The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence ( la, Dioecesis Providentiensis) is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The diocese was erected by Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

on February 17, 1872 and originally comprised the entire

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and the counties of Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket in the state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. On March 12, 1904, those four counties were separated from the Diocese of Providence to form the

Diocese of Fall River The Diocese of Fall River ( la, Dioecesis Riverormensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church spanning Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoise ...

, Massachusetts, leaving the Diocese of Providence with just the state of Rhode Island. The diocese is suffragan to the

Archdiocese of Hartford The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in the U.S. State of Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 470,000 Catholics, more ...

and a part of the ecclesiastical province that includes that archdiocese and the suffragan dioceses of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

and

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. The Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

is the mother church of the diocese of Providence. The Most Reverend

Thomas Joseph Tobin Thomas Joseph Tobin (born April 1, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island since 2005. Tobin previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Young ...

, former Bishop of

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

, Ohio, is the eighth, and current, Bishop of Providence.

History

Before its creation as a separate diocese, the area that is now the Diocese of Providence was part of the Diocese of Hartford. The first bishop was Irish-born

Thomas Francis Hendricken Thomas Francis Hendricken (May 5, 1827 – June 11, 1886) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island from 1872 until his death in 1886. Biogra ...

, former pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

. He set to work at once to build an episcopal residence and a suitable cathedral. It was during his episcopate that the French Canadian Catholics began to come to the diocese in considerable numbers, first to Woonsocket and then to the various mill towns along the streams flowing into the

Blackstone River The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...

and the

Pawtuxet River The Pawtuxet River, also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...

, and above all to

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...

.Dowling, Austin. "Diocese of Providence." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 20 August 2019 Rt. Rev. Matthew Harkins succeeded Bishop Hendricken. Born in Boston November 17, 1845, he was ordained in Paris in 1869. The Vatican Council took place while he was continuing his studies in Rome. Formerly pastor of St. James' parish, Boston, he was consecrated on April 14, 1887, in the new

Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul is the main church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad, 250 kilometers south of Islamabad, Pakistan. The cathedral has played a significant role in promoting harmony and understanding between the nat ...

in Providence. He instituted a parochial assessment for the support of the orphan asylum. Through the generosity of Joseph Banigan the Home for the Aged in Pawtucket was built in 1881. Mr. Banigan also built the large St. Maria Working Girls' Home in Providence in 1894. St. Joseph's Hospital was begun in 1891 and the St. Vincent de Paul Infant Asylum in the following year; the Working Boys' Home began in 1897, the House of the Good Shepherd in 1904, Nazareth Home (a day-nursery, that also supplied nurses in the homes of the poor) in 1906. In Woonsocket and Newport and other parts of the diocese similar charitable institutions were erected at the suggestion and advice of Bishop Harkins. His episcopacy saw the growth of national parishes serving a particular ethnicity, as more immigrants arrived in the diocese. Almost twenty parishes out of a total of seventy-nine were exclusively French Canadian, while there were a few small parishes of mixed French and English-speaking Catholics. Two churches for Italian Catholics were dedicated in Providence in 1910. Four Polish parishes were erected, as well as one serving the Portuguese in Providence. There was also a Syrian parish in Central Falls. Bishop William Hickey was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

and held a variety of pastoral roles throughout Worcester County. He was fluent in English, French, Polish and Lithuanian. On January 16, 1919, Hickey was appointed

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Claudiopolis in Isauria'' by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

. He was immediately pronounced

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

for the

by the incumbent Bishop

Matthew Harkins Matthew A. Harkins (November 17, 1845 – May 25, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second Bishop of Providence from 1887 until his death in 1921. Biography Matthew A. Harkins was born in Boston, M ...

, whom Hickey succeeded as the third Bishop of Providence upon Harkin's death on May 25, 1921. Hickey founded a diocesan high school and a diocesan newspaper.

Francis Patrick Keough Francis Patrick Keough (December 30, 1890 – December 8, 1961) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island from 1934 to 1947 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of B ...

was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on December 30, 1890 and named after Bishop of Hartford

Francis Patrick McFarland Francis Patrick McFarland (Franklin, Pennsylvania, 16 April 1819 – Hartford, Connecticut, 2 October 1874) was an American Catholic bishop who served as the third Bishop of Hartford. Biography His parents, John McFarland and Mary McKeever ...

. He studied at the Seminary of St. Sulpice in France until in 1914, he was called home due to the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Ordained in 1916, he served as curate in Meriden, and then was made assistant chancellor of the Diocese of Hartford. Keough was ordained Bishop of Providence on May 22, 1934, at a time when most of the population was still dealing with the effects of the depression. He assigned chaplains to the units of the Civilian Conservation Corps working in Rhode island. In the fall of 1939, he purchased the

Nelson W. Aldrich Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich (/ ˈɑldɹɪt͡ʃ/; November 6, 1841 – April 16, 1915) was a prominent American politician and a leader of the Republican Party in the United States Senate, where he represented Rhode Island from 1881 to 1911. By the 1 ...

estate at Warwick Neck, Rhode Island, which had suffered damage in the

1938 New England hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The stor ...

and erected Our Lady of Providence Seminary. In 1947,

Robert Wilson Goelet Robert Wilson Goelet (January 9, 1880 – February 6, 1966) was an American social leader, banker, and real estate developer who built Glenmere mansion. Early life Goelet was born in 1880. He was the son of Mary Wilson Goelet (1855–1929), a le ...

donated the family estate,

Ochre Court Ochre Court is a large châteauesque mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Commissioned by Ogden Goelet, it was built at a cost of $4.5 million in 1892. It is the second largest mansion in Newport after nearby The Breakers. These two ...

to the Sisters of Mercy, who founded

Salve Regina University Salve Regina University is a private Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The university enrolls mo ...

there. Bishop Russell J. McVinney studied at the Grand Seminary of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. After World War I, he complete his studies at the American College at Louvain in Belgium, where he ordained on July 13, 1924. He served as curate at a number of parishes before studying journalism at the University of Notre Dame in 1935. He then became associate editor of the ''Providence Visitor'' and as rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary. He was consecrated fifth Bishop of Providence on the following July 14, 1948. from Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, with Bishops Henry Joseph O'Brien and James Louis Connolly serving as co-consecrators. During his tenure in Providence, McVinney established 28 new parishes, and opened Our Lady of Fatima Hospital. He founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Providence in 1955 and later the Brothers of Our Lady of Providence in 1959. He attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome. He was instrumental in the establishment of the American College at Louvain after World War II. On November 23, 2022 Pope Francis appointed Richard Garth Henning as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Providence; in accordance with canon law, once installed, he will have the right to succeed Bishop Thomas Tobin upon his retirement.

Bishops

The lists of associated bishops and their tenures of service as bishops in this diocese:

Bishops of Providence

# Thomas F. Hendricken (1872–1886) #

(1887–1921) #

William A. Hickey William Augustine Hickey (May 13, 1869 – October 4, 1933) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island from 1921 until his death ...

(1921–1933) #

(1934–1947), appointed

Archbishop of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of M ...

# Russell Joseph McVinney (1948–1971) #

Louis Edward Gelineau Louis Edward Gélineau (born May 3, 1928) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as bishop of the Diocese of Providence from 1972 to 1997. Since his retirement in 2004, Gelineau has been named in multiple lawsuits regards ...

(1972–1997) #

Robert Edward Mulvee Robert Edward Mulvee (February 15, 1930December 28, 2018) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Mulvee served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire (1977-1985), as bishop of the Diocese of Wilmi ...

(1997–2005; coadjutor bishop 1995-1997) #

(2005–present)

Coadjutor Bishops

* Richard Garth Henning (Elect, 2023-)

Auxiliary bishops

* Thomas Francis Doran (1915–1916) * Denis Matthew Lowney (1917–1918) *

Thomas Francis Maloney Thomas Francis Maloney (April 17, 1903 – September 10, 1962) was a Roman Catholic priest and subsequently bishop who served as the sixth rector of the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Louvain, Belgium, and later as an auxili ...

(1960–1962) *

Bernard Matthew Kelly Bernard Matthew Kelly (May 7, 1918 – December 5, 2006) was a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop. Background Born in Providence, Rhode Island on May 7, 1918, Kelly attended his elementary and middle School studies at Providence College and in ...

(1964–1971) *

Kenneth Anthony Angell Most Rev. Kenneth Anthony Angell (August 3, 1930 – October 4, 2016) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont from 1992 to 2005. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop ...

(1974–1992), appointed Bishop of Burlington *

Robert Joseph McManus Robert Joseph McManus (born July 5, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been bishop of the Diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts since 2004. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island ...

(1999–2004), appointed

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

* Robert C. Evans (2009–2022)

Other priests of this diocese who became Bishops

Lawrence Stephen McMahon Lawrence Stephen McMahon (December 26, 1835 – August 21, 1893) was a Canadian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Hartford from 1879 until his death in 1893. Biography Lawrence McMahon was born in St. John, New Brun ...

, appointed Bishop of Hartford in 1879 *

Austin Dowling Daniel Austin Dowling (April 6, 1868 – November 29, 1930) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the second archbishop of what was then the Archdiocese of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1919 until his death. Dowling s ...

, appointed Bishop of Des Moines in 1912 * Ernest Bertrand Boland, O.P., appointed Bishop of Multan in Pakistan in 1966 * Daniel Patrick Reilly, appointed Bishop of Norwich, CT in 1975. Appointed Bishop of Worcester, MA in 1994. *

Francis Xavier Roque Francis Xavier Roque (October 9, 1928 – September 12, 2019) was an American Roman Catholic bishop who served the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Biography Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Roque was ordained to the priesthood on Septe ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Military Services, USA in 1983 * Salvatore Ronald Matano, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Burlington in 2005 and subsequently succeeded to that diocese; later appointed Bishop of Rochester

Diocesan Offices

The following is a list of some of the offices of the diocese. * Catholic Marriage, Diocese of Providence * Catholic School Office * Catholic Youth Ministry * Office of Catholic Cemeteries * Office of Ongoing Formation for Priests * Office of Religious Education * Office of Stewardship and Development * Office of Vocations

Education

;High schools *

Bishop Hendricken High School Bishop Hendricken High School (or Hendricken) is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. Founded by the Brothers of the Holy Cross in 1959, and named ...

, Warwick *

La Salle Academy } La Salle Academy is an American private, Catholic all-boys' high school in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. The school is run by the Eastern North American District of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. ...

, Providence *

Mount Saint Charles Academy Mount Saint Charles Academy is a private Roman Catholic coeducational junior/senior high school located in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. History In the late 1800s, a significant number of French C ...

, Woonsocket *

Portsmouth Abbey School Portsmouth Abbey School is a coeducational Benedictine boarding and day school for students in grades 9 to 12. Founded in 1926 by the English Benedictine community, the School is located on a 525-acre campus along Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. ...

, Portsmouth * Prout School, South Kingstown *

St. Mary Academy – Bay View St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an all-girls Catholic school, serving girls and young women from pre-school through grade twelve. Bay View is located in Riverside, Rhode Island. It was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1874. It is locat ...

, East Providence * St. Patrick Academy, Providence * St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket

Churches

*Holy Trinity Parish (Woonsocket) * Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur, 666 Broad Street (Central Falls) *

St. Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...

(Central Falls) * Our Lady of Czenstochowa (

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

) *

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

(Cranston) *

(Cumberland) *

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

(Newport) * St. John the Baptist (St. Jean-Baptiste) (Pawtucket) * Trinity – St. George (Pawtucket) * Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul (Providence) *

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, o ...

(Providence) * St. Adalbert (Providence) *

(Providence) * St. Casimir (Warren) * St. Mary's Church and Cemetery (West Warwick) *

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

( Westerly) * L'Eglise du Precieux Sang (Woonsocket) *

St. Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a lead ...

(Woonsocket) * St. Stanislaus Kostka (Woonsocket)

Publications

Established in 1875, the ''Rhode Island Catholic'' is the official newspaper of the Diocese of Providence. It is published weekly with 48 issues per year.

Reports of sex abuse

On July 1, 2019, the Diocese of Providence released a list of 50 clerics, religious order priests and deacons who were accused of committing acts of sex abuse.McDermott, Jennifer. "Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence releases list of 'credibly accused' clergy", ''Hatford Courant'', July 1, 2019
/ref> Many were actively removed from ministry between the years 1971 and 2016, though some were removed in the time after they left the Diocese of Providence One accused priest resigned in 1979 before he could be removed. One priest listed was Irishman John Gerard Brendan, who became a priest in the Diocese of Providence in 1965, but was later granted leave from the Diocese of Providence in 1968. Brendan was later convicted of sex abuse in

Belfast, Northern Ireland Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

and died in prison in 1997. Another priest listed, John Petrocelli, was arrested on November 5, 2020 was arrested after a grand jury charged him with three counts of first-degree child molestation and nine counts of second-degree child molestation which stemmed from his time as an assistant pastor at Holy Family Parish in Woonsocket between Nov. 6, 1981 and Oct. 3, 1990. This came 18 years after Petrocelli was removed from ministry in 2002.

Arms

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence Official SiteCathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul''Rhode Island Catholic''
– diocesan newspaper {{authority control Catholic Church in Rhode Island

1872 establishments in Rhode Island