With three knocks on the doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a metal hammer, the installation Mass of Archbishop Ronald Hicks will begin, signaling the start of him formally becoming the 11th shepherd of the Archdiocese of New York. 

“This is the Mass at which he is formally installed, received, and welcomed as the archbishop,” Father Carlos Velásquez, director of liturgy for the Diocese of Brooklyn, told the Tablet. “Bishops are ordained to teach, to govern, and to sanctify, and all of those things are going to be symbolized in various ways throughout the liturgy.” 

 Standing the Test of Time  

The rituals of the installation Mass are centuries old. However, beyond the historical aspects of the Mass, Father Velásquez noted its significance as a unifier for the new bishop’s local Church, namely, the Archdiocese of New York. 

“One of the beautiful things about the role of the bishop is that he’s the one who fosters communion within the diocese,” Father Velásquez explained. “So, I think one of the reasons why it stands the test of time is we share in a communion as Church — there is a unity that exists in and through Christ Jesus, who unites us all.  

“And the bishop is one of the successors of the Apostles, so he, in a very real way, in the diocesan family is one of our direct links to Christ because this is a man who we can trace back his lineage and episcopal authority back to one of those Twelve Apostles.”  

After Archbishop Hicks knocks on the cathedral doors to begin the Mass, he will be welcomed inside by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the outgoing archbishop. The knocking on the doors, Father Velásquez explained, “is a way of beautifully symbolizing that the bishop doesn’t just take on the authority by himself or by force, but instead he’s one who’s been sent, and he’s now received by the Church.”  

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Archbishop Hicks will then be offered a crucifix, which he will kiss “to honor Christ,” Father Velásquez said. Archbishop Hicks will then sprinkle Holy Water on everyone around him at the entrance of the cathedral.  

“It’s a reminder of our baptism, but also it’s a reminder that the bishop arrives as one who was baptized like the rest of us,” Father Velásquez said. “The bishop arrives as one who is obedient to Christ and only receives his authority from Christ himself.”  

After Archbishop Hicks sprinkles the Holy Water, the procession will make its way up the Church. Next, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, will read the document issued by Pope Leo XIV appointing Archbishop Hicks as the new archbishop, known as the papal bull. 

After Cardinal Pierre finishes, Archbishop Hicks will present it to the priests, specifically the College of Consultors, the body the bishop consults on governance matters, who will attest that the bull is genuine and legitimate.  

Archbishop Hicks will then display the papal bull throughout the entire cathedral before making his way back to the altar for the official installation. Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Pierre guide Archbishop Hicks to the cathedra, the chair that is the supreme symbol of the authority of the bishop. He will sit in the chair and be handed the crosier — the staff that is one of a bishop’s symbols of office.  

Then, as the official archbishop of New York, people who reflect the entire archdiocese — clergy, religious, laity — will come forward to welcome Archbishop Hicks to the archdiocese. Following that, Mass will continue as usual.  

Something to keep in Mind, Father Velásquez noted, is that when the liturgy first begins, Cardinal Dolan will be presiding, and then, once Archbishop Hicks is installed, he will take over and become the main celebrant for the rest of the liturgy.  

“The whole notion of this celebration is that moment of first welcoming the new archbishop, and then bringing him to his chair, installing him, having him sit down for the first time,” Father Velásquez said. “That is the moment he becomes the archbishop, and then comes the celebration of the Eucharist with the archdiocese for the first time.”  

 An Ecclesial Moment  

The Archdiocese of New York is the metropolitan see of the province. As such, the Dioceses of Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre, and Syracuse are all suffragan sees underneath it.  

Therefore, Archbishop Hicks, as the archbishop of New York, will also become the metropolitan archbishop, which is essentially the head of the province. All the New York State bishops will be present at his installation.  

“It’s not just one local diocese that’s receiving its bishop,” Father Velásquez said, “but it’s the archdiocese, the metropolitan of this area, so that’s a moment, an ecclesial moment for the Church.”