Greetings from New York! I am in the Big Apple for Vespers this evening and the Installation Mass tomorrow of Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks as the successor of Cardinal Timothy Dolan who became the archbishop in 2009. When the cardinal turned 75 on February 6, 2025, he sent a letter of resignation to Pope Francis as is mandated by Canon Law. Francis died in April, 2025. Pope Leo accepted Dolan’s resignation and named his successor, Bishop Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, in December 2025.
Though a Chicagoan, I have, over the years, been friends with three of Bishop Hick’s predecessors in New York, namely, Cardinals O’Connor, Egan and Dolan, whom I have known for 32 years. So many great stories with all three! I am in New York as much for that friendship with Dolan as I am for his successor, Bishop Hicks. I’m fairly sure we have some friends in common in Chicago and hope to learn that in these days.
Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, IL (L), will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan (R) as the new leader of the Archdiocese of New York and its 2.8 million Catholics beginning next year. Photo by Dean Moses for AM
I am blessed to have a great number of friends in New York and have plans to see almost everyone for breakfast, lunch or dinner and in between! I’ll try to keep you posted on people, places and events as best I can in this column but be sure to check in with me on facebook.com/joan.lewis.10420 and also on X @joansrome
In fact, I’ll be posting on FB some photos I took yesterday in a taxi of the miles and miles of snow, piled high wherever you look, piles that range from 1 foot to 6 or more feet high! This is the snow that was plowed off the streets 10 days ago but has not melted as temperatures have been too low!
Stay tuned! And say a prayer for Cardinal Dolan and for his successor, Archbishop-elect Hicks! (He officially becomes Archbishop Hicks tomorrow at his installation Mass)
POPE’S FEBRUARY PRAYER INTENTION: ‘FOR CHILDREN WITH INCURABLE DISEASES’
Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for the month of Feburary, and invites Catholics to pray with him to recognize the face of God in every suffering child.
By Devin Watkins
“Lord Jesus, who welcomed the little ones in your arms and blessed them tenderly, today we bring before you the children living with incurable illnesses.”
Pope Leo XIV opened his monthly Pray with the Pope video with that prayer for suffering children.
He recalled that their “fragile bodies” are a sign of Jesus’ presence and that their smiles in the midst of pain bear witness to God’s Kingdom.
“We ask you, Lord, that they may never lack proper medical care, human and compassionate attention, and the support of a community that accompanies them with love.”
Pope Leo prayed for the families of children who are ill and for their caregivers and doctors, expressing his hope that the Holy Spirit may enlighten their decisions and grant them patience and tenderness.
“Lord, teach us to recognize your face in every suffering child,” he said. “May their vulnerability awaken our compassion, and move us to care, accompany, and love with concrete gestures of solidarity.”
In conclusion, Pope Leo invited Catholics to pray that the Church may know how to uphold fragility and become a source of comfort in the midst of suffering.
Millions praying for suffering children
A press release by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which organizes the Pray with the Pope initiative, said Pope Leo is carrying suffering children in his heart this month.
The video accompanying his prayer intention was recorded in the Church of St. Pellegrino in the Vatican. As he speaks, the Pope can be seen holding drawings from children suffering from different illnesses who are being cared for at the Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital in Rome.
According to the World Health Organization, around 400,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with cancer each year, making it one of the leading causes of infant and adolescent death.
UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, says over 2.1 billion children and teenagers under 20 are affected by chronic illnesses or long-term health conditions. Around 1 million children under 20 die each year due to these illnesses.
As Fr. Cristóbal Fones, Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, said, “It fills us with hope knowing that more than 20 million people in more than 90 countries are joining in prayer for this intention. It means that this challenging and difficult reality touches their hearts and deepens their commitment.”
For the very moving video of Pope Leo reciting his prayer intention: Pope’s February prayer intention: ‘For children with incurable diseases’ – Vatican News
Pope Leo’s prayer for children with incurable diseases:
Lord Jesus, who welcomed the little ones in your arms and blessed them tenderly, today we bring before you the children living with incurable illnesses.
Their fragile bodies are a sign of your presence, and their smiles, even in the midst of pain, are a testimony of your Kingdom.
We ask you, Lord, that they may never lack proper medical care,
human and compassionate attention, and the support of a community that accompanies them with love.
Sustain their families in hope, in the midst of weariness and uncertainty, and make of them witnesses of a faith that grows stronger through trial.
Bless the hands of doctors, nurses, and caregivers, so that their work may always be an expression of active compassion. May your Spirit enlighten them in every difficult decision, and grant them patience and tenderness to serve with dignity.
Lord, teach us to recognize your face in every suffering child.
May their vulnerability awaken our compassion, and move us to care, accompany, and love with concrete gestures of solidarity.
Make of us a Church that, animated by the feelings of your Heart
and moved by prayer and service,knows how to uphold fragility,
and in the midst of suffering, becomes a source of comfort,
a seed of hope, and a proclamation of new life.
Amen.
Joan's Rome 