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CHICAGO (WLS) — In a significant change of leadership, Bishop Ronald Hicks from Joliet assumed the position of the new head of the New York Archdiocese this past Friday.
ABC7 correspondent Tanja Babich was present in New York to cover the installation Mass that marked this transition.
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The ceremony took place at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, where Cardinal Timothy Dolan ceremonially passed the torch to Hicks at the iconic Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
Security was notably heightened, with police stationed at the cathedral’s entrance, ensuring that only ticket holders could gain access. The surrounding streets were closed off, complicating the usual traffic chaos typical of Midtown Manhattan.
Thursday evening set a celebratory tone within the cathedral. Both Dolan and Hicks led a Vespers Mass, and Hicks conducted the service in both English and Spanish, engaging a diverse congregation.
SEE ALSO | Joliet Diocese holds special Mass, bids farewell to New York Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks
Hicks said it is important to him that he connect with all of New York’s 2.5 million Catholics. Among them, 1 million are Latinos from many different countries in South and Central America.
Hicks has a great sense of humor, and it was on display during that Vespers Mass. He got a laugh out of the congregation, saying that he has been inundated with questions about whether he is scared, excited, overwhelmed, but nobody waited for an answer. He said, humbly, that, yes, he is all of the above.
He is funny, and he has great warmth. At one point, he paused, stopping for the congregants, and not the cameras. Babich said it felt very Chicago and very midwestern as our city’s influence in the Catholic Church grows in America and overseas at the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV’s first major appointment in the United States is a fellow South Sider. When Babich asked Cardinal Blase Cupich about whether this is a coincidence or the beginning of a trend, he said, simply, that there a a pool of talent that we have in the Chicago Archdiocese and in the city that is noteworthy and justifiably recognized.
SEE ALSO | Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks named by Pope Leo to lead New York Archdiocese
Hicks has carried a lot of responsibility in his roles with the Chicago and Joliet dioceses. He said the weight of his new role and responsibilities is not one that he will carry alone, and he pointed to the Atlas statue across the street for his reason why.
“On one side of the street, Atlas shows us when we try to carry everything on our own. On this side, in the church, Christ invites us to place our trust in him… with all of our hopes, all of our wounds, all of our future Into the hands of Jesus,” Hicks said.
On Friday, Hicks knocked on the door of St. Pat’s three times, and Dolan welcomed him in. The carpet around the archbishop’s throne changed from red – signifying Dolan’s rank as Cardinal – to green, marking Hicks’ status as archbishop.
Hicks said in the days leading up to Friday’s installation ceremony that with every rise through the ranks, he tried to look for opportunities to say “yes,” when he is called upon, to being of service and to God.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
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