Pope Francis has named a new bishop for the Maine Catholic Church.
The Most Rev. James T. Ruggieri will be ordained and installed as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland on May 7, according to the diocese.
He will be the 13th bishop to serve the diocese since its inception in 1853.
“I am honored and humbled to have been chosen as the next Bishop of the Diocese of Portland by the Holy Father,” Ruggieri said. “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.”
Ruggieri has been pastor of Saint Patrick Parish since 2002 and Saint Michael the Archangel Parish since 2020. Both are in Rhode Island.
He helped found Saint Patrick Academy, a Catholic college-preparatory high school in Providence, Rhode Island, in 2009. He also has served as an assistant pastor at St. Matthew Church in Cranston, All Saints Parish in Woonsocket and Holy Spirit Parish in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
Ruggieri earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Providence College and a Master of Divinity from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.
He was ordained a priest in 1995 in the Diocese of Providence at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
Bishop Robert Deeley, who has served in that role for a decade, will step down once Ruggieri is installed. He submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in 2022. Deeley will remain a bishop emeritus, the diocese said Tuesday morning.
“I have enjoyed immensely being Bishop of the Diocese of Portland for the last decade,” Deeley said. “The state of Maine is a very special place, with deep Catholic roots. It has been a blessing to get to know our communities of the faithful from Kittery to Fort Kent, from Rangeley to Eastport, and everywhere in between. I look forward to continuing my relationship with this great diocese and supporting Bishop Ruggieri.”
