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Rhode Island
Bishop who helped reenergize the Diocese of Providence will soon head to Boston • Rhode Island Current
When the Most Rev. Richard Henning took over as bishop for the Diocese of Providence last year, many saw it as the start of a new era for the Catholic Church in Rhode Island. But now Henning is headed to Boston to become its next archbishop and try and replicate what he’s started in the Ocean State.
Henning, 59, will succeed Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, who is a close ally of Pope Francis.
“When I arrived in Rhode Island, I spoke about my delight in the state motto and the fact that I would now live in a state of hope,” said Henning, who first came to Providence from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, as coadjutor bishop in 2022, in a statement Monday.
“Having now visited communities across Rhode Island, I say with great certainty that it is you, the people of this beautiful state — you are that hope! I will never cease to pray for you, and I hope for your prayers for me.“
O’Malley has led the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston since 2003.
Henning will be formally installed as Boston’s seventh archbishop on Oct. 31. Until then, he will continue to oversee church operations in Providence, said diocese spokesperson Michael Kieloch.
The appointment of Henning’s successor at the Providence Diocese is solely up to the pope. If a replacement is not named by Halloween, the diocese’s College of Consultors would select a temporary apostolic administrator, Kieloch said.
“In terms of timing and timeline, that’s completely unknown,” Kieloch said. “It’s the sole prerogative of the Holy Father.”
A church in decline
Henning took the reins of the Providence Diocese last May after the retirement of Bishop Thomas Tobin. Unlike his predecessor, who used social media to share his unapologetic stance opposing abortion and same-sex marriage, Henning did not have a personal social media account.
Bishop in final act before stepping down, deletes Twitter account
During his short tenure, the now Boston archbishop-elect laid the groundwork for a more forward-thinking church in Rhode Island, Providence College Associate Professor of Theology Jim Keating said in an interview.
“He’s very impressive, it doesn’t in any way surprise me to see that the people making these decisions were not going to pass on him simply because they have just assigned him to Providence,” Keating said.
A new bishop, Keating said, can either be a manager in decline or someone who instead tries to build off the positives of the past to build up the diocese in a more evangelical way — which involves more baptisms, weddings, confirmations, and participating in the life of their parish.
“And I got the immediate impression from Bishop Henning that he was the latter,” he said. “He wanted to take a very clear-eyed view of the actual situation of New England Catholicism, which is very dire.”
Throughout the 20th century, the Catholic Church was seen as a place for many of New England’s new immigrants to find community. But after the 1970s, Keating said the dominance of the church started to erode.
“Of course, the huge crack was the Geoghan case and Cardinal (Bernard) Law’s handling of that,” he said, referring to the sexual abuse scandal surrounding a defrocked retired Boston area priest that rocked the church in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Pew Research reported in April that 20% of U.S. adults describe themselves as Catholics — down 4% from 2007. A declining population means less political swing.
“It used to be that the cardinal or archbishop would signal their opposition and legislation would die,” Keating said about Boston politics. “No one thinks about Massachusetts that way any longer.”
Still some political muscle to flex
Tobin’s hardline stances often generated outrage from liberal and left-leaning groups.
(Photo by Gregory L. Tracy/The Pilot)
“And he would almost always dial it back,” Keating said. “Which then raised the question: Why did you say something in the first place? Or why don’t you think before you talk?”
Henning, meanwhile, tries to stay out of politics — which he made clear when he spoke before reporters at a press conference Monday morning at the Pastoral Center in Braintree, Massachusetts.
“I will admit, I don’t know that I’ve ever been an activist — I’m not that exciting,” Henning said. “My stance in Providence has been that I’m a pastor, not a politician.”
He told reporters the Catholic Church does advocate for policy positions related to church teachings. Henning did weigh in on a few issues during the Rhode Island General Assembly 2024 legislative session, joining fellow faith leaders in supporting legislation mandating the safe storage of firearms and a failed push to ban assault weapons.
But Keating said the decision to support gun control was simply the church “swimming with the stream” on what has become a more popular stance.
“When it comes to abortion or the more hot stuff, it’s harder to see,” he said of vocal stances by church leaders.
During Monday’s press conference, Henning described himself as pro-life, but said he believes “every woman should have a full choice.”
“What I want to do is to help the Catholics, the faithful of this archdiocese form their consciences,” he said. “I certainly have opinions — I will vote as an American citizen. I will never tell you for whom I vote — I don’t belong to a party — that’s not my job to advocate for either side.”
I will admit, I don’t know that I’ve ever been an activist — I’m not that exciting. My stance in Providence has been that I’m a pastor, not a politician.
– Archbishop-Elect of Boston Richard Henning
If the Catholic Church wants to regain its influence, Keating said it needs to increase the number of parishioners who both know church teachings and can think about their political action.
That doesn’t happen unless the diocese can attract new members. Historically, Keaing said New England Catholicism has mostly relied on faith being part of a tradition passed from generation to generation. That might have worked in the 20th century, but over time, the region has become much more secular.
“The church can no longer rely on inherited faith, it has to have intentional faith and personal faith,” Keating said. “How do you do that? You have something attractive to offer.”
If anyone can accomplish that feat, Keating said, it’s Henning.
“He’s been meeting with people, talking, connecting with big players and trying to figure out what the diocese’s strengths and weaknesses were,” Keating said of Henning’s tenure in Rhode Island. “He’s energized things.”
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As if the aftermath of her explosion at the Studio 54 party wasn’t enough to deal with, Liz also now has to figure out what to do with the six bunches of bananas that Gary accidentally ordered when he meant to order six individual bananas. But until they’re ripe enough to make banana bread, she’ll focus on the other issue. “I came across as a bitter, drunken, witch,” she tells Dolores — three words that I have to imagine also appear on the show’s casting notice.
Meanwhile, Ashley takes some of the other women to her favorite beach, and Alicia, who is used to her country club, is terrified. “This is not my vibe, I’m freaking out,” she whispers as she’s forced to carry her chair, bag, and snacks. The snacks in question are something called “pizza chips,” which appears to just be bread with sauce on it? Alicia, being the brain behind Pizza Mamma, tries to break down the science to us, saying that cheese can’t sit out in the sun, but she need not explain. She had me at pizza chips.
She also had me when she revealed that Rulla apparently met Brian while he was married to Alicia’s high school Spanish teacher. “I don’t know if this is true, Brian cheated on his first wife, my Spanish teacher,” she says with her hands over her heart, “with Rulla. I hope that’s not true because I really did like my Spanish teacher.” Yet again, I’m obsessed with how deep the ties between these women go. A game of six degrees of separation hates to see them coming. I also love Alicia starting a declarative sentence with, “I don’t know if this is true,” but she should say it in Spanish next time.
And speaking of those deep ties, we already know that there was some connection between Jo-Ellen’s sister and Jo-Ellen’s husband while they were in high school, before Jo-Ellen swooped in. But now we’re finally getting to meet Jen, who is basically subbing for Jo-Ellen at the house while she’s on a work trip. “She perpetuates this fun little game of flirting with my husband,” Jo-Ellen explains, but assures us that nothing is going on. That being said, Jen does joke that they’re like an old married couple and Jo-Ellen tells us that Jen wants his sperm to have a baby…but apart from that I guess everything is totally normal! I’m putting together a list of side characters who should be in the running to hold clams in future seasons, and so far Jen and Alicia’s Spanish teacher are leading the pack.
But when it comes to side characters, the real stars are of course Alicia’s aunts, who are thankfully back on our screens for a backyard barbecue with some of the ladies. And what better group to speak frankly to Rulla about her situation with Brian? The second Rulla alludes to bumps in the road, this beautiful coven of scorned divorcées pounce, encouraging Rulla to leave him. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder?” one of them asks her, and later in her confessional Rulla even admits that those words stayed with her. I feel like we’re seeing something real with Rulla and she’s finally letting the glossy veneer slip. But the best commentary comes from Alicia’s mother, who says, “I just hope and pray that you somehow hurt him…I’m gonna pray you get him back.” Forget the usual Bravo aftershows, I want a show that’s just all of Alicia’s aunts watching and commentating on each week’s episode. The ratings will be higher than the MASH finale.
As for Liz and Kelsey’s simmering conflict, the pair finally meet up to clear the air by the water where Liz’s boat is docked. I’ve seen similar meetings play out just like this on The Sopranos, so I had to keep reminding myself that Kelsey was safe because surely Bravo would never broadcast a woman being murdered. Then again, this would be the show to break that glass ceiling. As it turns out, I had no reason to fear because the sit-down goes incredibly smoothly. Liz explains that it felt like Kelsey was co-signing the rumors by bringing them up, and Kelsey says her instinct for Liz to keep her distance from Dino actually had more to do with her own history. She explains that ten years ago she and Dino hooked up but it didn’t go well, and now his presence is a reminder of a time in her life that she’s trying to forget. She even says she has PTSD over it and now avoids him like the plague, but respects that Liz has a meaningful friendship with him. I still have a lot of questions about this, but ultimately Liz and Kelsey clear the air and reconcile.
And thank god, because then they’re able to go rail biking in peace. All of the women split up into groups to cycle their way three miles down an old railroad track, with drinks in hand of course. “Rullala, how you doing back there?” Alicia asks as they ride, which made me scream out in delight upon once again getting to hear my new favorite word: “Rullala.” It’s my mantra. I say it no fewer than 50 times a day. It’s a greeting, it’s a prayer, it’s a way of life. Better yet, when the camera cuts to Rulla, she finally wins me over. Mid-cycle she’s shaking a cocktail shaker and pouring her tequila into a wine glass. Leave Brian and his bullshit at home, this is the woman that I want to see on my screen.
I’m even more enamored with her once they get to their location and she’s horrified to discover Alicia’s financial situation. She’s telling the ladies about not feeling valued given that her husband won’t put her name on the house or business, and Rulla, being a financial planner, springs into action. Seeing this smart, powerful side of her, especially as she’s trying to empower Alicia, is a great look and is far more compelling than watching her meekly defend her cheating husband. It gives a glimpse at what an independent Rulla might look like on this show in a couple of seasons.
But she’s not the only one supporting Alicia — Kelsey steps up to play Billy in a role-play so Alicia can practice airing her grievances. Sidebar: everyone talks about these women looking alike, but the real problem is that all of their partners have such similar names. Alicia’s is Billy, Kelsey’s boyfriend’s is Bill, Rulla’s is Brian, Jo-Ellen’s is Gary, Liz’s is Gerry, Ashley’s is Jared, and thankfully Rosie’s is just Rich. But oh my god, how am I supposed to keep that all straight? Anyway, the little role-play Alicia does ends up being heartbreaking, as she gets emotional saying that he makes her feel worthless in their relationship. But the fact that we’re talking about this so much feels promising, and I hope we get to see Alicia ultimately bring all of these feelings to Billy. And if he doesn’t listen, I hope her aunts attack him.
The conversation then turns to how Liz has been gelling with newbie Ashley, and they joke about how Ashley is a little scared of her. When the Studio 54 party comes up, Liz says that that wasn’t her finest moment and wasn’t a good representation of what she’s really like. “Alicia, you said she’s always like that,” Rosie says, throwing Alicia right under the bus. “Don’t flip that shit, don’t do that to me, don’t put shit in my mouth,” Alicia fires back, as Dolores looks on like a proud mother. “She twisted my words, you’re a fucking troll,” Alicia yells, saying that Rosie fucked her. It’s a line-o-rama of iconic outbursts, one after another: “Welcome to Rhode Island, bitch, this is how we roll,” then, “Fucking thirsty bitch, so thirsty its scary,” and finally, “I need to get out of here cause I’m gonna end up killing her.” Our first death threat!
But the craziest part of this comes when Alicia and Rosie step away from the group for a moment. It’s allegedly to sidebar, but I was convinced it was so Alicia could murder her with fewer witnesses. Alicia tells her that if she apologizes everything will be good, Rosie apologies, and then things are good. “Did she just hug her?” someone asks from the circle, shocked. The series has had a lot of incredible moments thus far, but this one is what is most promising about its longevity as a Housewives show. The secret sauce of these shows is resilience — the ability to be as angry at someone as humanly possible, and move on like nothing happened so they can do it all over again. Long, drawn-out grudges make for bad television (as RHOBH proves), so this cast’s ability to reconcile and move on will be the thing that makes it great.
New East Bay Bike Path bridges are open and ready for bikes
What’s it like to ride over the new East Bay Bike Path bridges? We sent a reporter to try them out.
I’ve long thought bike paths are among Rhode Island’s premier attractions, up there with the beaches, the mansions and the bay.
We like to knock government, but credit where it’s due, the state has done an amazing job building out an incredible pedaling network.
It’s clearly a priority.
At least I thought it was.
But they’ve just dropped the ball on what should have been a beautiful new stretch.
The plan was to finish a mile-long connector from the East Providence end of the Henderson Bridge all the way to the East Bay Bike Path.
There was even $25 million set aside to get it done.
Except WPRI recently reported that it’s now been canceled.
The main fault lies with the Trump administration, which is no friend of bike paths, and moved to kill that $25 million.
But it gets complicated, as government funding always does.
To try to rescue that money, the state DOT reportedly worked with the administration to refunnel it into a road project. Specifically, the $25 million will now be spent helping upgrade the mile-long highway between the Henderson Bridge and North Broadway in East Providence, turning it into a more pleasant boulevard.
That totally sounds worthy.
But it’s insane to throw away the bike path plan.
Especially for a particular reason in this case.
They’d already put a ton of money into starting it.
When state planners designed the new Henderson Bridge between the East Side and East Providence, they included a bike path.
It’s a beauty – well protected from traffic by a barrier, a great asset for safely riding over the Seekonk River.
The plan was to continue it another mile or so along East Providence’s Waterfront Drive, ultimately connecting with the East Bay Bike Path, which runs all the way to Bristol. Which, by the way, is one of the nicest bike paths you’ll find anywhere.
But alas, that connector plan has been canceled.
So the expensive stretch over the Henderson Bridge to East Providence is now a bike path to nowhere. Once the bridge ends, the path on it continues a few hundred yards or so and then, just … ends.
Too bad.
We were so close.
Most of the stories on the issue have been about the complex negotiation to rescue the $25 million by rerouting it to that nearby highway-to-boulevard project. But I don’t want to get lost in the weeds of that bureaucratic process here because it loses sight of the heart of this story.
Which is that an amazing new addition to one of the nation’s best state bike path systems has just been scrapped.
You can knock the Rhode Island government for blowing a lot of things.
The PawSox.
The Washington Bridge.
But they’ve done great with bike paths.
And especially, linking many of them together.
Example: not too many years ago, Providence bikers had to risk dicey traffic on the East Side to get to the more pleasant paths in India Point Park and on the 195 bridge to the East Bay Path.
But the state fixed that by adding an amazing connector that starts behind the Salvation Army building and beautifully winds along the water of the Seekonk River for a mile or so.
That makes a huge difference – and no doubt has avoided some bike-car accidents.
We were close to a comparable stretch on the other side of the river – that’s what the $25 million would have done.
But it’s now apparently dead.
Online commenters aren’t happy about it.
On a Reddit string, “Toadscoper” accused the state of being “complicit” with the feds in rerouting the money from bikes to cars.
And there was this fascinating post from FineLobster 5322, who apparently is a disappointed planner who worked on the project: “Mind you money has already been spent on phase one so rejecting it at this point is wasting money and also against the public interest … but what do I know? I only worked on the project as an engineer … I didn’t get into this to build more highways. I do it … to give back to communities and give them more access to their environment.”
Wow. One can imagine the state planning team is devastated. That’s not a small consideration. Good people go into government to make life better in Rhode Island, and it’s a bad play to take the spirit out of the job by first assigning a great human-scale project and then, after a ton of work, trashing it.
A poster named Homosapiens simply said, “We just accept this?”
Hopefully not.
The first stretch of the path over the Henderson Bridge is done, money already sunk.
What a shame to leave that as a path to nowhere.
It doesn’t have to happen.
Between Governor McKee and our Washington delegation, there’s got to be a way to get this done.
There’s got to be.
mpatinki@providencejournal.com
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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