his parents watched a livestream from their home.

Hicks made some of his remarks in Spanish, acknowledging the city’s large Hispanic population.

Frieda Cabreja, a Queens resident, was among the crowd outside the cathedral cheering Hicks.

“I feel incredible because this is a memorable and historic day,” she said. “I do believe he brings peace and humanity. This country, right now, especially most of New York and in the states, there is a very big crisis of humanity. Right now, we are considered not being an American, even if we are citizens.”

Hicks grew up in South Holland, Illinois, a short distance from the suburban Chicago childhood home of Leo, the former Robert Prevost. Like Prevost, who spent 20 years as a missionary in Peru, Hicks worked for five years in El Salvador heading a church-run orphanage program that operated in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries.

He served as a parish priest in Chicago and dean of training at Mundelein Seminary before Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich made him vicar general of the archdiocese in 2015. Three years later, Hicks was made an auxiliary bishop, and in 2020 Pope Francis named him bishop of Joliet, serving around 520,000 Catholics in seven counties.