Several thousand members of New York City’s Catholic faithful flocked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan for midnight Mass on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2025, to attend one of the last Masses presided over by outgoing Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, accepted Dolan’s resignation on Dec. 18.
See the gallery below for photos from the service, and read on to learn more about what comes next for Dolan and the Archdiocese of New York.
Why did Cardinal Dolan resign?
Dolan confirmed he had submitted a letter of resignation to the late Pope Francis following his 75th birthday back in February.
Francis had made the resignations of Cardinals mandatory at the age of 75 in 2014, but with a shortage of priests and ordained personnel in the Catholic Church, many Cardinals are allowed to serve months or years past their terms. However, according to a report from USA TODAY, Cardinals must step down from their roles by the time they turn 80.
The leadership change comes as the archdiocese is seeking $300 million to settle over 1,300 claims of child sex abuse by priests and other Catholic Church staff. Several churches in the Lower Hudson Valley and across the state have filed for bankruptcy or sold their properties to make up for the money.
Who is replacing Dolan as Archbishop of New York?
Bishop Ron Hicks of Joliet, Illinois has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to be the next leader of the Archdiocese of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan following his retirement. He will be installed as the Archbishop Feb. 6, according to media reports.
The appointment was announced Dec. 18, by the Archdiocese of New York after days of speculation. Hicks, 58, hails from the same state as Leo, the first-ever elected U.S.-born Pope and has a similar background in Latin American missionary work after spending 5 years as regional director for a parish in El Salvador.
Hicks said that him and the Pope even grew up 14 blocks away from each other in the suburbs of Chicago.
“As someone who has dedicated a portion of my priesthood to serving in Latin America, I have a deep affinity with the Holy Father and a tremendous respect and confidence in his leadership,” Hicks said.
Contributing: lohud’s Seth Harrison
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Outgoing Cardinal Timothy Dolan presides over Christmas Mass in NYC
Reporting by Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
