Thousands of Catholics went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass and mark the start of 2026 Holy Week, the first under Archbishop Ronald Hicks. 

Palms inside the Midtown Manhattan cathedral recall the story or Jesus entering Jerusalem, where crowds laid palm branches before him.

For Hicks, who was installed in February following Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s retirement, celebrating his first Palm Sunday on Fifth Avenue served as a reminder of the transformation Holy Week stands for. 

“What happened, these mysteries we celebrate, gives us the path to salvation, eternal life. It’s the greatest gift ever,” Hicks said. “We celebrated well today, with joy, with prayer, with a great sense of faith.”

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Palms signify the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. 

CBS News New York

Hicks said everyone, not just Christians, could find guidance in the message Jesus carried into Jerusalem when asked about the turmoil at home and abroad. 

“Jesus, who stood for peace. Jesus, who showed the path to love. Jesus, who showed us how to love our brothers and sisters,” the archbishop said. 

Parishioners said that message of peace resonates deeply this year. 

“It was a nice way to just kind of reflect and regain hope during a really difficult time, personally, but then it’s exacerbated by everything that’s going on politically, as well. So, I think we need it,” Ashley Pallathra, of Philadelphia, said. 

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Hicks was installed on Feb. 6, 2026. 

CBS News New York

Hicks said his hope is for everyone to take some of that peace and share it with the world. 

“My hope for everyone is that we take a little piece of [Holy Week] and we bring it to our world,” he said, “because our world is hungry, is crying for that peace and that hope that comes from God.”

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