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New York Archdiocese installs new Archbishop Ronald Hicks at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Feb 6, 2026
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Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Feb 6, 2026
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No white smoke was involved in the selection process, but New York has a new archbishop.
Ronald Hicks will officially be installed Friday as the leader of more than 2 million Roman Catholics in and around the five boroughs, according to the New York Archdiocese. He is taking over the prominent position from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who held the position for nearly 17 years and submitted his resignation when he turned 75, as is customary for diocesan bishops.
Hicks indicated at a press conference Thursday that he’s focused on bringing new people into the faith and re-engaging those who have lost touch.
“How do we pass our faith on to the next generation? How do we be a Church that is relevant, living, and beautiful, sharing our faith together?” he said.
Pope Leo XIV in December chose the 58-year-old Hicks to succeed Dolan. Hicks previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, and said he shares the pontiff’s affection for Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Pope Leo is the first American pope and hails from Chicago.
“I have never met a pizza that I don’t like. I look forward to continuing that debate while living here,” Hicks told reporters Thursday.
Hicks said in December that he grew up about 14 blocks from Pope Leo’s childhood home and had visited New York fewer than a dozen times in his life. He also spent five years as a missionary in El Salvador and speaks Spanish, a skill that’s expected to help him connect with New York City’s diverse Catholic population.
Hicks will be New York’s first archbishop who is fluent in Spanish, according to David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University in Manhattan.
“I think Archbishop Hicks will try to really be a centrist figure, a unifier,” Gibson said on WNYC’s Morning Edition this week. “The mantra, the literal motto of Pope Leo is ‘unity.’ But we’re in such a polarized time, and that’s going to be difficult to do.”
Dolan, who is generally considered a conservative both politically and liturgically, has praised Hicks as “immensely qualified” for his new post.
“I am grateful to Pope Leo for appointing such a splendid priest and bishop to serve you, and have pledged to the archbishop-designate my fidelity and full cooperation, as he will now be my archbishop as well,” Dolan said in a written message to local Catholics.
Hicks led a prayer service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown on Thursday evening and will be formally installed during a mass there at 2 p.m. on Friday.
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Catholic Church
new york city
religion
st. patrick's cathedral
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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