Meet Bishop Ronald Hicks: The New Archbishop of New York

Incoming Archbishop of New York

• 🎯 Bishop Ronald Hicks, a 58-year-old native of Illinois, has been named by Pope Francis to lead New York's 2.8 million Catholics.
• 🔑 He will replace the retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan and will continue serving the Diocese of Joliet until his installation in New York.

Bishop Hicks' Background and Philosophy

• 💡 Hicks states his core motivation: "The reason I'm a priest, the reason I'm a bishop, the reason I'm Catholic is I love Jesus."
• 💬 He hopes to be "someone who listens and respects" in his new role.
• 🌍 Ordained in 1994, he served as auxiliary bishop of Chicago (2018) and bishop of Joliet (2020), a time he described as a "crossroads" due to the pandemic, job loss, violence, racism, injustices, and disunity.

International Service and Personal Connections

• 💖 Bishop Hicks spent five years in El Salvador running a home that cared for over 20,000 orphaned and abandoned children since 1954.
• 🤝 He shares a unique connection with Pope Francis, having grown up in the same neighborhood, playing in the same parks, and swimming in the same pools.

Future Direction for New York Archdiocese

• 🚀 Hicks aims to "continue to evangelize and to make sure that the faith is growing... for everyone."
• ⚠️ He is considered more progressive than Cardinal Dolan, potentially signaling a shift for New York Catholics.
• 📉 The archdiocese faces challenges including a sharp decrease in priests and recent sales of assets to address clergy sex abuse settlements.