In his first Easter as Archbishop of New York, Archbishop Ronald Hicks welcomed new members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil the Holy Night of Easter Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday. 

Opening the Mass in the cathedral’s vestibule, Archbishop Hicks blessed the new fire, the light of the Risen Christ, in a darkened sanctuary, as thousands of the faithful looked on. 

Archbishop Hicks prayed that the faithful would be “inflamed with heavenly desire” as they entered into the Paschal mysteries of the night. “May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds,” he said, leading the procession toward the altar. 

The faithful slowly lit slender, individual candles they held, creating a wave of light that followed the archbishop as he and the Mass’s concelebrants made their way up the cathedral’s central aisle. 

The first 40 minutes of the nearly two-hour Mass were conducted by candlelight. Only the lectern was illuminated by artificial light. 

A homily on belonging 

In his homily, Archbishop Hicks reflected on his 57 days as archbishop, weaving a personal story about his growing sense of belonging in New York into the evening’s central theme. “When I arrived, I arrived as a tourist,” he said. “I really was lost in the beginning.” 

The archbishop recounted a walk to Central Park the previous evening, during which a woman with a suitcase stopped him to ask for directions to the Hilton Midtown. “I thought, ‘Oh, no,'” he said. “I can’t give anyone directions.” But he was able to point her the right way, and the moment crystallized something for him. “It felt great to give directions on how to get somewhere to someone else, to share this belonging with someone else, and send her in the right direction,” he said. “My friends, that’s what we are all called to do in our baptism, not only live our faith for ourselves, but share it.” 

Addressing the dozens of new Catholics who would be received into the Church that night through baptism, confirmation, and first Communion, Archbishop Hicks offered them a message of welcome and assurance. “When you enter into these mysteries through these sacraments, you belong,” he said. “You belong to Jesus, you belong to God, and you belong to His Church. And the beautiful thing is, once you belong, it’s forever. It’s forever. It’s for eternity that God gives us the gift of eternal life.” To all of those entering the Church that night, he added, “a congratulations, a warm welcome, and know that you belong.” 

The archbishop then welcomed the new catechumens, performing the sacraments of baptism and confirmation as necessary, before all later received their first Communion. Over 3,500 new catechumens joined the Church in the Archdiocese of New York this Easter season, the archdiocese announced last week. 

In his closing remarks, Archbishop Hicks said, “If we could just take a moment to express to all those who joined our Church fully tonight our love, our congratulations, and our prayers and our support to all of you,” followed by warm applause from those in attendance. He also thanked all those who prepared and served at the Mass, including lectors and musicians, along with everyone who joined via SiriusXM’s broadcast and via livestream.