Who is Archbishop Ronald Hicks? All about the successor of Timothy Dolan

Pope Leo has named Archbishop Ronald Hicks as the leader of the Catholic Church in New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Announced by the Vatican on Wednesday, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, who hails from a small town in Illinois. has been sworn in as the Archbishop of New York, which is the nation's second-largest Catholic diocese and has 2.8 million Church members.

Bishop Dolan, who had been serving the Catholic Church in New York since 2009, had submitted his mandatory retirement request to Pope Leo in February, as it is required by Church Law to retire by the age of 75. Archbishop Ronald Hicks has been transferred from the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, where he had been serving as the Bishop since September 2020.

The new Archbishop has also helped Cardinal Blase Cupich in guiding the Archdiocese of Chicago as an Auxiliary Bishop, along with the Vicar General, since 2015.

In an interview with Vatican News, he spoke about the Pope and how his new responsibilities make him feel,

"I have a great affinity for him and a lot of respect. I'm really grateful to God that he is our Holy Father. And as he's appointed me to New York, I'm humbled, I'm excited, I'm obedient. All I want to do is God's will, and however God moves me to be a leader in New York, I want to follow that and just give all of my mind, heart, and soul."

When asked about his pastoral priorities for such a large diocese, Archbishop Ronald Hicks expressed,

"My desire is to be a pastor with a shepherd's heart. To use the phrase from Pope Francis: ‘To have the smell of the sheep’ and to be with people. I like people. I look forward to meeting them and getting to know them." Adding, "And I look forward simply to living our faith and to growing it and sharing the love that God has with all people."

Archbishop Ronald Hicks grew up "in the suburb right next door to Pope Leo," as the two lived "about 14 blocks away from each other."

"Just want to publicly say I want to cooperate with him. I want to respect his priorities and work with him (Pope Leo) to help bring those to reality, to light. I’m just very grateful to Pope Leo, and I want to say it's been my joy and honor serving both Chicago and Joliet. And I'm ready, with the help of God, to make this next step into New York."

Pope Leo XIV, who is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, is the first Pope to be born in the US, hailing from Chicago, Illinois, and is the first from the Order of Saint Augustine.

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