Pope Leo XIV has selected Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, to serve as the next archbishop of New York, marking the most significant episcopal appointment of his pontificate in the United States thus far, according to Catholic News Agency.
Bishop Hicks, 58, will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has led the Archdiocese of New York since 2009. With approximately 2.5 million Catholics, the archdiocese is the second-largest in the country by population and plays a prominent role in shaping Catholic life and public witness in the United States.
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The appointment, confirmed by EWTN News through two independent sources with direct knowledge of the decision, is expected to draw close attention as Catholics seek insight into Pope Leo XIV’s vision for the Church in the U.S., according to Catholic News Agency.
A native of Illinois, Hicks has served as bishop of Joliet since September 2020. Prior to that, he was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago from 2018 to 2020, following three years as vicar general of the same archdiocese from 2015 to 2018.
Born Aug. 4, 1967, in Harvey, Illinois, Hicks grew up in South Holland, a suburb neighboring Dolton, where Pope Leo XIV spent his own childhood. Reflecting on this shared background, Hicks told WGN in a May interview, “I recognize a lot of similarities between [Pope Leo] and me,” adding that they “grew up literally in the same radius, in the same neighborhood together,” according to Catholic News Agency. He noted that they “played in the same parks, went swimming in the same pools, liked the same pizza places to go to.”
Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1994, Hicks’ ministry has included service as an associate pastor, pastor, and dean of formation at St. Joseph College Seminary, according to Catholic News Agency.
His pastoral experience also extends well beyond the United States. In 2005, Hicks began a five-year term as regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Central America. Based in El Salvador, he oversaw care for more than 3,400 orphaned and abandoned children across nine Latin American and Caribbean countries, according to Catholic News Agency.
After returning to Chicago in 2010 to serve as dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary, Hicks was appointed vicar general by Cardinal Blase Cupich on Jan. 1, 2015, a role that placed him at the center of diocesan administration and clergy leadership.
At the national level, Hicks currently serves on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, and acts as the conference liaison to both the Association of Ongoing Formation of Priests and the National Association of Diaconate Directors, according to Catholic News Agency.
As archbishop of New York, Hicks will shepherd Catholics across Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and seven counties north of New York City. His appointment signals a pivotal moment for the Church in the United States as Pope Leo XIV begins to shape episcopal leadership in key dioceses during the early years of his pontificate.
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