New York City's Roman Catholic population has welcomed their new leader, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, as he takes the reins at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Unlike Pope Leo XIV, who made his papacy with a flourish of white smoke, Hicks' installation was more subdued, marking a departure from the traditional process. The 58-year-old Hicks is now set to lead over two million Catholics across the five boroughs, succeeding Cardinal Timothy Dolan after nearly 17 years at the helm.
As part of his new role, Hicks emphasized the importance of engaging with those who have lost touch with their faith and passing it on to a new generation. He expressed his desire to foster a Church that is "relevant, living, and beautiful," as he seeks to revitalize the community.
Hicks brings a unique background to the position, having served as bishop in Illinois and spent five years as a missionary in El Salvador. He also speaks fluent Spanish, which is expected to help him connect with New York City's diverse Catholic population.
While Hicks faces a challenging task in bringing unity to the polarized Church, his predecessor Cardinal Dolan has praised him as "immensely qualified" for the role. In a statement, Dolan pledged his full cooperation with Hicks and expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for appointing him to the position.
Hicks is set to be formally installed during a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Friday at 2 p.m., where he will lead a prayer service in the evening before taking the helm as the new leader of New York's Roman Catholic community.
As part of his new role, Hicks emphasized the importance of engaging with those who have lost touch with their faith and passing it on to a new generation. He expressed his desire to foster a Church that is "relevant, living, and beautiful," as he seeks to revitalize the community.
Hicks brings a unique background to the position, having served as bishop in Illinois and spent five years as a missionary in El Salvador. He also speaks fluent Spanish, which is expected to help him connect with New York City's diverse Catholic population.
While Hicks faces a challenging task in bringing unity to the polarized Church, his predecessor Cardinal Dolan has praised him as "immensely qualified" for the role. In a statement, Dolan pledged his full cooperation with Hicks and expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for appointing him to the position.
Hicks is set to be formally installed during a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Friday at 2 p.m., where he will lead a prayer service in the evening before taking the helm as the new leader of New York's Roman Catholic community.
so whats up with this new archbishop guy? sounds like hes all about makin connections and bringin faith to people who been missin it for a hot sec. fluent spanish too which is dope cuz NYCs so diverse. gotta feel good that his old boss cardinal dolan gave him the thumbs up 
but lets be real, theres already some drama brewin in the church so we'll see how long this unity thing lasts 
His background in Illinois and El Salvador sounds super interesting too - it'll be cool to see how his experiences inform his decisions as the new Archbishop. 
He's so young tho like 58 but already leading over 2 million ppl 
Plus fluent Spanish which is amazing considering NYC's diverse population 
Anyway I'm keeping an eye on him cuz I wanna see if he can live up to the hype 
Wish him all the best 
He seems like a total game-changer for the Catholic community in NYC. I mean, the fact that he wants to focus on bringing people back to their faith and passing it on to the next gen is just amazing! 
, like come on 2025 and they're still going by white smoke? it sounds so... traditional. anyway, good luck to Archbishop Hicks, hope he brings some fresh vibes to the table 
. two million people to connect with, that's a lot of egos to manage. gotta admire his background tho, missionary in El Salvador, speakin' fluent Spanish, he's got that global perspective 
. and btw, who needs white smoke when you can just do it with a big ol' prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral? 
so its like archbishop Hicks is all about bringin faith back to life for people who might be feelin a little left out or whatever... hes got this unique background from servin in illinois and el salvador, which i think is gonna help him connect with new york citys diverse crowd 
It's like, the Church is finally recognizing how diverse this city is and trying to connect with the people who are all about that Latin life 
. And Hicks' whole vibe of being "relevant, living, and beautiful" is so on point 
. I'm not gonna lie, I've been feeling kinda meh about the Catholic Church lately, but if they're gonna bring some serious change to the table then I'm all for it 
. Anyway, gotta give props to Cardinal Dolan for giving him a glowing review 
Bring it on, new archbishop!
. I mean, what's next? A Pope who's a social media influencer? 
And 5 years as a missionary in El Salvador is cute, but what about the actual day-to-day running of the Church? He's gonna have to deal with bureaucracy and politics too... not just 'connecting' with people. And fluent Spanish is cool and all, but can he actually fix the scandals and divisions within the Church? 
. I'm curious to see how he'll balance tradition with modernity - it's not always easy to walk this fine line 
️! And I love his vibe about making the Church "relevant, living, and beautiful". That's exactly what we need - someone who gets it. He's got some heavy shoes to fill after Cardinal Dolan's 17 years, but I'm rooting for him 
. It sounds like Archbishop Hicks is ready to bring some fresh energy to St. Patrick's Cathedral and connect with a diverse population – good luck to him! 
And can we talk about how refreshing it is that his installation was low-key compared to Pope Leo XIV? Like, no need for all that drama! 
I'm curious to see how Hicks brings unity to the polarized Church and helps people reconnect with their faith. He's got some big shoes to fill after Cardinal Dolan's 17-year run, but I've got faith in him! 
. And can we talk about how cool it is that he speaks fluent Spanish? That's like, super helpful for reaching out to his community 
!