From the Friars: October is a Wonderful Month!
Our Lady of the Rosary, Pro-Life, St. Francis, the change of seasons. At the end of this month the new Archbishop of Boston will be installed, His Excellency Richard G. Henning. What should we know about this man whom God has chosen to be the new Spiritual Father of the Archdiocese of Boston?
1) He has a dog! As “man’s best friend” a dog provides faithful companionship and is nature’s domestic symbol of loyalty and unconditional love. His Excellency Richard Henning still has his yellow Labrador retriever, Agnes, who will be 10 years old this year…human years, not doggy years!
2) He is a Scripture Scholar. Richard Henning received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from St. John’s University. He then earned a licentiate from Catholic University and a doctorate from the Angelicum (Rome) both in biblical theology.
3) He knows multiple languages. After learning Italian due to his studies in Rome, His Excellency Richard Henning learned Spanish in order to minister to the many Spanish speakers here in the United States. In 2018 he was elected the auxiliary-bishop of Rockville Centre, NY, and then was elected Bishop of Providence Rhode Island in 2022. There he visited all the parishes in the diocese. He currently is learning Portuguese!
4) He’s the oldest of five. Richard Henning has two younger brothers and two younger sisters. He was always known to be reliable. Both of his parents, Richard and Maureen, are still alive and visit him in his current residence near Holy Cross Cathedral in the South End. There Archbishop elect Richard Henning enjoys Paddleboarding!
5) He understands pain and the need for healing. In his interview after being elected the new Archbishop of Boston, Richard Henning gave a stunning response to a very difficult on-the-spot question: “What do you want to say to people who have left the Catholic Church due to the Clergy Abuse scandal?” His response, “It’s scandalous and certainly painful…but it has not made me lose my faith in God or my faith in the possibility of reconciliation and new life… So I would say to them that…if a leader in the Church has failed you, I’m so sorry, but God has not failed you. God is still with you. And it would be tragic for you to lose your relationship with God, the blessings that flow from that…All I can do is listen and hope and pray with the person, I think.”
Please pray for Archbishop Richard G. Henning, the new Archbishop of Boston. His Installation Mass will be October 31st at 2:00pm.
–Fr Francis