PORTLAND (ME)
Providence Journal [Providence RI]
February 13, 2024
By Antonia Noori Farzan
The Rev. James T. Ruggieri, whose leadership style helped accelerate the departure of some more progressive parishioners from St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, has been appointed bishop of Portland, Maine.
The Diocese of Providence announced Ruggieri’s planned move in a Tuesday morning press release.
“In my brief time in Providence, I have come to appreciate and admire Father Ruggieri’s personal humility, authenticity, and remarkably fruitful priestly ministry,” Providence Bishop Richard G. Henning was quoted as saying. “That ministry has wide-reaching effects upon the people and clergy of this diocese. 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.”
Why Ruggieri’s tenure in South Providence was controversial
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.
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.
The Diocese of Providence did not respond to a detailed list of questions about Ruggieri’s tenure last year, and did not immediately respond to another inquiry on Tuesday.
More: Former parishioners say iconic Providence church has strayed from its social justice roots
‘He lives humbly and simply’
Among other Catholics, Ruggieri has earned praise for his community service, such as feeding hot meals to the hungry from a church-run food truck.
“He lives humbly and simply among the people he serves, tirelessly serving the hungry, the homeless, the immigrant and the marginalized,” Rev. Bernard A. Healey, the director of the Rhode Island Catholic Conference, wrote in a June editorial in the Rhode Island Catholic. “As Pope Francis has said, he is a shepherd with the smell of his sheep.”