Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks, 58, of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, as the next archbishop of New York, succeeding Cardinal Timothy Dolan. A Chicago native known for his missionary spirit and pastoral approach, Archbishop-elect Hicks brings decades of experience in priestly formation, international service, and pro-life leadership to one of the Church’s most prominent sees.
Here are five highlights from Bishop Hicks’ life and ministry:
- A providential birthday tie to priesthood
Bishop Hicks was born Aug. 4, 1967, on the feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. The timing of his birth seems providential, as the bishop has devoted much of his career to priestly formation. He served as dean of formation at St. Joseph College Seminary (1999–2005) and Mundelein Seminary (2010–2014), and he currently chairs the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. In addition, as CatholicVote has reported, he “acts as liaison to both the Association of Ongoing Formation of Priests and the National Association of Diaconate Directors.”
- Early call to serve the vulnerable
Fresh out of high school in 1985, Bishop Hicks spent a year volunteering with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, caring for orphaned and abandoned children. The experience shaped his compassionate ministry. He later lived in El Salvador for five years, directing programs that supported over 3,400 orphaned children across nine countries.
- Personal south suburbs connection to the Pope
Like Pope Leo, Bishop Hicks hails from Chicago’s south suburbs. In fact, he’s spoken about crossing paths with then- Father Robert Prevost, at one point chatting with him at length about the Church and Pope Francis. To Bishop Hicks, Pope Leo is “a normal guy from a normal neighborhood we grew up in.”
- Passionate pro-life advocate
Leading a recent 3.4-mile Eucharistic Procession for Life in Naperville with over 500 Benet Academy students, families, and others, Hicks emphasized the sanctity of life, stating, “Our God is life. Our God is the source of life. He is the creator of life. And we are here to promote, to protect, and to pray for life and for life eternal for everyone, from conception to natural death.”
- Enthusiastic Hallow app user
A subscriber to the popular Catholic prayer app Hallow, Bishop Hicks wrote about its 2024 Super Bowl commercial featuring Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie in his Diocese of Joliet column. He wrote about the app’s Lent Pray40 challenge and encouraged others to “stay prayed up!”
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