Lucia served as a parochial vicar in several parishes, including Saint Mary's Cathedral, over the next eight years. From 1997-1999 he studied for and received a license in canon law from the University of St. Thomas in Rome.
After returning to New York, Lucia administrated Saint Mary Parish in Canton, and served as adjutant secretary of the diocesan tribunal and part-time chaplain of Gouverneur Correctional Facility.
Over the years Lucia has also served as particular secretary to the bishop and vice-chancellor, adjutant judicial vicar, director of seminarians, and chancellor and episcopal vicar for Diocesan Services.
From 2000 to 2006 and from 2016 to 2019, the priest has been diocesan director of vocations. He has also served as director of seminarians.
He has been pastor at six parishes in the Diocese of Ogdensburg, most recently Saint Mary Parish in Waddington and Saint John the Baptist in Madrid.
Lucia has been judicial vicar since 2017, and understands Spanish, Italian, and French, in addition to English.
The date of the bishop-elect's ordination and installation as the 11th bishop of Syracuse will be announced soon and will take place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse.
Lucia and Cunningham will hold a joint press conference and celebrate Mass together June 4.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.