​Father Michael Hickin grew up in Akron, Ohio, and attended seminary in Rome, Italy and Washington, D.C. He was ordained in 1997 and spent his first two years in Fargo serving the parish at St. Mary's Cathedral and the Chancery Office as the director of the Office of Catechism.

He spent the next four years on the faculty of Pontifical College Josephinum Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, where he was a professor of theology and French and served also as the dean of men and director of pastoral formation.

Six years after ordination, Father Michael decided to explore religious life with a Jesuit-inspired community in Rome.  Prior to Father Hickin becoming associated with the Fargo Diocese, he spent a few years in France with some monastic communities.

In 2004, he felt God moving him back to parish life and he returned to North Dakota to pastor St. Cecilia's Church in Harvey, serving too St. Anthony's in Selz.  In those years, Bishop Aquila sent him to Chicago where he continued his education in the study of spiritual direction.

In 2009, the North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, called and asked Father Michael to join the faculty as a spiritual director, where he served for the next five years, spending his summers in Harvey and helping Trinity Youth Camp as a chaplain.

In 2014, Bishop Folda assigned him to St. Mark's and St. Andrew's Churches, where he is pleased to be located.

“I am happy to be here,” Father Michael said. “As a spiritual director you wear one hat. But, as a pastor here on the prairie I get to wear lots of different hats and deal with God’s people in a great variety of ways with lots of irons in the fire. I like this kind of life.”

Father Michael serves the Catholic congregations in Bottineau, Westhope and Lake Metigoshe.