The Vatican announced Thursday that Bishop Ronald Hicks, who has led the Diocese of Joliet for the past five years, will become archbishop of New York.

The appointment, in addition to having an impact on Catholics in the largest city of the U.S., creates an opening for the next bishop in the sprawling Diocese of Joliet, which runs from the western suburbs of the Chicago area to rural counties in east-central Illinois.

The Joliet Diocese is the state’s largest diocese outside of the Chicago Archdiocese.

Hicks will continue as bishop in Joliet until his installation in the Archdiocese of New York on Feb. 6 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, according to a news release provided by the Diocese of Joliet.

“I have been deeply blessed to serve the people of the Diocese of Joliet,” Hicks said in the release. “I will carry the faith, generosity and the spirit of this diocese with me as I begin this new chapter of ministry.”

Reports of Hicks’ potential appointment to the archdiocese of New York began to surface early this week.

Restructuring of the diocese

Hicks was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in September 2020.

The news release from the diocese announcing his appointment to New York noted that he “has led significant pastoral initiatives, including diocesan restructuring and a renewed focus on catechesis, evangelization and faith into action.”

The diocesan restructuring was controversial, particularly at St. Joseph Church in downtown Joliet, a traditional Slovenian church that Hicks merged with three other parishes.

Parishioners at St. Joseph appealed the merger to the Vatican, which decided to reverse Hicks’ decision and allowed the parish to stand on its own.

The restructuring was a tough job that left some hard feelings, but may have prepared Hicks for more challenging situations ahead as archbishop of one of the largest dioceses in the U.S.

“Congratulations, and I wish him lots of luck,” Mary Petrella, one of the leaders in the successful effort to preserve St. Joseph as an independent parish, said in a terse response to the news of Hicks’ appointment.

The Rev. Chris Groh, former pastor at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Joliet and a member of a steering committee that advised Hicks on the restructuring, said the merging of parishes “were decisions that had to be made.”

Groh said attendance at Sunday Masses was as low as 40 in one case, and some church buildings were falling apart for lack of maintenance.

Hicks is likely to face bigger challenges but “is going to be effective in New York,” Groh said.

“He’s very likable and a good listener,” Groh said. “He likes to be out with the people. He’s a good administrator, but he doesn’t like to sit in the office.”

The Vatican’s reversal of Hicks’ decision to merge St. Joseph Church with other parishes came under Pope Francis.

South suburban connections

The appointment of Hicks to the Archdiocese of New York was made by Pope Leo XIV, who has some common roots with Hicks.

Both Pope Leo and Hicks are south suburbanites. Hicks is a native of Harvey and grew up in South Holland. Pope Leo famously grew up in Dolton, a heritage that was highlighted in media reports after he became pope.

The Rev. Tim Andres, the pastor at St. Joseph Church in Joliet before he was replaced under Hicks’ direction when the church was temporarily merged, commented on the rise of South Side influence in the Catholic Church.

Andres grew up on the South Side of Chicago and now lives in South Holland.

“Myself and the pope and Bishop Hicks grew up in a 2-mile area of each other,” Andres said.

“It’s the epicenter of the universe – the South Side of Chicago,“ Andres joked. ”But it is interesting when you think about it that the pope would come from Dolton and the archbishop of New York would come from Joliet.“

Hicks and Pope Leo XIV have other things in common.

They both also served the church in Latin America.

Hicks, from 2005 to 201,0 was regional director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, an organization devoted to caring for orphaned and abandoned children in nine Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Pope Leo XIV, early in his priesthood in the 1980s, did missionary work in Peru and continues to hold dual citizenship in the South American country and in the U.S.

One difference between the pope and the bishop is that while Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan, Bishop Hicks roots for the Cubs.

Hicks noted the schism in Chicago sports allegiances when speaking to New York media at a press conference on Thursday, according to a report in Chicago Catholic, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Hicks served under Cardinal Blase Cupich in the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he was appointed vicar general in 2015 and became an auxiliary bishop in 2018.

Cupich is a member of the Dicastery of Bishops, a Vatican council that advises the pope on matters including the appointment of bishops.

Cupich issued a statement saying, “Archbishop Hicks is a holy man with a heart for Jesus and the people of God. He will embrace the diversity of his new archdiocese and be an adept administrator.”

Well-wishes from pastors

The Diocese of Joliet, while not the size of the archdioceses of New York and Chicago, is significant. It covers seven counties: Will, Grundy, Kendall, DuPage, Kankakee, Iroquois and Ford.

Pastors from around the diocese congratulated Hicks on his new assignment.

Father Burke Masters, a Joliet native who attended Providence Catholic High School and has served as pastor of St. Isaac Jogues Church in Hinsdale since July 2022, posted a YouTube video with his message congratulating Hicks.

“We’re going to miss him greatly here in the Diocese of Joliet. But I think this appointment reflects really well on our diocese, that somebody who led our diocese is ready to take on one of the largest dioceses in the country and one of the most important appointments to date of Pope Leo,” he said.

Masters also serves as the Catholic chaplain for the Chicago Cubs, a post he has held since 2013.

“He’s very thoughtful, very generous,” said the Rev. Matthew Pratscher, pastor of St. John Paul II parish in Kankakee. “He’s a hard worker. I have always found him very personable and a good listener.”

St. Patrick’s Church in Kankakee and Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Bourbonnais issued statements congratulating Hicks.

“With gratitude, we pray for Bishop Ronald Hicks as he prepares for his assignment in New York,” St. Patrick’s Church posted on its Facebook page. “We also pray for the Joliet Diocese as we await the appointment of our new Bishop!”

The naming of a new bishop for the Diocese of Joliet is the next step in the process.

The Diocese of Rockford, which includes Crystal Lake and borders the Joliet diocese, issued a statement saying, “May God bless and guide Bishop Hicks as he accepts his new assignment in New York!”

Shaw Local reporters Jessie Molloy and Jeffery Bonty contributed to this story, along with Shaw Local contributor Chris Breach.