byGregory L. Tracy Pilot staff
Archbishop-elect Richard G. Henning of Providence. Pilot photo/ Courtesy Diocese of Providence
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BRAINTREE -- Ending months of speculation about the future leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston, the Holy See announced this morning that Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop-elect Richard G. Henning of Providence to succeed Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley as the archdiocese's 10th bishop and seventh archbishop.
According to the archdiocese, the archbishop-elect will be installed on Oct. 31. Cardinal O'Malley remains Archbishop of Boston until that date.
An announcement of the new appointment issued by the archdiocese said Cardinal O'Malley and Archbishop-elect Henning will celebrate Mass together this morning at the archdiocese's Pastoral Center at 9 a.m., followed by a joint press conference at 10 a.m. The press conference can be viewed live at vimeo.com/event/4489023.
According to rules set by Pope Paul VI, all bishops must submit their resignation to the pope at age 75, which the pope is free to accept or defer as he chooses. However, because the same rules dictate that cardinals lose their appointments in Vatican dicasteries and may not participate in the conclave to elect the next pope once they turn 80, it is typically expected that the pope will accept the resignation of active cardinals at or around that age.
Cardinal O'Malley celebrated his 80th birthday on June 29.
Archbishop-elect Henning, 59, was born in Rockville Centre, New York in 1964 to Richard and Maureen Henning, the first of five siblings. He grew up in Valley Stream, receiving the sacraments of baptism, first Holy Communion, and confirmation at Holy Name of Mary Parish, where he also attended the parish grammar school.
Archbishop-elect Henning attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, going on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in history from St. John's University in Queens, New York. He studied for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York and was ordained in 1992.
Following his ordination, he was assigned to a local parish for five years and gained extensive pastoral experience working in the parish school and ministering to the Spanish-speaking Catholics of the area.
In 1997, then-Father Henning was assigned to postgraduate studies in Sacred Scripture. He earned a Licentiate in Biblical Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Doctorate in the same subject from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
After his studies, Archbishop-elect Henning joined the faculty of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, where he taught scripture for more than 10 years.
In 2012, as part of the partnership for seminary formation among the Dioceses of Rockville Centre, Brooklyn, and the Archdiocese of New York, then-Msgr. Henning was appointed to lead the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception through its transition to the largest retreat house in the Northeast. The ordinaries of Rockville Centre, Brooklyn and New York also charged him to establish and lead the Sacred Heart Institute for the ongoing formation of Catholic priests and deacons. Bishop Henning is also noted for his work with international priests serving in the U.S.
In 2018, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop-elect Henning as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, where he served as a regional vicar and later as the Vicar for Clergy and Pastoral Planning.
In November 2022, Archbishop-elect Henning was appointed the Coadjutor Bishop of Providence. He succeeded Bishop Thomas Tobin as the Bishop of Providence on May 1, 2023.