Archbishop Ronald Hicks, installed as head of the Archdiocese of New York on 6 February, has been characterized as a man of great faith with a pastor’s heart.
As the archbishop of New York, he assumes the role, ex officio, as chair and treasurer of the international board of trustees of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and he is familiar with the world beyond the borders of the U.S.
“My entire life, I’ve been called to go beyond my own borders. I’ve been able to see so many different parts of the world — different cultures, languages, food and customs. I find it fascinating and exhilarating,” the former bishop of Joliet, Illinois, told The Good Newsroom after his appointment to New York was announced in December.
“I studied in Rome, volunteered in Mexico, and lived in El Salvador and Central America for five years. I’ve been sent all over. But here’s the difference: Every other place was temporary. I really like the fact that I’m being called now to have New York as my home,” he said.
Christophe Cardinal Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, represented Pope Leo XIV at the installation Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
“Cardinal Pierre’s presence is a reminder that their new archbishop is entrusted with his ministry not only for New York, but within the worldwide mission of the church,” The Good Newsroom reported.
Pope Leo appointed Archbishop Hicks 18 December, after accepting Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s resignation as head of the archdiocese. Cardinal Dolan served in that role for nearly 17 years, and Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, president of CNEWA-Pontifical Mission, thanked him and prayed the Blessed Mother would “continue to bless both men as they continue to witness the Gospel as shepherds of his sheep.”
Speaking after his appointment was announced, Archbishop Hicks pointed out his “deep affinity with the Holy Father,” especially as someone who also served in Latin America.
The archbishop served five years in El Salvador as regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, or N.P.H., in Central America. N.P.H. is a home dedicated to caring for more than 3,400 orphaned and abandoned children in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries. Pope Leo spent nearly two decades in the impoverished northwest Peru.
Archbishop Hicks was born on 4 August 1967, in the Chicago suburb of Harvey and grew up in South Holland, Illinois. He received an undergraduate degree in philosophy in 1989 from Niles College of Loyola University in Chicago and completed a Master of Divinity in 1994 and a doctorate in ministry in 2003, both at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. On 1 January 2015, he was named vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago and three years later, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Chicago, where he served until he assumed the role of shepherd in the Diocese of Joliet in mid-2020.
In a statement, Blase Cardinal Cupich of Chicago described Archbishop Hicks as “a holy man with a heart for Jesus and the People of God. He will embrace the diversity of his new archdiocese and be an adept administrator.”
Just across the river from New York in Newark, New Jersey, Joseph Cardinal Tobin said his new neighbor “brings a pastor’s heart, a thoughtful spirit, and a deep love for the people he serves, especially for the poor and those on the margins, and in his commitment to sharing the Gospel in ways that speak to people’s real lives.”
Msgr. William T. Corcoran, a Chicago priest currently on sabbatical in Rome, told The Good Newsroom Archbishop Hicks “has tremendous people skills. He’s deeply spiritual. His life is rooted in spirituality and prayer. He’s approachable and pastoral. He’s there when you need him; he shows up.”
On Christmas 2022, Archbishop Hicks showed up at the Joliet Treatment Center, celebrating Mass for 11 men.
“With this visit, I represent the entire Catholic Church,” he said. “This is where we are supposed to be. We are the face of Christ.”