NEW YORK (WABC) — The Roman Catholic Church of New York will have a new leader for the first time in 17 years as Ronald Hicks will be installed as the next archbishop of New York.
Hicks will take over for a cardinal who was often called America’s parish priest, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, who is retiring.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral will host an event that New Yorkers haven’t seen in almost two decades: the installation of a new archbishop to lead the 2.5 million Catholics in the New York Diocese.
Watch Eyewitness News special coverage of the installation of Archbishop Hicks on Friday at 2 p.m. right here
A half-dozen cardinals, hundreds of bishops and priests, along with dozens of politicians and dignitaries will attend the mass that begins at 2 p.m.
Other faith leaders will attend along with about 2,000 people from parishes, schools and charitable organizations throughout the three boroughs and seven counties that make up the New York Archdiocese.
For the faithful wondering what to expect from the new archbishop, the president of the Catholic Church Extension Society, Father Jack Wall, knows Hicks well.
“When you meet him, you meet him, he is absolutely true to his core, he is deeply spiritual, he is very connected to God’s love and life in his own life,” Wall said.”And all of his desire is to be that blessing to the people that he shares life with.”
Catholic tradition and long-standing protocol will fill Friday afternoon’s Installation Mass — from the piercing hammer blows on the cathedral doors to the reading of a letter from Pope Leo to the much-anticipated first homily from the 11th archbishop of New York.
Hicks comes from the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, a much smaller diocese, to lead one of the most influential archdioceses in the country, based in New York City.
Ahead of the installation, Hicks spoke about how he is feeling as he steps into this new chapter.
“So many people have been asking me, ‘so, how do you feel?’ ‘How ya feeling?’ And you know what the curious thing is – many people don’t even allow me to give an answer,” Hicks said. “‘Do you feel happy? Do you feel unsure? Do you feel peaceful? Do you feel blessed?’ When I finally answer them, I simply say ‘yes.'”
Bishop Hicks also spoke in Spanish during his news conference on Thursday and pointed out his years of service in Central America.
That time in El Salvador cultivated a keen understanding of Latino culture and will prove helpful in his ministry not just to immigrants but to everyone.
“One of my focuses will be evangelization, how do we be actually be disciples, who do we make disciples,” Hicks said. “People who have been a part of the church but maybe not so much…How do we re-engage.”
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