Ronald Hicks becomes New York Archbishop, pledges to take 2.8 million Catholics in a direction of change through service
Archbishop Ronald Hicks sitting on altar with crozier moments after officially becoming the 11th archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Feb. 6, 2026.
Photo by Dean Moses
A new era began at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday as Archbishop Ronald Hicks officially became the 11th leader of the Archdiocese of New York during an hours-long Mass and ceremony.
The Chicago-born new archbishop of 2.8 million Catholics in New York was greeted with fanfare and applause both inside and outside the renowned house of worship in Midtown often called by Hicks’ predecessor, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, as “America’s parish church.”
Midtown was swarmed with members of clergy as nuns and other people of faith passed by yellow cabs and commuters rushing to work to attend the history-making commemoration.
The service began just after 2 p.m. on Feb. 6 and was full of Catholic rite. It began with Hicks knocking on the house of worship’s massive doors three times with a golden hammer before they were opened.
Once inside, he was led to the cathedral altar with a massive procession of clerics. Cardinal Dolan, whose resignation Pope Leo XIV accepted late last year upon turning the mandatory retirement age of 75, led the Mass until it was officially time for the pair to make the switch.
Dolan handed Hicks his crozier (staff), marking the first change in archdiocese leadership since 2009. Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, represented Leo XIV at Friday’s Mass, reading aloud the Pope’s official letter announcing the change in command.
Standing before hundreds of faithful who packed into the pews, Hicks received the Apostolic Letter, then lifted it above his head and showed it to the masses — signaling the transition of power.
Hicks made his first homily as archbishop of New York one centered on gratitude and advancing the Catholic church’s missions through service to all New Yorkers.
“As today, in the context of this Eucharist, my heart is filled with gratitude. And as I begin as the 11th Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, I want to start with gratitude,” Hicks said. “Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your enthusiasm.”
The archbishop went on to suggest that his christening as leader of New York’s Catholic faithful marks a new day for the church in New York, one focused primarily on adding others rather than itself.
“This is a call to be a missionary church, not a country club. A club exists to serve its members. The church exists, on the other hand, to go out and serve all people,” Hicks said. “This is not a criticism; this is simply an invitation to constantly renew who we are. We exist to follow Jesus.”
This appeared to be an immediate attempt to signal a different tone from Cardinal Dolan, who follows a more conservative framework of beliefs. Hicks, on the other hand, has towed a more center-left line following in the teachings of Pope Leo XIV and the late Pope Francis.
Several elected officials such as New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and City Council Speaker Julie Menin were among the thousands in attendance. However, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was absent from the proceedings. Still, he congratulated Hicks on social media.
“Congratulations to Archbishop Ronald Hicks on today’s installment and welcome to New York City.I know that Archbishop Hicks and I share a deep and abiding commitment to the dignity of every human being and look forward to working together to create a more just and compassionate city where every New Yorker can thrive,” Mamdani wrote.
