Ronald Aldon Hicks (born August 4, 1967) is an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who has been serving as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

for the

Diocese of Joliet The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois ( la, Diœcesis Joliettensis in Illinois) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the state of Illinois in the United States. The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois is a suff ...

in Illinois since 2020. Hicks previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

in Illinois from 2018 to 2020.

Biography

Early life

Born on August 4, 1967, in

Harvey, Illinois Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor, Illinois, Dixmoor and Riverdale, Illinois, R ...

, Ronald Hicks grew up in

South Holland, Illinois South Holland is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, within Thornton Township. The population was 21,465 at the 2020 census. History The area currently occupied by South Holland, Illinois, was first ...

. He was attending St. Jude the Apostle School in

when he started considering the priesthood. Hicks later attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South in Chicago. After graduation, Hicks spent a year volunteering for the organization

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), literally meaning ''Our little brothers and sisters'', is a charitable organization that has provided a home for thousands of orphans and abandoned children since 1954. Currently there are NPH homes in nine Latin ...

(Our Little Brothers) at one of their orphanages in Mexico. Hicks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...

and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois.

Priesthood

Hicks was ordained a priest by Cardinal

Joseph Bernardin Joseph Louis Bernardin (April 2, 1928 – November 14, 1996) was an American Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1972 until 1982, and as Archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until his death in 1996 from ...

for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 21, 1994. His first posting after ordination was as an associate pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...

, for two years. He then served at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in

Orland Hills, Illinois Orland Hills (formerly Westhaven) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 6,893. Geography Orland Hills is located between Orland Park and Tinley Park. Orland Hills has two lakes: Lake Ashbou ...

, for three years. In 1999, Hicks was appointed as dean of formation at St. Joseph College Seminary in Chicago. In 2005, Hicks moved to

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

to serve as regional director for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos facilities in Latin America. After five years there, Hicks returned to Illinois to become dean of formation at Mundelein Seminary. On January 1, 2015, then Archbishop

Blase J. Cupich Blase Joseph Cupich ( ; March 19, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, a cardinal who serves as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Cupich was ordained a priest there in 1975. He was named ...

appointed Hicks

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

for the archdiocese.

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

On July 3, 2018,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Hicks as titular bishop of

Munatiana Munatiana was an ancient Roman- Berber civitas located in the province of Byzacena in the present-day Sahel region of Tunisia. The former town was also the seat of an old Christian diocese, which remains a titular bishopric of the Roman Catholic ...

and auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago. On September 17, 2018, Hicks was consecrated by Cardinal Cupich, with Bishop Francis J. Kane and Bishop George J. Rassas serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of Joliet

On July 17, 2020, Pope Francis named Hicks as the bishop of the Diocese of Joliet. He was installed in the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet on September 29, 2020; the congregation was limited to 20% of capacity because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet Official Site

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Official Site
1967 births Living people People from Harvey, Illinois Catholics from Illinois 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Bishops appointed by Pope Francis {{US-RC-bishop-stub