Bishop Richard Henning

An apt theme for Thursday, January 26, inside the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul in Providence, could have been, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” On that afternoon at 2:00 p.m., the Solemn Mass of Reception for The Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, the new Coadjutor Bishop of Providence, was celebrated before a standing-room only crowd. Despite a chill in the air outside, he was afforded a warm welcome inside the historic church. The principal celebrant of the Mass was The Most Reverend Thomas J. Tobin, our current bishop until his expected resignation when he turns 75 in April. Present in the sanctuary was His Excellency, The Most Reverend Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

The two bishops will govern side-by-side during an ongoing period of seemingly seamless transition, representing what might appear simply to be a change in authority from one man to the next. But the gravitas of the day, of the Eucharistic liturgy with its attendant ritual, underscored the fact that the tradition – and the foundational Tradition of the Roman Catholic faith – has indeed remained the same throughout many centuries. Being seated inside the magnificent 19th-century cathedral, one could not fail to be impressed with the ceremonies about to unfold, commencing with the prelude concert which included appropriate pieces by the Italian Franciscan Friar composer Viadana (1560-1627), Bach, Gounod, Franck, Rutter and Brahms, in that order.

In his opening words, Bishop Tobin began with a quote from Pope St. John Paul II who said, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart. With these words of the prophet Jeremiah, God promises his people that he will never leave them without shepherds, to gather them together and to guide them.” After thanking the many religious and lay people in attendance, he expressed his gratitude “to our friends, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, both of whom we have known and admired for many, many years.” Acknowledging Pope Francis for this appointment to the Diocese of Providence he said, “Bishop Henning, the Diocese of Providence welcomes you with open arms and a grateful heart. We pledge to you our friendship, support and prayers as you begin your new ministry here in the State of Rhode Island.” Bishop Tobin offered “a very special word of gratitude to the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, the personal representative of Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, Archbishop Christophe Pierre.” He added, “Archbishop, it was just 7 months ago to the day, that you were seated in exactly the same place as you joined us for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of our diocese. We were so grateful for your presence then, and very grateful and pleased and honored that you are with us once again today.” The more things change, the more they remain the same.

The celebration then included an uncommon and moving rite. After his greetings on behalf of the Holy See to the local Church of Providence, Archbishop Pierre read an English translation of the Papal Bull, always formally published in Latin. According to the program, “A Papal Bull is an official decree that comes directly from the Roman Pontiff. It is called a Bull because there is a seal that accompanies the document which is called a ‘Bulla’ (a round seal) from the medieval Latin,” a custom since the 6th century.