“Knock and the door will be opened to you.” Following this dictum from Matthew 7, Ronald A. Hicks rapped upon the doors of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and was welcomed by Father Enrique Salvo, rector of the cathedral, and by the man he had come to succeed, Cardinal Timothy Dolan. 

Surrounded by cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, the former Bishop of Joliet accepted a crucifix resting on a pillow from Monsignor Joseph LaMorte, vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York, kissed the crucifix, and then received holy water from Father Salvo. Hicks blessed himself with the holy water and sprinkled it upon the faithful. 

In attendance were six cardinals, 13 archbishops, 69 bishops, dozens of priests, and hundreds more faithful to welcome the archdiocese’s first new archbishop in almost 17 years. 

After a procession to the altar, Cardinal Dolan took his seat on the cathedra, the archbishop’s chair, for the final time. The red carpet and cushion had already been removed, along with his heraldry, and replaced with the green of the incoming archbishop and with his crest and motto, “Paz y Bien,” or “Peace and All Good Things.” 

Celebrating Cardinal Dolan’s legacy and 76th birthday 

Cardinal Dolan began as the celebrant of the Mass before Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made remarks and initiated the official part of the installation. 

“Cardinal Dolan has served this archdiocese with extraordinary generosity and conviction. His voice has been a strong and joyful witness to the Gospel both here in New York and far beyond it. On behalf of the bishops, the religious, and the faithful, sincere thanks for his years of fruitful ministry and for the love he has shown to the people who are entrusted to his care,” Cardinal Pierre said, leading to a minute-long standing ovation for Cardinal Dolan. Cardinal Pierre then noted that Friday was Cardinal Dolan’s 76th birthday and led the capacity cathedral crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to him. 

Turning his attention to Hicks, Cardinal Pierre said, “Today, the Church in New York welcomes as its own shepherd, the one that it needs, as its new pastor. His years as a bishop have already immersed him in the joys and the sorrows of pastoral governance. He has attended carefully to the life of the Church and shown steady commitment to the mission entrusted to him.” 

Reading from the proclamation by Pope Leo XIV appointing Ronald A. Hicks as Archbishop of New York, he said, “Venerable brother, may the Lord grant you to be a man according to the heart of Christ, and to exhibit in all your works a clear reflection of that love, so that the Christian faithful of this city, taught by your leadership and example, may rejoice in the wonderful diversity of the world, open every heart to peace, and manifest the wonders of the Spirit.” 

Apostolic nuncio proclaims papal appointment 

Hicks was then asked by Cardinal Pierre if he accepted the position, to which he responded, “With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and with the love of God in my heart, I accept the mandate of the Roman Pontiff for the pastoral care of the people of God in the Archdiocese of New York. I resolve to serve faithfully the spiritual needs of this particular Church.” 

Cardinal Pierre then presented the apostolic letter to Archbishop-designate Hicks, who carried the letter around the altar, finally displaying it to Cardinal Dolan, who saluted his successor. Archbishop-designate Hicks also carried the letter several rows down the center aisle of the cathedral to show some of the faithful. 

Returning to the altar, Archbishop-designate Hicks was led to the cathedra with Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Pierre each taking him by an arm. Cardinal Dolan handed him the crosier, the bishop’s staff, and after shaking hands with Cardinal Pierre, he turned and faced the crowd, which stood to applaud the new Archbishop of New York. Finally, Archbishop Hicks sat down upon the cathedra, looking uncomfortable, relieved, overwhelmed, and gratified, all at once. 

Music, family, and a vision for the Church 

Archbishop Hicks received congratulations and greetings from the attending cardinals and bishops, along with New York faith leaders. The Mass then proceeded as normal, with the first reading proclaimed in Spanish by Samuel Jimenez Coreas, who, as an infant was abandoned in a trash dump in El Salvador, only to be raised at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers), an orphanage where Archbishop Hicks served for five years earlier in his ministry. He later moved to the Chicago area, where the archbishop was born and where he served as vicar general before becoming Bishop of Joliet, Illinois. 

In his homily, Archbishop Hicks began in Spanish by quoting the lyrics of a favorite song of his, “Alma misionera,” or “Missionary Soul,” that led into his main theme. Speaking in English, he first said that he loves music and quoted from a number of songs that have New York in their title or as their subject. Paraphrasing the Frank Sinatra classic “New York, New York”: “Start spreadin’ the news/ I’m starting today/I want to be a part of it New York, New York!” 

He then returned to words he first uttered just over seven weeks ago, when his appointment as Archbishop of New York was announced. “I love Jesus. I love the Church. And I love people.” 

After thanking a number of people, including Cardinals Pierre, Dolan, and Cupich, he also expressed his gratitude to his parents, now in their 90s, who watched the Mass via livestream. “You are the best! Thank you for always showing me what unconditional love looks like.” He mouthed “I love you” into the camera. 

Following this stream of thanks, he made an emphatic statement of his vision for the Archdiocese of New York: “This is a call to be a missionary Church, not a country club. A club exists to serve its members. The Church, on the other hand, exists to go out and serve all people, on fire with faith, hope, and charity in the name of Jesus Christ. This is not a criticism, but an invitation to renew who we are and rediscover why the Church exists.” 

He continued later in the homily, “That is the kind of Church I believe we are called to be here in the Archdiocese of New York. We are called to be a missionary Church that takes care of the poor and the vulnerable, upholds life from conception to natural death, cares for creation, builds bridges, listens synodally, protects children, promotes healing for survivors and for all those wounded by the Church, and shows respect for all, building unity across cultures and generations.” 

For the offertory, Archbishop Hicks’ siblings, nieces, and nephews brought up the gifts. 

A mutual promise of prayer 

In his closing remarks, Archbishop Hicks asked all those in attendance to turn their attention to prayer. “The last message I’d like to share with you today is this: You are a gift to me. And I’m going to ask for a gift from all of you today as we conclude. The gift that I’m going to ask of you is the gift of prayer. 

“Please take some time today to pray for your new Archbishop of New York, Archbishop Ronald Hicks. Please know this: When you’re praying for me tonight, I’m going to be praying for you also. I’m going to make sure that I go in front of the Eucharistic Lord, I spend some time in prayer, and I’m going to pray for all of you intentionally and the intentions that you hold in your hearts. And as I pray for you, I am going to be praying for all of you with the greatest gratitude.” 

At the conclusion of Mass, Archbishop Hicks processed down the center aisle of the cathedral, blessing those in attendance as he passed. 

Archbishop Hicks will celebrate his first Sunday Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on February 8 at 10:15 a.m. The Mass is open to the public.

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Armando Machado contributed to this report.