![\"\u201cIf](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cardinal-dolan-bishop-hicks-st-pats-dean-moses-12182025-4.jpeg\" "\\"Faithful")
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\u201cIf you want to know the core of who I am and what I stand for. You should know this: I love Jesus with my mind, heart and soul, and I strive to love my neighbor,\u201d Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks said.<\/p>\n
Photo by Dean Moses <\/p>\n
New York Catholics will welcome a new leader on Friday, when Ronald Hicks<\/a> is formally installed as the 11th Archbishop of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the spiritual leader of what is perhaps America\u2019s most visible archdiocese. <\/p>\n Hicks will assume his new role during a special Mass at the iconic St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. While\u00a0religious scholars note the\u00a0ceremony<\/a> is more administrative than sacramental, the appointment of Hicks\u2014known for his profound compassion and dedication throughout his native Illinois and beyond\u2014is expected\u00a0to be a reverent and respectful affair.<\/p>\n The Archbishop-designate will replace Cardinal Dolan weeks after Pope Leo XIV accepted his resignation<\/a> in December. Cardinal Dolan, who follows in the church\u2019s more conservative tradition, was widely recognized for his warm, friendly demeanor and charismatic public presence. <\/p>\n While Hicks is known for his pastoral experience, the faithful await to see how his leadership style will steer the archdiocese\u2019s highest office.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The incoming Archbishop spoke highly and lovingly of New York during a December press conference following the announcement of his upcoming appointment.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI have visited New York about 10 times in my life, and every time I have visited, I said to myself, \u2018I love it,\u2019\u201d he told reporters. \u201cI love the culture, the food, the energy, the plays, the neighborhoods. But especially, I love the people, the people from all over the world who call this place home.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Hicks said he was looking forward to his new position and getting to know the people of New York.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI want to follow Jesus. I love the Church. I love the priesthood. I love people,\u201d he told the Archdiocese of New York\u2019s digital news outlet<\/a>, The Good Newsroom. \u201cAs bishops, we\u2019re called to govern, to teach, and to sanctify. But I look most forward to having the opportunity to pray with and get to know the people of the Archdiocese of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n A shepherd in northern Illinois: Bishop Ronald Hicks<\/p>\n Born in Harvey, IL, on Aug. 4, 1967, Hicks graduated from Niles College of Loyola University in Chicago and was ordained a priest 37 years later in the city\u2019s Archdiocese. He spent much of his ministry in and around the Windy City area.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n His most recent position has been the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois. Appointed by Pope Francis in July 2020, he was ordained and installed in September of that year, stepping into a role that oversees the spiritual and administrative needs of Catholics in the area.<\/p>\n Hicks\u2019 journey through his faith has been rooted in large part in service. Starting in 2005, he ministered for five years in Mexico and El Salvador as regional director of the Nuestros Peque\u00f1os Hermanos (NPH) in Central America, helping to care for orphans and abandoned children in nine Latin American and Caribbean nations.\u00a0<\/p>\n A strong parochial-school education<\/p>\n Religious education has always been part of Hicks\u2019 life. As a boy, he attended St. Jude the Apostle Parish and grade school in South Holland, Illinois.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before obtaining a degree in philosophy from Niles College, he graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary South in 1985.\n<\/p>\n He also obtained a Master of Divinity degree in 1994 and a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2003 from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois.<\/p>\n What to expect during the installation ceremony<\/p>\n