VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV tapped Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, to lead the influential Archdiocese of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who led New York's 2.8 million Catholics for 16 years.
Dolan, following Vatican rules, had tendered his resignation when he turned 75 in February.
Like Leo, Hicks, 58, is a supporter of Pope Francis' welcoming and inclusive vision of Catholicism with an eye toward social justice.
Born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1967, Hicks grew up in South Holland, not far from the Chicago suburb where Leo was raised.
Dolan, a towering figure in the U.S. church and a natural fit in New York with his bluff style, sometimes drew ire from the city's mostly Democratic voters for his apparent support of the Trump administration.
"Hicks' personality is different from Dolan's," said Christopher White, author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy. "He won't be shy, and at the same time he will also bring a seriousness and willingness to learn that's likely to help him on a local level that will be different from Dolan's larger-than-life persona."
Hicks aknowledged the similarities between himself and Leo, in an interview earlier this year with WGN, a Chicago TV station.
"We grew up literally in the same radius, in the same neighborhood together. We played in the same parks, went swimming in the same pools, liked the same pizza places to go to," Hicks said.
Their similar biographies "means that it's personal. Leo recognizes himself in Hicks and vice versa," said White.
Also like Leo, who spent more than a decade in Peru, Hicks has said he was inspired in his ministry by his time in Latin America, where, from 2005 to 2010, he served in El Salvador as the regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a nonprofit home for orphans and abandoned children.
"The encounter of the Latin American church, where his priestly ministry was defined by standing in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, means this is in the DNA of both men, and that's one of the essential qualities Leo — like Francis — is looking for when he's assessing candidates for the Catholic hierarchy," said White, a senior fellow of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.
In 2010, Hicks was appointed dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary, at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, in Illinois.
The Rev. John Kartje, who worked on his formation team before becoming rector of the seminary, heaped praise on his leadership style.
" This is someone who is capable of administration at the highest levels, but very much has his heart and soul with the people and particularly marginalized populations," Kartje said. Hicks later served as vicar general for the Archdiocese of Chicago, an administrative role which Kartje called " one of the most challenging positions in any diocese."
As dean of formation, Kartje said he found Hicks to be " an excellent listener, but also not at all afraid to make decisions," even as men preparing for the priesthood struggled with really challenging things.
In 2018, Hicks became an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago, now led by Cardinal Blase Cupich, and Hicks' new appointment to lead in New York has the marks of Cupich's influence. Considered a close ally of Francis, Cupich played a key role in the conclave that elected Leo.
In September of 2020, Francis appointed Hicks to lead the Diocese of Joliet and its 520,000 Catholics.
Hicks' relative young age means he has the chance to put his imprint on one of the United States' most powerful archdioceses over many years. New York's archbishops have historically engaged in the city's social and political life, and in U.S. politics more broadly. He becomes the face of Catholicism in the city just as Zohran Mamdani is about to be sworn in as its first Muslim mayor.
But the new assignment also comes with challenges. The New York Archdiocese, which recently agreed to mediation to settle 1,300 sex abuse claims, needs to raise $300 million to pay survivors and is in the process of selling Manhattan properties, while restructuring or closing dozens of dwindling parishes.
This story was produce through a collaboration between NPR and Religion News Service.
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