Pope appoints Ronald Hicks as Archbishop of New York

By OSV News

In one of the most anticipated U.S. episcopal appointments of his pontificate to date, Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and named Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor.

The resignation and appointment were announced by the Vatican on December 18.

Resignation of Cardinal Dolan

Cardinal Dolan was appointed Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009, and three years later Pope Benedict elevated him to the College of Cardinals.

On February 6, he turned 75, the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the Pope.

Cardinal Dolan was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and has held various leadership positions at the national level, including chairing the USCCB's pro-life and religious freedom committees. He was president of Catholic Relief Services and is currently a member of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches and the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Hicks, from Joliet to New York

Since September 29, 2020, Archbishop Hicks, 58, has led the Diocese of Joliet, which covers the western and southern suburbs of Chicago and extends into central Illinois. He will lead the second-largest archdiocese in the United States, with 2.5 million Catholics, five times more than Joliet's 520,000.

Among other tasks, the new archbishop will manage a large-scale settlement for clergy abuse once he assumes his new position. Cardinal Dolan announced in a December 9 letter to his parishioners that the archdiocese would begin mediation with 1,300 plaintiffs over allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. He added that the archdiocese would need to raise $300 million for the settlements.

According to the Illinois Attorney General's 2023 report on clergy sexual abuse in Illinois dioceses, Joliet had reported 100 credible cases of abuse that took place between 1949 and 2004. It has paid more than $7 million in settlements in three cases, most recently in 2019, a year before Archbishop Hicks took office.

The diocese underwent restructuring in 2023, with plans to merge and close 16 parishes. Authorities cited aging buildings, declining numbers of priests, and declining Mass attendance, but did not mention abuse settlements as reasons for the consolidation.

Spiritual profile

According to Deacon Dominic Cerrato, the new Archbishop of New York is up to the task of leading a significantly larger (arch)diocese because «all of his skills» as a bishop are «transferable and scalable.».

In particular, Deacon Cerrato, who recently retired as director of the diaconate in the Diocese of Joliet, said Archbishop Hicks is a «very devout man» whose spirituality guides his leadership.

«He was a humble man, in the sense that he always asked for prayers. He would pray for any audience and say, ‘Please pray for him,'» Deacon Cerrato told OSV News. «He certainly sought God's will in shepherding the diocese. We always began with a prayer, but his attitude denoted a deep spirituality.».

In a 20-page pastoral letter on discipleship to the faithful of the Diocese of Joliet, entitled «Do!», the current Archbishop Hicks outlined plans to carry out the vision he brought with him when he took office five years ago: «to put catechesis, evangelization, and faith into practice.».

With a heartfelt admission that «vulnerably reflects (his) heart» in the blog on his diocesan website, dated September 30, about the letter he wrote, «I love Jesus and I want you to love him too.».

«The letter offers a clear path: conversion, confession, communion, and commission, all united by prayer. These are not abstract concepts, but real and concrete steps that anyone can begin today,» he said. A website is dedicated to the plan with sections on these five areas on the path to making disciples among the faithful.

Leadership style

Deacon Cerrato described the bishop's leadership style as one that «builds communion, strengthens mission, and reflects gentle authority.».

He recalled that Archbishop Hicks once asked him what he thought the diocese should do during a meeting. «I was really surprised because I discovered that he was very open to finding solutions if presented with a challenge. He was willing to listen to whatever might happen. So his leadership was not only high-level, but he also reached out to the people. You could say, my goodness, he got in touch with people to listen,» Deacon Cerrato said.

He said that the newly appointed archbishop also spent a lot of time with the faithful at various events. Deacon Cerrato said, «When you saw him, his smile, his availability. I mean, he was able to spend hours taking pictures with people. He didn't just go to an event and then leave. In that sense, there was a feeling of shepherding. There was a feeling of affection. There was a sense of listening. That said, he was certainly a decisive leader, in the sense that if a decision had to be made, he made it.».

Past in Chicago

Previously, he was appointed vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich in 2015, and in September 2018, he was ordained auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.

Archbishop Hicks was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 21, 1994. He served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Chicago from 1994 to 1996 and at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills, Illinois, from 1996 to 1999. From 1999 to 2005, he lived and ministered at St. Joseph University Seminary in Chicago as dean of formation.

In July 2005, with the authorization of Cardinal Francis E. George, then Archbishop of Chicago, Archbishop Hicks moved from Chicago to El Salvador to begin a five-year term as regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) in Central America. NPH is a home dedicated to caring for more than 3,400 orphaned and abandoned children in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

From 2010 to 2014, Archbishop Hicks served as dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary.

Like Pope Leo XIV, he was born in Chicago. He graduated from Quigley South Preparatory Seminary in 1985. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Niles College at Loyola University Chicago in 1989, his master's degree in theology in 1994, and his doctorate in ministry in 2003 from the University of Mary Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. A Doctorate in Ministry (DMin) is a professional graduate degree for Christian leaders who seek to perfect their practical skills in areas such as leadership, preaching, counseling, or education.

Archbishop Hicks serves on the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations and is the conference liaison to the Association for the Continuing Education of Priests and the National Association of Directors of Diaconate Formation. He has also been appointed to the USCCB Charter Review Task Force. He also serves on the board of directors of the Catholic Outreach Society and the Advisory Board of Mundelein Seminary.