Pope Francis names Auxiliary Bishop Ronald Hicks, vicar general of Archdiocese of Chicago, as Bishop of Diocese of Joliet

Pope Francis names Auxiliary Bishop Ronald Hicks, vicar general of Archdiocese of Chicago, as Bishop of Diocese of Joliet

Pope Francis today announced that he has named Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago, as the sixth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Ill. Pope Francis had previously accepted the resignation of Bishop Emeritus R. Daniel Conlon and had named Bishop Richard E. Pates as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese until a new bishop could be appointed. Bishop Hicks, 52, will be installed at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, Ill. on September 29, 2020.
Bishop Pates of Joliet issues statement of compassion and solidarity with the incarcerated during pandemic

Bishop Pates of Joliet issues statement of compassion and solidarity with the incarcerated during pandemic

Bishop Richard E. Pates, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet, today called on state corrections officials to ease the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois prisons by releasing some prisoners early, distributing masks and cleaning supplies among inmates and staff, and issuing accurate infection data. He also urged the shuttering of a reopened unit of Stateville Correctional Center.