Bishop R. Luke Concanen, O.P. (1808-1810) was the first Bishop of the Diocese of New York. He was born in Ireland on December 27, 1747. At the age of 17, he fled his native land to make his way to Italy. 

On December 22, 1770, he was ordained a Dominican priest at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. For the subsequent 35 years, Father Concanen held numerous positions of leadership in the Order of Preachers, all the while serving as an "agent" in the Vatican for several bishops in England, Ireland and the United States, one of them being Bishop Carroll of Baltimore. 

On April 24, 1808, Father Concanen was named a Bishop. 

 On June 19, 1810, Bishop Concanen died in Naples after French naval officers prohibited him from boarding a ship destined for New York. Bishop Concanen was buried the next day in a Neapolitan church dedicated to St. Joseph where few, if any, even knew who he was. 

Bishop John Connolly, O.P. (1814-1825) was born in Ireland in 1750. At an early age, he joined the Dominican Order. He was sent to Rome, where, after his ordination to the priesthood, he became professor at St. Clement's, theologian of the Minerva, agent of the Irish Bishops, and Prior of St. Clement's. Both Pius VI and Pius VII held him in high esteem. By his influence he saved the Irish, Scotch, English colleges, as well as his own convent, church, and library from being plundered by French invaders. 

He was nominated Bishop of New York as successor to Bishop Concanen. He was consecrated in Rome, November 6, 1814, but did not reach New York until November 24, 1815. The diocese at that time included the regions of New York and a part of New Jersey, for which there were only four priests. He built several churches, founded an orphan asylum, and introduced the Sisters of Charity. Actively interested in religious progress throughout the country, he advocated the idea of a diocese in every state as the best means of promoting the cause of the Church. 

Despite complex years and unpleasant circumstances, he did the fruitful work of both bishop and missionary until the day of his death on February 6, 1825.

Bishop John Dubois, S.S. (1826-1842) was born in France on August 24, 1764. His early education was received at home until he was prepared to enter the College Louis-le-Grand. Archbishop de Juigné of Paris ordained him as a priest at the Oratorian Seminary of St-Magloire on September 22, 1787. 

He was appointed as an assistant to the curé of St-Sulpice, and chaplain to the Sisters of Charity (Hospice des Petites Maisons). In May 1791, he was forced to leave France due to the French Revolution and escaped in disguise to America. 

On the death of the Rt. Rev. John Connolly, second Bishop of New York, Father Dubois was chosen as his successor. He was consecrated the third Bishop of New York by Archbishop Ambrose Maréchal in Baltimore on October 28, 1826. Three days later he took possession of his diocese, which covered the whole State of New York and half the State of New Jersey. The Catholic population was about 150,000, eighteen priests, and some twelve churches. 

Bishop Dubois died on December 20, 1842. His body rests in the crypt of Saint Patrick’s old Cathedral in New York. 

John Joseph Hughes (1797-1864) was born in County Tyrone, Ireland on June 24, 1797, and followed his parents to the United States in 1817. His family settled in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1819 when he moved to Mount Saint Mary's College. Initially employed as a gardener at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmetsburg, Maryland, he was admitted as a student under Bishop John Dubois.

He was ordained a priest on October 15, 1826, and consecrated a Bishop on January 7, 1838, with the Titular See of Basileopolis. On December 20, 1842, he became the fourth Bishop of New York. 

On July 19, 1850, John Joseph Hughes became the first Archbishop of New York when the diocese was elevated to the status of Archdiocese. 

As an avid campaigner on behalf of Irish immigrants, he attempted to secure State support for religious schools but unfortunately failed. He founded an independent Catholic school system, which was taken into the Catholic Church's core at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884. It was mandated that all Parishes have a parochial school and all Catholic children be sent to those schools. He also founded Manhattan College, Saint John's College (today known as Fordham University), Mount Saint Vincent and Marymount College. He was also responsible for beginning the construction of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. 

Archbishop Hughes died on January 3, 1864. His body was laid in Saint Patrick’s old Cathedral. He was exhumed and interred in the crypt under the altar of the new Cathedral of Saint Patrick. 

John Cardinal McCloskey, (1810-1885) was born to Irish immigrants Patrick McCloskey and Elizabeth Hassan in Brooklyn, believed to be the second of ten children. He attended Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmetsburg, Maryland, but his schooling was interrupted by an accident that resulted in temporary blindness. 

Following his graduation on January 12, 1834, he became the first New York-born priest. He also became the first President of Saint John’s College. In 1843, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of New York with the Titular See of Axiere. By April 1847, the New York Archdiocese had grown so large that it was divided, creating dioceses in Albany and Buffalo. He was selected to head the Albany diocese. 

In May 1864, he received official notice from Pope Pius IX of his appointment as the second Archbishop of New York. In 1875, he was elevated becoming the first American Cardinal. On May 25, 1879, he dedicated the newly-constructed Cathedral of Saint Patrick. 

John Cardinal McCloskey died on October 10, 1885, and is interred in the crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. 

Archbishop Michael Augustine Corrigan (1885-1902) Born on August 13, 1839, in Newark, New Jersey, he was the fifth of nine children of Thomas and Mary English Corrigan who emigrated from Ireland. He attended St. Mary's College in Wilmington, Delaware from 1853-1855 and Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmetsburg, Maryland from 1855-1857. He spent a year in Europe and ultimately received his baccalaureate from Mount Saint Mary's in 1859. Afterward, he attended the North American College in Rome and was ordained to the priesthood in 1863. 

In 1864, he received a Doctorate of Divinity and returned to New Jersey, where he served as a Professor of Theology and History at Seton Hall College and at the Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange. When the President of Seton Hall Bernard J. McQuaid assumed his duties as Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in 1869, Corrigan succeeded him as President, also becoming the Vicar General of the Diocese of Newark. In 1872, Corrigan succeeded James Roosevelt Bayley as Bishop of Newark, becoming the second ordinary of the diocese. 

On October 1, 1880, Corrigan was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of New York with the Titular See of Petra. On October 10, 1885, he succeeded John Cardinal McCloskey as Archbishop of New York. Archbishop Corrigan executed the construction of Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, which was one of his best accomplishments. Archbishop Corrigan died on May 5, 1902, and he is interred in the crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick.   

John Cardinal Murphy Farley (1902-1918) was born in Newtown-Hamilton, County Armagh, Ireland on April 20, 1842. He was ordained a priest in 1870. 

In 1895, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, and on September 15, 1902, he was appointed Archbishop of New York. On November 27, 1911, the Holy Father elevated him to Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church with the Titular Church of Saneta Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome, serving until his death on September 17, 1918. He is interred in the crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. 

Patrick Cardinal Hayes (1919-1938) was an American prelate, the eighth bishop (fifth archbishop) of the Archdiocese of New York. He was born in New York on November 20, 1867, and attended La Salle Academy on the Lower East Side. He was ordained priest on September 8, 1892. 

He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York on July 3, 1914, and was ordained a bishop on October 28, 1914, with the Titular see of Tagaste. On November 24, 1917, he was appointed prelate of the present-day Archdiocese for the Military Services, and appointed Archbishop of New York on March 10, 1919. In a Christmas pastoral letter in 1921, Archbishop Hayes strongly condemned abortion, contraception, and divorce. 

On March 24, 1924, he was elevated to Cardinal and he served as Archbishop of New York until his death on September 4, 1938. He is interred in the crypt under the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

Francis Cardinal Spellman (1939-1967) was the ninth bishop and sixth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. He was born on May 4, 1889, in Whitman, Massachusetts. He studied at Fordham College in New York and the North American College in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood by Patriarch Giuseppe Ceppetelli on May 14, 1916. 

Spellman continued his pastoral work in Boston until 1918, when he became Assistant Chancellor. He served as a representative of the Secretariat of State in the Roman Curia from 1925 to 1932. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor on October 4, 1926, by Pope Pius XI. From 1924 to 1935, he also served as editor of The Boston Pilot. 

On July 30, 1932, Spellman was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Boston and Titular Bishop of Sila. His episcopal consecration occurred on September 8, 1933, at the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. His was the first consecration of an American bishop ever to be held at St. Peter's. 

In 1946, Spellman was elevated a cardinal by Pope Piux XII where he served as Archbishop of New York until his death on December 2, 1967. 

Terence James Cardinal Cooke (1968-1983) was born in New York City, the youngest of three children. After expressing an early interest in the priesthood, Terence Cooke entered Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie in 1940. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Francis Spellman on December 1, 1945. 

While he was serving in the Bronx and as Chaplain at Saint Agatha’s Home for Children, he pursued his graduate studies in Social Work at the University of Chicago and at the Catholic University of America, where he obtained a Master’s degree. From 1949 to 1954, Cooke taught at Fordham University's School of Social Service and was appointed Director of the Youth Division of Catholic Charities. Afterward, he served as Procurator of Saint Joseph’s Seminary. In 1957, he was selected by Frances Cardinal Spellman to serve as his secretary. His Holiness named Cooke a Privy Chamberlain. He was also named Vice-Chancellor for the Archdiocese of New York before rising to the status of Chancellor in 1961.

On September 15, 1965, Cooke was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of New York and Titular Bishop of Summa by Pope Paul VI. He played a prominent role in arranging Paul VI's visit to New York and became Vicar General of the Archdiocese of New York two days after his consecration on December 15, 1965. 

On March 2, 1968, Cooke was named the seventh Archbishop of New York. On April 4, 1968, he was also named Archbishop for the Military Services. On April 28, 1969, Pope Paul VI elevated Cooke as Cardinal. During his tenure as Archbishop of New York, he founded nine nursing homes, Courage International, Birthright, Inner-City Scholarship Fund, Archdiocesan Housing Development Program, and Catholic New York. 

In 1975, Cardinal Cooke was diagnosed with terminal leukemia. He revealed his illness to the public in 1983. On October 6, 1983, Cardinal Cooke died from his battle with leukemia. He is interred in the crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. In 1984, Father Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR, was named Postulator of the Cause of Canonization by John Cardinal O'Connor, and in 1992, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints officially designated Cardinal Cooke a “Servant of God.”

John Cardinal O’Connor (1984-2000) was born on January 15, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Thomas J. and Dorothy M. Gomple O’Connor. He attended West Catholic High School for Boys and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He was ordained priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on December 15, 1945. 

O’Connor held a Master of Arts Degrees in Advanced Ethics and Clinical Psychology, a Ph.D. in Political Science. He did additional graduate studies in English, History and Literature, and taught at St. James High School, St. John’s Night School for Adults, and Ravenhill Academy. As a young priest, he produced and aired two Catholic radio news programs in Philadelphia. 

Cardinal O’Connor served as Chaplain in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. He was Chief of Chaplains from 1975-1979. He retired from the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral on June 1, 1979. 

He was ordained a Bishop on May 27, 1979, at St. Peter’s in Rome by Pope John Paul II. He was assigned as an Auxiliary Bishop to the Military Vicar and became Vicar General of the Military Vicariate in 1979, serving through 1983. He was appointed Bishop of Scranton in May 1983. 

He was appointed Archbishop of New York on January 31, 1984, and installed on March 19, 1984. He was created Cardinal on May 23, 1985. On June 1, 1991, he founded the Sisters of Life, a new religious community dedicated to protecting and enhancing all human life. Cardinal O'Connor served on a number of councils and congregations in Rome, and in various capacities in the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also served as officer or member of a variety of ecclesiastical and civic organizations. 

He served as Archbishop of New York until his death on May 3, 2000. He is interred in the crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick. 

Edward Cardinal Egan (2000-2009) was born on April 2, 1932, in Oak Park, Illinois to Thomas J. and Genevieve Costello Egan. Having earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, he was sent to Rome to complete his seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College in Vatican City where he was ordained on December 15, 1957. 

After ordination, he returned to the United States in 1958, where he served briefly as a curate at Holy Name Cathedral Parish and later as assistant chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago and secretary to Albert Cardinal Meyer.  In 1964, he earned a doctorate in Canon Law "Summa Cum Laude" from the Pontifical Gregorian University and thereafter returned to Chicago.

Cardinal Egan was consecrated a bishop on May 22, 1985, in the Basilica of Saints John and Paul in Rome by Bernardin Cardinal Gantin. Cardinal Egan served as Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Education of the Archdiocese of New York from 1985 to 1988.  On November 8, 1988, Pope John Paul II appointed Cardinal Egan to be the Third Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. He was installed on December 14, 1988. 

On May 11, 2000, Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of New York.  On January 21, 2001, Pope John Paul II announced that Cardinal Egan was to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. 

Cardinal Egan guided the Archdiocese of New York through the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001, ministering to the dying, injured, and survivors. In April 2005, Cardinal Egan participated in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI. He hosted Pope Benedict XVI during his visit in April 2008. 

Benedict XVI accepted Cardinal Egan’s resignation in February 2009, making him the first Archbishop of New York to retire. After retirement, he served as Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of New York, and remained active as a priest and bishop until his death in 2015. He is interred in the crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan (2009-2025) was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009. He had served as Archbishop of Milwaukee, appointed there by Pope Saint John Paul II on June 25, 2002.

Born February 6, 1950, Cardinal Dolan was the first of five children born to Shirley and Robert Dolan. His education began at Holy Infant Parish School in Ballwin, Missouri, and continued through the high school and college seminaries in Saint Louis. He then completed his priestly formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he earned a License in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on June 19, 1976, he served as associate pastor at Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights, Mo., until 1979 when he began studies for a doctorate in American Church History at The Catholic University of America. 

On his return to Saint Louis, Cardinal Dolan again served in parish ministry from 1983-87, and then was appointed to a five-year term as secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. When he returned to St. Louis in 1992, he was appointed vice-rector and professor of Church History at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, as well as an adjunct professor of theology at Saint Louis University.   

In 1994, he was appointed rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he remained until June 2001. While in Rome, he also served as a visiting professor of Church History both at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. 

On June 19, 2001 – – the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood – – then Monsignor Dolan was named the Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis by Pope Saint John Paul II, choosing for his Episcopal motto the profession of faith of St. Peter: Ad Quem Ibimus, “To Whom Shall We Go?” (Jn 6:68).   

Cardinal Dolan served as chairman of Catholic Relief Services, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.

Cardinal Dolan completed a three year term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in November, 2013.  He also completed terms as chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life activities and the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty. 

On January 6, 2012, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI announced that Timothy Dolan was to be appointed to the College of Cardinals. He currently serves as a member of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, and the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Dolan participated in the Conclave that elected Pope Francis in March, 2013. He also participated in the Conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV in May, 2025.