By Gina Christian, OSV News
NEW YORK OSV News – The world “always has and always will need a missionary Church,” said Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks in his first homily as the new shepherd of the Archdiocese of New York.
“The mission is before us,” he said. “The world is waiting with hope. And behold, God is with us always.”
Moments after his Feb. 6 installation Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral – a liturgy that that filled “America’s parish Church” with at least some 2,000 congregants – Archbishop Hicks reaffirmed the words he spoke at the time of his December appointment by Pope Leo XIV: The Church is meant to go forth from the pews to the peripheries, bringing the Gospel of Christ’s saving love to a wounded and warring world.
“This is a call to be a missionary Church, not a country club,” said Archbishop Hicks, now the 11th archbishop of New York. “A club exists to serve its members. The Church exists, on the other hand, to go out and serve all people, on fire with faith, hope, and charity in the name of Jesus Christ.
“This is not a criticism; it’s simply an invitation to constantly renew who we are and to rediscover why the Church exists,” he stressed.
That message – delivered with fervor, humility and a gentle wit – set the tone for the bilingual installation Mass, a liturgy of both splendor and warmth that blended the solemnity of the Church’s sacred tradition of episcopal succession with pastoral closeness and affection.
Embraces, laughter, prayerful quiet, applause and more than one standing ovation marked key moments of the sacred celebration.
Even as he processed outside the cathedral ahead of his formal entrance, Archbishop Hicks was greeted by dozens of youth and young adults from the Neocatechumenal Way – a Vatican-approved Catholic formation program that originated in Spain – who joyfully sang hymns in his honor, braving the winter chill behind a barricade across the street from the heavily guarded cathedral.
Knocking on the doors of the cathedral with a hammer, Archbishop Hicks was admitted by St. Patrick’s rector, Father Enrique Salvo, and then greeted by his predecessor, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, who welcomed the new shepherd on behalf of the Archdiocese of New York’s faithful.
Also greeting Archbishop Hicks were several dozen fellow prelates, including Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago – whom the archbishop, a Chicago native ordained a priest of that archdiocese – thanked in his homily for more than 11 years of “example and mentorship.”
Archdiocesan vicar general Msgr. Joseph LaMorte presented Archbishop Hicks with a crucifix, which the archbishop kissed before being presented with holy water by Father Salvo and blessing the congregation.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and bishops from throughout the nation, including several from the Eastern Catholic Churches, awaited Archbishop Hicks as well, preceding him up the aisle to the sanctuary.
Archbishop Hicks pressed his hand to his heart as the entrance hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King,” concluded – the first of several such gestures he made throughout the liturgy, which he celebrated with joyful intensity and energy.
Following the entrance procession to the sanctuary, Cardinal Dolan greeted the congregation from the cathedra, the episcopal throne, before Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., prepared to read the apostolic letter in which Pope Leo formally appointed Archbishop Hicks as the shepherd of New York.
Cardinal Pierre first commended Cardinal Dolan for his 17 years of service to the Archdiocese of New York, prompting applause and a standing ovation.
“And by the way, did you know it is his birthday?” added Cardinal Pierre, with the choir promptly singing a brief version of “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who turned 76.
A year ago, after his 75th birthday, Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation to the Pope as required by canon law. On Dec. 18, Pope Leo accepted his resignation and named Archbishop Hicks, then bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as his successor.
Applause and a standing ovation marked Archbishop Hicks’ formal acceptance of Pope Leo’s appointment, with the new shepherd of New York displaying the document to those present. He and Cardinal Dolan embraced, and Archbishop Hicks then seated himself at the cathedra, greeting a number of faith leaders – among them, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities.
Throughout the Mass, hymns and readings flowed easily from English to Spanish to Latin, and from chant to modern liturgical compositions, reflecting both the Church’s ancient heritage and its message to the current moment.
A sense of history, both ecclesial and personal, infused Archbishop Hicks’ installation. He chose to wear the pectoral cross of the first archbishop of New York, Archbishop John Hughes, and used the crozier of Cardinal Patrick Hayes, the see’s fourth archbishop.
Family members, including his brother and sister-in-law, served as gift-bearers. The first reading was proclaimed in Spanish by Samuel Jimenez Coreass, a former orphan at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a home caring for more than 3,400 abandoned and orphaned children in Latin America and the Caribbean. In July 2005, with permission from Cardinal Francis E. George, then-Father Hicks moved from Chicago to El Salvador to begin his five-year term as the organization’s regional director.
Archbishop Hicks alternately delivered his homily in English and Spanish – and began by quoting one of his favorite hymns, “Alma Misionera” by Enrique Garcia Velez, also sung during holy Communion: “Señor, toma mi vida nueva. … Estoy dispuesto a lo que quieras, no importa lo que sea, tú llévame a servir” (“Lord, take my new life. … I am willing to do whatever you want, no matter where it is you take me to serve”).
“We exist to follow Jesus, who fed the hungry, healed those ill in body and spirit, rejected hatred and proclaimed love,” said Archbishop Hicks.
He explained, “We are called to be a missionary Church; a Church that catechizes, evangelizes and puts our faith into action; a Church made up of missionary disciples who go out and make disciples, passing the faith on from one generation to the next.”
The archbishop called for “a Church that takes care of the poor and the vulnerable,” “respects and upholds life, from conception to natural death,” “cares for creation, builds bridges, listens synodally” and “protects children, promotes healing for survivors and for all those who have been wounded by the Church.”
“A Church that shows respect for all, building unity across cultures and generations,” Archbishop Hicks continued.
And, he said, “I believe the world always has and always will need a missionary Church. A Church that proclaims Jesus Christ clearly and without fear. A Church that forms missionary disciples, not passive spectators. A Church that goes out to the peripheries.”
Archbishop Hicks said that, as a shepherd of that Church, “I come to walk with you, to serve you, and to proclaim Jesus Christ to you.”
“Somos una Iglesia misionera, enviada por Cristo al corazón del mundo,” he said. “So as always, let’s go out, strengthened by the Eucharist, sent by the Lord, and guided by the Holy Spirit.”
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.