Incoming Archbishop Ronald Hicks received a rousing round of applause Thursday during a special prayer service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the eve of his official installation as the new shepherd of the Archdiocese of New York.
The ceremony, known as Vespers, saw the cathedral’s hallowed halls packed with the faithful to witness Hicks give his last sermon before officially succeeding Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the spiritual leader of the archdiocese’s 2.8 million Catholics, and pastor of what Dolan often describes as “America’s parish church.”
During the Feb. 5 Vespers, Hicks took to the pulpit and addressed his new flock. He spoke candidly, alternating between English and Spanish, revealing that many of his friends and family have asked how it feels to take on the new role. In his sermon, he revealed that his thoughts turned to the weight of the world.
“Just across the street stands the famous statue of Atlas,” Hicks began. “When you look at that statue, you can almost feel the strength, the weight of the world is crushing him. It’s a powerful image of what life looks like when we try to carry everything by ourselves.”
He continued by pointing to a very different statue, and the symbolism of it. Adding that the position he is about to take on will be one shared by all New Yorkers of faith.
“In a direct line from Atlas, there you will find the statue of Christ, who is holding the world. But unlike Atlas, Jesus is not holding the world on his back. Jesus, in that statue, is holding the world in the power of his hand, and he holds it easily, peacefully, and almost effortlessly. Jesus is not struggling or straining,” Hicks said.” I can carry the weight instead with you together, let us place the Archdiocese with all our hopes for our future, into the hands of Jesus.”
The pews rose with a round of applause that stirred many with the hope for the future and a new beginning. On Friday, Hicks will take the reins of the Archdiocese in an installation Mass that is expected to last several hours.
