Below is a transcription of Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks’ homily at his Mass of installation as the new archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, given Feb. 6, 2026 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
Señor, toma mi vida antes de que la espera desgaste años en mí.
Estoy dispuesto a lo que quieras, no importa lo que sea, tú llévame a servir.
Estas son las letras de la canción, “Alma misionera”.
Es una de mis canciones favoritas en la Iglesia Catolica, porque todos nosotros estamos llamados a ser discípulos misioneros, en una iglesia misionera, con almas misioneras.
I love music, and I love all types of music. And if you know something about me, I almost always have a song playing in my head.
I love music, and I love all types of music. And if you know something about me, I almost always have a song playing in my head.
So there are many songs about New York, and I am going to take a few lines from some of the most famous songs about New York and put them together in a short compilation of my first impressions of living and working in New York. You can try and guess the artist and the title of the songs. And while Chicago will always be “My kind of Town,” here and now my feelings about New York, based on the following songs, done with just a little bit of creative editing to some of the lyrics. Ok, here goes:
Some folks like to get away / take a holiday from the neighborhood /I’m in a New York state of mind.
Concrete jungles where dreams are made of / there’s nothin’ you can’t do / now you’re in New York!
Si te quieres divertir con encanto y con primor / sólo tienes que vivir un verano en Nueva York!
I happen to like New York / I happen to love this town / so, start spreading the news: I’m starting today!
I want to be a part of it: New York, New York!
Here are a few things that most of you have probably already learned about me: I love Jesus. I love the Church. I love people. And as Pope Leo has recently taught in his catechesis on Vatican II, Jesus says, “I call you friends.” Through that relationship, I strive to love my neighbor as myself.
I also love the Eucharist, the true body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our source and our summit. The word Eucharist comes from a Greek word meaning “to give thanks.” So as today, in the context of this Eucharist, my heart is filled with gratitude. And as I begin as the 11th bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, I want to start with gratitude. First and foremost, I thank God, the creator of life and the giver of life eternal, for his divine mercy.
Archbishop Hicks expresses gratitude
To Cardinal Christophe Pierre: thank you for your many years of dedicated service and for reminding me to just be myself. Cardinal Pierre, please extend my gratitude to the holy father Pope Leo and assure him of my obedience, my loyalty and my collaboration.
To Cardinal Cupich: I have been working with you and learning from you for over eleven years now. Thank you for your example and your mentorship.
To Cardinal Dolan: thank you for your magnanimous leadership here for 17 years. In a particular way, I want to thank you for your gracious support of me both personally and publicly. We had the opportunity to sing happy birthday to the cardinal, and I just want to extend on behalf of all of us: “ad multos annos.”
To all of my brother bishops — as the nuncio said, there’s many of them, and I am grateful for you being here in this spirit of unity. Thank you for your servant leadership in the Church.
To all the priests: Please know this, I love being a priest. So to you I say thank you for your yes, and I look forward to getting to know the wonderful presbyterate here in the archdiocese of New York.
To everyone from Chicagoland and from the Diocese of Joliet, I carry you in my heart. Thank you for being disciples who make disciples.
To my mom and dad who are watching via livestream. You are the best! Thank you for always showing me what unconditional love looks like.
To all of my family and friends: you are one of the greatest gifts in my life. I love all of you.
To those of you from government, business, labor, service, education, first responders, the arts; for those of you representing the many New York faith traditions: thank you for being here today. Thank you for taking the time to be here today. It means a lot, and I look forward to working with you in support of the common good.
To everyone here present and via livestreaming, and to all the people of New York, and everyone in the three boroughs, the seven counties of the archdiocese, the clergy, the religious, the laity, and all the faithful, to everyone, a todos, todos, todos: thank you for your prayers, thank you for your enthusiasm, and thank you for your warm welcome of me. Thank you.
Acabo de expresar mi gratitud a todos por todo. Y a todos ustedes, doy gracias a Dios por compartir nuestra fe en Jesucristo y caminar juntos como hermanos e hermanas.
Go make disciples
Today in the gospel, Jesus gives us the great commission. Go, and make disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And behold, God is with us always. God is with us always. God is with us always!
This is a call to be a missionary church, not a country club. 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, with 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. We exist to follow Jesus, who fed the hungry, healed those ill in body and spirit, rejected hatred and proclaimed love.
Pope Leo has been clear and consistent about this. He reminds us that the Church is missionary not because of a program we run, but because of who we are. The Church exists to proclaim Jesus Christ and the Gospel to everyone, publicly and credibly, without fear, in every culture and circumstance. A Church that upholds human dignity in every way possible. A Church that follows the example of Jesus who reached out beyond his own community and held up the Samaritan as an example of goodness.
That is the kind of church I believe we are called to be, here in the Archdiocese of New York.
The world needs a missionary Church
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. A church that takes care of the poor and the vulnerable. A church that defends, respects and upholds life, from conception to natural death. A church that cares for creation, builds bridges, listens synodally, 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.
Brothers and sisters, 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.
To the people of the Archdiocese of New York, wherever you live and wherever you serve: I desire to follow the heart of Christ, to be a good shepherd. 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.
So as always, let’s go out: strengthened by the Eucharist, sent by the Lord, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
The mission is before us, the world is waiting with hope. And behold, God is with us always.