The installation of Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks: How to watch
NEW YORK - Ronald Hicks will be installed as the new Archbishop of New York on Friday afternoon.
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The installation of either a Bishop or Archbishop serves as both an administrative and sacramental act. Since Hicks is set to become the Archbishop of New York, his installation will take place during a special mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Explaining the Rite of Reception
What we know:
Hicks will mark his entry by knocking on the cathedral doors with a metal hammer. The Archbishop-designate will be welcomed by his future predecessor, Timothy Cardinal Dolan. Three processions will start the installation: honored guests, congregation leadership and several bishops.
Bishop Ronald Hicks gives communion wafers at St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Manhattan borough of New York City on December 18, 2025. Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of New York's conservative Archbishop Timothy Dolan and named a little-kno
The mass will then commence, and an official letter from the Pope will be read aloud. This letter will appoint Hicks as the Archbishop of New York. Hicks will then be invited to sit in the Archbishop's chair, referred to as the "cathedra." After sitting down, he will be greeted by different clergy leaders.
Now officially installed, Hicks will give the homily and proceed with the mass.
Who is Ronald Hicks?
Dig deeper:
According to the Vatican, Hicks, 57, brings a wide mix of pastoral, academic and leadership experience to New York.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 18: New York Archbishop-Designate Donald Hicks speaks at a press conference at St. Patricks Cathedral on December 18, 2025 in New York City. Hicks, known for his pro-migrant stance, spent five years in El Salvador and wa
He was born on August 4, 1967, in Chicago and graduated from Niles College Seminary before earning a philosophy degree from Loyola University Chicago. He went on to study at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary, where he later returned as a faculty member. He also completed a Doctor of Ministry degree there.
Hicks was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 21, 1994. He spent his early years in parish ministry and later helped shape future priests as dean of formation at Saint Joseph College Seminary.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 18: Cardinal Dolan (R) and New York Archbishop-Designate Donald Hicks attend a press conference at St. Patricks Cathedral on December 18, 2025 in New York City. Hicks, known for his pro-migrant stance, spent five years i
From 2005 to 2009, he moved to Central America to lead Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a charity that cares for orphaned and abandoned children across Latin America.
His work there, along with his fluency in Spanish, has become a major part of his pastoral identity and deepened his connection to immigrant communities.
When he returned to Chicago, he resumed seminary leadership and was later appointed vicar general in 2015, the archdiocese’s top administrative role after the archbishop. Pope Francis named him an auxiliary bishop in 2018, and he became bishop of Joliet in 2020.