Showing posts with label Archbishop Ronald Hicks. Show all posts

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Archdiocese of New York to settle with abuse victims for $ 800 MM

Church

New York Archdiocese agrees to $800 million settlement over abuse litigation

The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys for around 1,300 people who reported sexual abuse by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement of their legal claims.

Vatican News

An agreement to resolve more than seven years of litigation over clerical sexual abuse would see the Archdiocese of New York pay $800 million to settle claims brought by approximately 1,300 parishioners.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks, Archbishop of New York, confirmed the agreement in an email to clergy on Saturday, October 24.

He noted that it would become final only after the parties signed it, with signing scheduled for the week of November 6.

The settlement follows a framework agreed in May that required the consent of everyone who had filed a claim.

“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” Archbishop Hicks wrote.

He also said the agreement would allow the Archdiocese to devote its full attention once again to its mission: proclaiming the Gospel, caring for the sick and those in need, welcoming strangers, and educating children.

New York passed a law in 2019 that extended the deadline for survivors of child sexual abuse to bring civil lawsuits until age 55. It also provided a temporary opportunity for older survivors to file claims.

The proposed settlement is the second largest involving a Catholic diocese in the United States, after the $880 million agreement reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2024.

Friday, September 11, 2026

"We are never alone"; as we remember 9-11-2026

The"Cross at Ground Zero", a steel beam in the shape of a cross from the World Trade Center site that is part of the permanent exhibition of the 9/11 Museum Memorial

Church

Remembering 9/11, 25 years later: 'We are never alone'

Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks killed almost 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C., Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York recalls the faith that helped people through that day, highlights the memorials to mark the anniversary, and stresses that even in “our tragedies…we are never alone.”

By Kielce Gussie

“Everyone I've talked to remembers exactly where they were 25 years ago,” says Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York, referring to the anniversary marking a quarter of a century since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

FILE PHOTO: Workmen beginning the task of dismantling the destroyed remains of the 7 World Trade Center building in New York, USA on 17 September 2001 (ANSA)

Whether you were working, in school, or not yet born, the events of that day changed aspects of the world.

For Archbishop Hicks, September 11, 2001, started in the classroom during his graduate studies as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois. He remembers how the entire class sat in disbelief after learning the news.

It was an event that affected not only the places where the planes crashed—New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania—but the thousands of people whose lives would never be the same.

Faith in the midst of terror

On a day filled with terror, sadness, and shock, faith, too, was found amid the rubble.

Not only did people find faith on 9/11, but Archbishop Hicks highlights how it became something to rely on. “At the core, when everything is falling apart, people go right back to God, to faith, to hope, to those core things that hold us together as a people,” he explains.

More than 2,900 people were killed on that day alone. Out of the thousands of first responders who charged into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania, hundreds died selflessly trying to save others.

Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain for the New York Fire Department, was one example of these core values in action. “I think what you saw in Father Judge is what happened to so many people,” Archbishop Hicks underlines. “When there's a need, you jump in, and you don't hesitate, and you help…he lost his life, but that is sacrificial love.”

Father Judge became the first certified fatality of the attacks. His name is among the other 2,976 persons forever immortalized in the memorial—made from the steel of the twin towers—in New York.

A community unites

In the city where the two World Trade Center towers once stood, acts of remembrance, services, Masses, and memorials will commemorate the anniversary—from walks of remembrance and wreath-laying ceremonies to dedications and light tributes.

Family members of victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center place flowers in one of two pools in the shapes of the footprints left by the two World Trade Center towers at Ground Zero (ANSA)

But exactly at 8:46 am—the moment 25 years ago when the first plane hit the North Tower—all the church bells in the city will ring as New York goes quiet.

It will be a moment “to stop, to listen, to pray, to not forget, and to do so as a community together with God,” Archbishop Hicks explains.

The archdiocese also held a vigil Mass on the evening of September 10 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of New York City. In the packed church were family members of victims of 9/11, representatives of the New York Police and Fire departments, Port Authority, emergency service workers, civic leaders, humanitarian organizations, priests, and lay people.

The Tribute in Light installation is illuminated over the lower Manhattan skyline ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, in New York

Archbishop Hicks describes the support this unity brings, especially to those who are still grieving 25 years on. “It takes a long time with something of this magnitude. So, coming together in faith and at the Mass, that helps.”

Peace is fragile

Remembering the events of September 11, 2001, also reminds us that peace is fragile. It can only be accomplished if people join together to work for it, overcoming disagreements and challenges.

The attacks ushered in a period of tension. They fractured a sense of fraternity and shed doubts on the sense of stability and peace so painstakingly built after the end of the Cold War.

Just eight weeks after the attacks, St. Pope John Paul II highlighted dialogue as “essential for overcoming tragic conflicts inherited from the past, and for ensuring that ‘the name of the one God become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace.’”

Seven years later, standing at the site of the World Trade Center, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for peace in our violent world. “Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign…”

In 2015, Pope Francis marveled at how such love was shown on that tragic day, remarking on how “here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of, those hidden reserves of strength from which we can draw. In the depths of pain and suffering, you also witnessed the heights of generosity and service. Hands reached out, lives were given.”

The Mass at St. Patrick’s, 25 years after the attacks, was an example of the dialogue and fraternity the pontiffs called for to achieve peace in the world but also in our countries, cities, and families. Catholics, rabbis, imams, Protestant ministers, interreligious and ecumenical groups were all present in the Cathedral, praying and hoping together.

FILE PHOTO: St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, New York (2020 Getty Images)

“[Dialogue] begins with us. We might disagree on a number of issues. It could be about theology, ecclesiology, [or] politics. But we have to take the first step to at least stand together, and to really follow the example of peace,” the archbishop of New York points out.

His entire homily at St. Patrick's centered on the fact that healing and grieving take time. They cannot be swept away. They cannot be ignored. But hope, the archbishop says, is eternal.

“God is with us in the good, in the bad. He is with us in our tragedies, in our joys. We are never abandoned. We are never alone. God was with us 25 years ago. God has been with us during these 25 years. God is with us today. God will continue to be with us tomorrow.”

“We are never abandoned. We are never alone. God was with us 25 years ago. God has been with us during these 25 years. God is with us today. God will continue to be with us tomorrow.”

Thursday, September 10, 2026

Catholics across the United States, New York will remember 9-11-01 on it's 25th anniversary

‘Etched in our minds’: Bishops offer Masses, reflections on landmark anniversary of 9/11 attacks

written by Gina Christian

September 9, 2026

A New York City firefighter attends a Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn, N.Y., marking the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2022. U.S. Catholic bishops are offering Masses, prayers and reflections as the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks Sept. 11, 2026. (OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

(OSV News) — As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. Catholic bishops are offering Masses, prayers and reflections — while also stressing the need to seek peace amid a fractured global landscape.

“Twenty-five years have elapsed since that day and yet the chilling images remain etched in our minds,” said the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the U.S., led by Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of Philadelphia, in a pastoral letter for the occasion issued Sept. 4.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a Sept. 9 statement that “faith lifted us up and sustained us” during the attack and its aftermath.

“As conflicts intensify around the world, let us renew our commitment to be Christ’s instruments of peace in an increasingly fractured and divided world,” he said.

Catholic bishops mark 25th anniversary of 9/11 with prayer

The coordinated attacks began when four commercial aircraft were hijacked by members of the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda and crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Passengers on United Flight 93 overpowered their captors, with the plane crashing near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, rather than reaching a likely target in Washington.

In total, the attacks immediately killed 2,977, including 441 first responders. As of June 30, more than 9,000 tracked by the federal World Trade Center Health Program have died since.

So far, over 57,000 first responders and survivors had been certified to have cancers related to the attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Sept. 8, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released 170,000 pages of documentation — part of a settlement with the independent 911 Health Watch organization — indicating that city officials had knew toxins from the attacks remained long after the air was declared safe.

Ukrainian Catholic bishops call for 9/11 prayer and remembrance

In their pastoral letter, the U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops called on their priests to celebrate a “panakhyda,” a prayer service for the souls of the deceased, for 9/11 victims on either Sept. 11 or 13.

On Sept. 11, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services will be the principal celebrant and homilist for the scheduled 5:15 p.m. Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

In its online announcement of the liturgy, which will be livestreamed at www.nationalshrine.org/mass, the shrine observed that the nation had “gathered in prayer at the Basilica” on the day of the attacks “in shock, in tears, and in prayer.”

Now, said the shrine, “we gather once again to remember those who died, honor the brave first responders and members of our Armed Forces who answered the nation’s call in its aftermath, and entrust to the mercy of God all affected by that tragic day.”

Catholic dioceses across the country plan 9/11 memorial Masses

Bishop Mark L. Bartchak of Altoona-Johnstown, Pennsylvania, will participate along with other faith leaders in a Sept. 11 commemoration at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville. That evening, he will also offer an opening prayer for the city of Altoona’s official marking of the tragedy.

Multiple Masses marking the somber milestone will be offered throughout New York and its surrounding counties, according to The Good Newsroom, the official news outlet of the Archdiocese of New York.

Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York will celebrate a vigil Memorial Mass Sept. 10 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The invitation-only liturgy, which begins at 5 p.m., will be livestreamed.

Masses will also take place at two cemeteries managed by St. Patrick’s Cathedral trustees, Resurrection Cemetery on Staten Island and Calvary Cemetery in Queens. The two are the final resting places, respectively, for 61 and 16 victims of the attacks.

New York parishes remember Catholic first responders killed on 9/11

A family member of retired NYPD detective Luis Alvarez clutches a crucifix following his funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, N.Y., July 3, 2019. Alvarez, a 9/11 first responder and an advocate for 9/11 victims, died June 29 from cancer linked to his work at the New York World Trade Center site. Shortly before his death, Alvarez, 53, pleaded with Congress to extend health benefits for first responders involved in the rescue and recovery efforts following the 2001 terrorist attacks. (OSV News photo/Shannon Stapleton, Reuters)

St. Philip Neri Church in the Bronx will honor three New York firefighters — Lt. Mickey Conboy, Lt. Michael K. Healey and firefighter Donald J. Regan — who responded to the 9/11 attacks. Conboy — who survived the attacks, which claimed the lives of his two colleagues — will be on hand as the church dedicates a plaque honoring all three.

The Good Newsroom noted that during a “terrible fire” at the parish in June 1967, Conboy, Healey and Regan had “risked their lives” to save the Blessed Sacrament. More than three decades later, Healey and Regan died at the World Trade Center on 9/11 while “saving other members of the Body of Christ,” said the news outlet.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut — a state that lost 161 associated individuals to the attacks — will celebrate an evening Mass at St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan, Connecticut, to honor 9/11 victims.

U.S. bishops reflect on lessons of 9/11

In their pastoral letter, the U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops said that Christians “must do more than remember” the horrors of 9/11, and reflect on its profound lessons about evil, goodness and the faith-filled choices that lie between the two.

“September 11 confronts us with the terrible reality of the capacity of fallen humanity for evil,” said the bishops. “When hatred is allowed to take possession of the human heart, when another person is no longer seen as a child of God but as an enemy to be destroyed, the consequences can be horrifying.”

Yet 9/11 also revealed humanity’s “even greater capacity for goodness, courage, compassion, sacrifice and love,” they said. “We saw strangers helping strangers. We saw firefighters climbing stairways toward almost certain death. We saw ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of courage.”

They added that “one of the most important lessons of September 11” is to refuse to despair when “evil seems relentless.”

“Despair is not the language of the Gospel. Hope is,” said the U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops.

And, they said, “in the face of death, we proclaim with confidence the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life.”

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

The newest Archbishop of New York, Ronald Hicks, gives wide-ranging interview to Vatican News soon after receiving the pallium

Vatican

Archbishop Hicks of New York: Don't lose hope, Jesus is on the boat with us

In a wide-ranging interview with Vatican News in Rome after receiving his pallium from Pope Leo, Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York reflects on his time in New York. Observing an increase in young adults re-engaging in the faith, he suggests they are seeking true meaning in life amid 'the brokenness of the world, of what a world looks like when it is not connected to faith, a moral tradition or some values to ground and lead them.'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"I want to ensure that we intentionally help, not only young people, but people of all ages, to come to know, love, and serve the Lord. At the same time, we must continue to be a Church that is not self-referential, but a Church that is on mission and in service to others. That's the type of shepherd that I am striving to be."

Sitting down with Vatican News in Rome after receiving his pallium from Pope Leo, Archbishop Ronald Hicks expressed this as he reflected on his mandate as the Archbishop of New York.

In the wide-ranging interview, the Archbishop reflected on what has surprised him most about New York and New Yorkers, and what they have taught him about the faith. He also discussed what he perceives to be the greatest challenges and opportunities for his Archdiocese in such a one-of-a-kind city, and shared some personal details including how he discovered his vocation, his prayer life, and how the Church and its powerful message can effectively counter a secular society and world.

***

Archbishop Hicks, you received the pallium from Pope Leo in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday. What did that moment mean to you personally, and how does it shape the mission you see before you as Archbishop of New York?

It was a significant moment, especially to be united with the Holy Father. With that pallium placed over my head, and placed over the heads of my brother Metropolitan Archbishops, we are saying we are in unity with, united with, our Holy Father. He gave a beautiful homily about the necessity of unity and, on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, how these two Saints were so different, so diverse, and yet unified with their love for the Lord and in wanting to share His mission. The Holy Father encouraged us to take the example of those two extraordinary leaders in our Church, and be united with him as he leads and shepherds the Church.

You also received the pallium from the first American, first United States-born Pope, also from a nearby Chicago suburb. What emotions did that evoke for you?

Our houses were 14 blocks away, you could ride your bike from back and forth to each other's houses.

I had a lot of emotions, especially of gratitude and awe. It was a holy, sacred, beautiful Mass in which we gathered in St. Peter's around the Eucharist and the whole world was there. I felt very grateful to be part of this Church, of being called to follow our Lord in a specific way, and also grateful to all the people who were accompanying me, not only physically at the Mass, but all those who have promised their prayers. It gave me great joy. It was like having a piece of heaven. I'm grateful for every moment.

Since arriving in New York, what has surprised you most, both about the city and about the people? And what have New Yorkers taught you about the faith?

What surprised me most has been the gracious welcome. So I bought into the stereotype that many New Yorkers would be rough, rude, and fast-paced, and, instead, I have received this gracious welcome, not only from Catholics, but from New Yorkers all over. I can go in and buy a slice of pizza and the person behind the counter will recognize me and say, "Are you the new one?" I said, "Yes, I'm the new one." He said, "Well, welcome to New York. Congratulations. We're happy that you're here."

It's been that type of welcome that I have received and I've done nothing really to earn that welcome, but it's been gracious and given freely and I'm very grateful for it.

What have I learned? What I've learned from that is: one, don't stereotype people until you experience them for yourself; two, that New York is a microcosm of the world. It's like we say in the Church, 'Here comes everybody.' That is true for the Archdiocese of New York, everyone has a different story. What I love so far is how much they love New York, how much they love the Archdiocese, how much they love the Church, how much they love Jesus, and together want to do something good, perhaps even for the common good.

Every Archbishop encounters challenges unique to his local Church. New York in many ways is a city like no other. What have been and what are some of the greatest challenges? And what do you see as being some of the greatest opportunities?

Like any Diocese in the world, we have a lot of challenges, and I am not going to go into all the challenges that we have currently, that we, in a very intentional way, are addressing. However, as I look at all of those challenges that have been given to me and that exist, I also see the opportunities. I see New York, like so many places across the country and the world, that there is a re-engagement in the faith, especially among young adults.

Because New York is a center of so many young adults, we're seeing that in real ways. Young people in their 20s and 30s are going back to Church, looking for community, wanting to serve and don't know how to do it. They want to make the world a better place and they can turn to the Church who knows how to put faith into action, and to serve and to volunteer. It gives them a structure for it. I look at all those real opportunities. While we are engaged in this, I also want to make sure we are concentrating on formation, education, catechesis, and also evangelization. I want to ensure that we take this moment and help intentionally, not only young people, but people of all ages, to come to know, love, and serve the Lord. At the same time, we must continue to be a Church that is not self-referential, but a Church that is on mission and in service to others. That's the type of shepherd that I am striving to be. As I listened to Pope Leo address us, I see that's the type of shepherd he is calling us to be. I feel that my heart is very much united to his heart.

If I may ask you a more personal question, how did you discover your vocation?

There is some data out there that most priests can describe one person who asked them to consider either studying for the priesthood or entering the seminary. Like so many, I can identify that one person. When I was in sixth grade, there was a priest who was newly ordained that we thought was just ... Well, he was a hero to all of us. And this 'hero' of mine said, "I think you'd be a great priest and I think you should consider going to the high school seminary." That wasn't on my radar. That is not what I was thinking of doing when I was in sixth grade, but because he saw something in me and asked, all of a sudden the seed was planted. From that experience, I entered the seminary at age 14 and continued to be in the seminary system and be formed, also with missionary work throughout the seminary and throughout my priesthood. It is thanks to someone who asked, someone who supported, people who prayed for me and built a system that educated and formed me, and ultimately launched me out on mission, as a priest. For all the steps along the way, I realize that does not happen by chance. You actually have to make it, grow it and own it. For everyone who has made that whole journey possible for me and for so many others who have gone on to the priesthood, I am nothing but grateful.

Turning a little to your own spirituality, are there certain prayers or devotions, or something in particular, that you turn to?

I love the Eucharist and I love the celebration of Mass. As a diocesan priest, that Eucharist, that celebration of the Holy Sacrifice, is at the center of my prayer. But at the same time, I also need to have a way of uniting my heart with the heart of Jesus so that I can do the will of the Father. I want to follow the example of our mother, Mary, who showed how to do the Father's will perfectly in her life, from the very beginning, with all of her yeses along the way. To do that, I need to be grounded in prayer. As a Bishop, I make sure there's not a single day that goes by where I have not spent time in prayer. It just cannot be just a couple of minutes, where you say a couple of Hail Marys and then a couple of Our Fathers and you're done. It is taking some time in quiet through the Liturgy of the Hours. It's through that. It's also spending some quality time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic adoration, and making sure that in those quiet moments, again, I am listening to the Holy Spirit, opening my heart, uniting it with Jesus, and really asking to do the Father's will.

Society often sends conflicting messages. Pope Leo, following his predecessors, and in particular, Pope Benedict XVI, have spoken about the challenge of relativism... How can the Church engage with an increasingly secular culture, and help people find meaning through the Truth, particularly in a city like New York?

I think sometimes we have a false humility, and because of the false humility, we refuse to share any of our faith outside of our own private prayer life or what we do in Mass, that our faith then gets put on a shelf and then we go live with our families and in our neighborhoods and go to work and they're not connected at all. I think we have to get beyond that. I think our faith has to be integrated. None of us want to proselytize or beat other people up with a bat with our faith over their head, but we're called to be evangelizers and to help introduce Jesus Christ and salvation through Him to others. Therefore, we have to look for opportunities for prayer, even outside of Church with other groups. We must start, or continue to find opportunities for this.

I believe that the reason why we are seeing an increase in young adults re-engaging in the faith is they've seen some of the brokenness of the world, of what a world looks like when it is not connected to faith or to a moral tradition, or to some values or virtues that ground you and lead you, of a world that says 'Just do whatever you want, think whatever you want. Your happiness is your happiness, mine is mine.' There has to be something more. Young people are looking for that right now, and they're finding that in the Church.

Many Americans feel anxious or uncertain about the future. As a pastor, what message of hope would you like to share with them?

Never lose hope. Jesus is always in the boat with us. In today's Gospel, we were reminded that there are storms, the torments, the waves, and Jesus is asleep... And it doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't care. It means that Jesus is at perfect peace, that He shares that peace with all of us, all of us who follow Him.

Thus, my message is that in all of the problems and the torments, and in all of the suffering and issues and challenges that we have, never lose sight of that hopeful message that Jesus is in the boat with us. He'll never abandon us, and He leads us on mission. All He does is invite us to follow Him and to live that faith.

abitadeacon