Archbishop-elect Richard G. Henning to speak at Dioceses of Wilmington Eucharistic Congress
The Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, S.T.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, was recently named by Pope Francis as the next Archbishop of Boston. Archbishop-elect Henning succeeds Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley who has served in that role since 2003. Archbishop-elect Henning will be installed as Boston’s tenth bishop and seventh archbishop on October 31, 2024.
In April, the Diocese of Wilmington announced that Bishop Henning would be the keynote speaker at the Eucharistic Congress, scheduled for October 5, 2024, at the Ocean City Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland. This important event, themed “The Eucharist: Source and Summit,” aims to deepen the faith and fellowship among the Catholic community across Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Archbishop-elect Henning will share his insights on the central role of the Eucharist in Catholic life and worship.
“We are excited that Archbishop-elect Henning will be in our diocese to speak about the Eucharist,” said the Most Reverend William E. Koenig, Bishop of Wilmington. “The fact that his presentation will be just weeks prior to his assuming the important role of Archbishop of Boston, adds to the excitement among the Catholic community of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We are looking forward to his address.”
In addition to Archbishop-elect Henning’s keynote address, Eucharistic Congress attendees will have the opportunity to engage in praise and worship, participate in Eucharistic Adoration, and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Congress will offer breakout sessions tailored to various interests and age groups, including Youth and Young Adults, Faith and Family, Catechesis, and a dedicated track for Spanish-speaking attendees. The day will culminate with Mass. Registration information for the Diocese of Wilmington’s Eucharistic Congress is available at cdow.org/EucharisticCongress.
Archbishop-elect Richard G, Henning was born in Rockville Centre, New York, Oct. 17, 1964. He 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 the New York City borough of Queens. He studied for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary 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 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 Immaculate Conception Seminary 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, New York, and Brooklyn, New York, and the Archdiocese of New York, then-Msgr. Henning was appointed to lead Immaculate Conception Seminary through its transition to the largest retreat house in the Northeast. The Bishops 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. Archbishop Henning is also noted for his work with international priests serving in the U.S.
In 2018, Pope Francis appointed then-Msgr. Henning as an auxiliary bishop of 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.