Who is Bishop Ronald Hicks, the next leader of the Archdiocese of New York?

New York's next archbishop is a Chicago-area native who has spent extensive time in Central America, roots for the Cubs and has an affinity for deep dish pizza.

On Thursday, Pope Leo XIV selected Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, to lead the Archdiocese of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who led the state's 2.8 million Catholics for about 17 years.

Dolan submitted his mandatory resignation letter in February after turning 75. The replacement decision comes after Dolan last week finalized a plan to create a $300 million fund to compensate sexual abuse victims who had sued the archdiocese.

'Challenging days'

"New York is rich in energy, languages, cultures and people," Hicks, 58, said during a news conference Thursday with Dolan at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. "As excited as I am to get to know the city and the archdiocese and all who call this home, I'm also very aware that these are complex and challenging days, especially as we face issues of life, faith, justice, peace and healing. ... Still, I feel the hope that so many to our shores had that came through this very harbor here in New York, including my own family."

The son of retired schoolteachers, Hicks was raised in the south suburbs of Chicago, roughly 14 blocks from the childhood home of Leo, the formerly Robert Prevost.

The two, who met for the first time only last year, have more in common than just the Windy City.

While Leo spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, Hicks moved to El Salvador in 2005 to begin a five-year term as regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Central America, which serves more than 3,400 orphaned and abandoned children.

And Hicks, a protégé of Cardinal Blase Cupich, an outspoken progressive who has served as archbishop of Chicago since 2014, appears more aligned politically with Leo then Dolan, a prominent conservative who performed an invocation at President Donald Trump's second inauguration.

Both Hicks and Leo have been outspoken critics of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, with the pontiff recently calling for "deep reflection" on how migrants are treated.

"It would be naive to say that politics doesn't figure into any of this," said Dan Rober, an associate professor of Catholic studies at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. "But it would also be going too far to take it as too much of a shot across the bow. I would certainly expect soon-to-be Archbishop Hicks to have a different, and perhaps more combative approach on some of these issues than Cardinal Dolan has had."

A love for New York

Hicks holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Niles College of Loyola University Chicago and both a master of divinity and a doctor of ministry from the University of St. Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. He later served as dean of formation at Mundelein.

"Archbishop-elect Hicks embodies the spirit of our mission," said Father John Kartje, rector of Mundelein Seminary, in a statement. "During his time as Dean of Formation, he brought to Mundelein a deeply pastoral heart and love for the poor and marginalized, a keen theological intellect, and outstanding leadership skills. I cannot think of anyone better suited to serve as shepherd for the Catholic faithful of New York and as a valued partner to New York’s civic leadership."

Hicks was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1994, first serving as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Chicago and later at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills, Illinois.

In 2020, Pope Francis tapped Hicks — who also chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations — as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Joliet.

At about 520,000 Catholics, Joliet is roughly one-fourth of the size of the Archdiocese of New York, the second-largest in terms of population in the United States, serving Catholics from across the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island and several areas north of the city.

Bishop John Barres, who leads the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which covers all of Long Island, said in a statement that he "looks forward to working with Archbishop-designate Hicks on matters of shared concern for Catholics throughout New York State and for the common good, particularly upholding and safeguarding the dignity and sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death."

Hicks said Thursday that he has much to learn about the city, although he's already visited New York on 10 different occasions.

"And every time I have visited, I have said to myself, 'I love it,' " Hicks said. "I love the culture, the food, the energy, the plays, the neighborhoods. But especially, I love the people. I love the people who come from all over the world who call this place home."

Hicks also offered his first "controversial" take — outing himself as both a Cubs fan and, driving a stake into the heart of many Big Apple residents, a fan of Chicago's deep dish pizza. 

But he professed his love for a good New York slice as well.

"I'm going to remain a loyal Cubs fan," he said. "However, I'm going to start rooting for New York sports teams and I already love your pizza. I love it a lot."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.