CV NEWS FEED // The diocese of Portland in Maine announced today that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert P. Deeley, J.C.D., and the appointment of Most Rev. James T. Ruggieri as the 13th bishop of the U.S. most Eastern Catholic diocese.
In a public statement the diocese explained that Ruggieri is currently the pastor of both Saint Michael the Archangel Parish and Saint Patrick Parish in Providence, RI. He will be ordained and installed as bishop on May 7, 2024, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.
In 2009, Ruggieri, along with parishioners and supporters, founded Saint Patrick Academy, a Catholic college-preparatory high school in Providence. Prior to St. Patrick Parish, Ruggieri was an assistant pastor at St. Matthew Church in Cranston, All Saints Parish in Woonsocket, and Holy Spirit Parish in Central Falls.
“I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Portland by the Holy Father,” said Ruggieri. “I very much look forward to diving right into getting to know all who make up the diocese, especially the priests and parishioners. I am grateful that Bishop Deeley will retire in Maine and provide me with valuable support.”
According to The Providence Journal, “Ruggieri, a native Rhode Islander and graduate of Providence College, has been the pastor at St. Patrick’s, on Smith Hill, since 2003. He took charge at St. Michael the Archangel in 2020, after the parish’s pastor died unexpectedly.”
“In interviews with The Providence Journal last year, longtime parishioners said that they left St. Michael’s after Ruggieri was installed, citing what they saw as his rigid, authoritarian leadership style, and a diminished focus on social justice,” the Journal added. “Previously, St. Michael’s was known as a progressive, inclusive parish on the South Side of Providence that offered a spiritual home to people who were alienated by the conservatism of the Catholic Church.”
But a fellow priest, Father Bernard A. Healey, writing for The Rhode Island Catholic in June 2023, pushed back at the allegations.
“Father James preaches Jesus Christ and his Gospel faithfully to his parishioners on Sundays,” Healey wrote.
“He is a wise teacher to the young students at the Catholic high school he established to serve low-income parishioners. In this, he willingly feeds their minds with the truth of the Catholic Faith and nourishes their souls with the Sacraments of the Church,” Healey added.
Bishop Deeley, who has led the diocese for 10 years, submitted his formal letter of resignation to Pope Francis in 2022 at the age of 75. He will continue to reside in Maine as Bishop Emeritus.
The Diocese of Portland was established in 1853 and includes the entire state of Maine. It has a population of more than 275,000 Catholics organized in 48 parishes.
