The Holy See on Dec. 18 announced the appointment of Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, as the next archbishop of New York. Bishop Hicks will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, one of the most consequential American churchmen of the past half-century.
Born on August 4, 1967, in Harvey, Illinois, Bishop Hicks is the son of Ronald and Roselee Hicks and was raised in South Holland, a working-class suburb south of Chicago. He grew up at St. Jude the Apostle Parish, where his early formation was characterized by parish life, Catholic education, and a close-knit family. He has one younger brother, Rick.
His vocation emerged early. Hicks graduated in 1985 from Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, the high-school seminary that for generations formed priests for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He went on to Niles College of Loyola University Chicago, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1989, before completing his theological studies at the University of St. Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary).
He received a Master of Divinity in 1994 and later a Doctor of Ministry in 2003, grounding him not only in theology but in pastoral practice and priestly formation.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 21, 1994, Father Hicks began his ministry in parish life, serving as associate pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Chicago (1994–1996) and St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills (1996–1999).
In 1999, his ministry took a decisive turn toward priestly formation. He joined St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago, where he lived and served as the dean of formation until 2005. There, he helped guide young men discerning the priesthood, combining academic discipline with pastoral mentorship.
With the permission of the then-Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Francis George, in July 2005 Hicks left Chicago for El Salvador, beginning a five-year term as regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (“Our Little Brothers” or NPH) in Central America.
NPH is an international Catholic organization dedicated to the care of orphaned and abandoned children, serving more than 3,400 children across nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. During this period, Hicks dedicated his life to overseeing homes, schools, pastoral care, and the material needs of children with no safety net.
The experience marked him deeply, giving him fluency in Spanish, cultural competence across borders, and first-hand experience of the Church’s humanitarian mission in the developing world.
Returning to Chicago in 2010, Hicks was appointed dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary, a position he held until 2014. During this time, he also assisted with weekend parish ministry at St. Jerome Parish in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, maintaining close contact with parish life while shaping future priests.
On January 1, 2015, Cardinal Blase Cupich appointed him vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
His episcopal ministry began on September 17, 2018, when he was ordained an auxiliary bishop of Chicago at Holy Name Cathedral.
On July 17, 2020, Pope Francis named Bishop Hicks the sixth bishop of Joliet, and he was installed on September 29, 2020, at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus. Honoring his deep connections with Latin-American Catholicism, he chose “Paz y Bien” (Spanish for “Peace and Good”) as his episcopal motto.
In Joliet, Hicks became known for steady pastoral leadership, attention to clergy formation, and an emphasis on accompaniment amid declining vocations, demographic shifts, and the lingering effects of the clergy abuse crisis.
Nationally, he serves on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, acts as liaison to both the Association of Ongoing Formation of Priests and the National Association of Diaconate Directors, and is a member of the bishops’ Charter Review Workgroup. He also serves on the board of the Catholic Extension Society and the Mundelein Seminary Advisory Board.
As required by canon law, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in February when the archbishop turned 75.