Bienvenue Bishop Elect Father James Ruggieri to Maine

 Pope Francis appoints Father James Ruggieri of Providence Rhode Island as the bishop of Portland, Maine.

Echo report by Cortney Mares,  Rome correspondant for Catholic News Agency. 

Bishop-Elect Ruggieri appeared at a news conference alongside Bishop Robert Deeley, expressing his gratitude to Pope Francis and saying he will let the Holy Spirit be his guide in his new ministry.

Rome Newsroom:  Pope Francis on Tuesday February 13th, appointed Father James Ruggieri as the new bishop of Portland, Maine.

The Vatican announced February 13, that the 56-year-old priest from Providence, Rhode Island, will be ordained as the bishop of Maine’s only diocese.

Father Ruggieri succeeds Bishop Robert Deeley, who led the Portland Diocese for the past decade. Deeley will turn 78 years old in June.

Ruggieri is a native of Providence, where he is known for feeding the homeless each week from an old food truck decorated with images of Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II. 

He was recently honored with the 2024, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Vision Award by his alma mater, Providence College, for founding St. Patrick’s Academy, a Catholic preparatory high school for students unable to enroll in other Catholic schools for financial reasons. 

Although the school has no set tuition, but families pay what they can afford.

Father Bernard Healey, a fellow priest in the Rhode Island diocese, has described Ruggieri as a “model priest” who provides a “voice for justice on behalf of the unborn, the immigrant, the refugee, and the poorest of the poor.”

“Father James’ priestly ministry is courageous, humble, and holy. He is tireless in working and serving the many poor and immigrant parishioners who make up his Providence inner-city parishes of St. Patrick and St. Michael. He lives humbly and simply among the people he serves, tirelessly serving the hungry, the homeless, the immigrant, and the marginalized,” he said in an editorial in the Rhode Island Catholic last year.

“Father James has been a loyal ally in advocating for the sanctity of all human life and the dignity of every human person,” Healey added.

“While others clamor from ivory towers about public policies and political platforms, Father James routinely performs the corporal and spiritual works of mercy with dedication and love, provides comfort and peace to the sick and dying, absolves sinners, and lovingly welcomes the lost sheep of his flock.”

Bishop Richard Henning of Providence also commented on the “wide-reaching effects” of Ruggieri’s ministry in Rhode Island and offered prayers and support for the priest in his new mission.

Ruggieri has served as the pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Providence for more than 20 years and also serves as the pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Church. His appointment at St. Michael’s Parish in 2020 sparked an op-ed in The Providence Journal bemoaning that a sign outside the parish that said “Welcome” in a dozen languages had been replaced with a sign that says, “Pregnant? Need Help?”

“In my brief time in Providence, I have come to appreciate and admire Father Ruggieri’s personal humility, authenticity, and remarkably fruitful priestly ministry,” Henning said after his appointment.

“For these reasons, among others, I see the wisdom of the Holy Father’s choice even as I feel the pang of the loss to us,” he added.Ruggieri will be consecrated and installed as the 13th bishop of Portland in a Mass on May 7, in Maine’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The Diocese of Portland spans the entire state of Maine and has a population of about 279,000 Catholics. The diocese was established by Pope Pius IX in 1853.

Bishop-elect James Ruggieri comes to Maine from Rhode Island, where he was born and raised and where he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Providence in 1995. He currently serves at St. Michael the Archangel Parish and St. Patrick Parish, both in Providence.

Although he says he has visited Maine a few times, including the Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunk, he acknowledged that he has a lot to learn about the state.

“I humbly ask for your patience, please, as I get to know my new diocese, the local Church here in Maine,” he said. “I’m learning about the landscape, and it’s going to take a while. It’s a rather large learning curve.”

That includes getting used to navigating a state nearly 30 times the size of Rhode Island.

“I don’t want to think about that too much because it’s overwhelming, but I know it’s a beautiful state, and I’ve heard [there are] beautiful people here and a vibrant Church, so I am really thrilled to be here with you,” he said.

Bishop-elect Ruggieri said he is grateful that he will have the guidance of Bishop Robert Deeley, who plans to remain in Maine after retiring from active ministry, and he says he will put his trust in the Holy Spirit.

"I will try my best to not get in the Spirit’s way. It’s a piece of advice that I learned early on in priesthood and in formation,” he said. “And I entrust my entire future episcopal ministry to our Blessed Mother, Mary, and I place it under her maternal care.”

During the news conference, Bishop-elect Ruggieri wore a pectoral cross given to him by Bishop Richard Henning of Providence. Bishop-elect Ruggieri expressed his gratitude to Bishop Henning and the priests of the Diocese of Providence for their continued support. He also thanked his family members and his current parishioners.