BOSTON — Seven cardinals, more than 50 bishops, 500 priests and myriad Bostonians eagerly awaited their new archbishop, Richard G. Henning, as he made his way to knock on the door of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on October 31.
After a year-and-a-half as the bishop of Providence, now-Archbishop Henning was about to be installed in his new ministry as the 10th bishop and seventh metropolitan archbishop of Boston.
Upon entering his new cathedral, he was greeted by his predecessor, now-retired Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., vested in his white chasuble and an ornate gold miter. As he waited inside the vestibule for his moment to process into the nave, Archbishop Henning looked on with a proud smile as Knights of Malta and Knights of the Holy Sepulchre filed past him from outside.
Following the knights, a sea of joy-filled, white-vested clergy queued up and down Harrison Avenue outside the cathedral. The archbishop nodded and greeted one priest here, another bishop there. Some of the priests present journeyed from the Diocese of Providence, including, to name a few, Monsignor Albert Kenney, Father Michael Najim, Father Ryan Connors, Father Bernard Healey and many others, with Father Nathan Ricci serving as an assistant master of ceremonies for the event. Portland, Maine Bishop James Ruggeri, formerly pastor of Saint Patrick Parish in the Diocese of Providence, was also in attendance.
By the time Archbishop Henning stepped into the massive cathedral with its tall pillars stretching to the heavens, the Gothic Revival-style church was nearly full to its 1,700-person capacity. He preceded Cardinal O’Malley down the aisle toward the altar, and as the Mass began, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, thanked the former head of the Archdiocese of Boston and read the apostolic mandate naming Archbishop Henning as his successor.
To welcoming applause, the newly installed archbishop processed around the cathedral, showing the crowds the papal bull from Pope Francis that named him to the office. He then ascended to the cathedra, before representatives from the archdiocese came forward to greet him.
For his homily, Archbishop Henning infused a bit of humor into his humble words, joking about the Red Sox before reflecting on the topic “I believe.”
“God desires to share life with us, to be a partner to us. … This God who is love, who is all-powerful, who is the creator, who is faithful, draws near to us in relationship, in partnership. This I believe. And I believe that this relationship is deeply personal.”
He spoke about Christ’s saving power through His sacrifice on the cross, the redemption of the world. “As unworthy as we may be, sinners still, He walks with us.”
His voice became impassioned as he expounded on relationships, particularly the one between God and His people. “Relationships … make demands of us, and rightly so.” He stated that this relationship demands worship — “the life of grace, the life of virtue, it begins there” — and solidarity. “So, we are challenged, summoned, demanded to be people of solidarity and compassion, of healing and hope. And above all, people that live that love of Jesus Christ in our own lives and as a community. It is the greatest gift we can give to God and to one another.”
He admitted that “at the start of my journey here with you, there will be many things that are difficult to come. There will be many challenges. I’m sure there will be many days that will be hard; I’ll be exhausted. But I will know this, believe this: that whatever happens on any day, whatever comes, Jesus is still Lord.”
“This is the foundation, is it not, that allows us to stand up and say, ‘I believe.’”
He concluded his homily with a statement and a challenge to the people of Boston.
“All this I believe. What do you believe?” He then enjoined them to stand and profess the Nicene Creed, the heart of Catholic beliefs, with him.
The Mass itself was a combination of traditional and contemporary worship, with the hymn “Amazing Grace” sung during the preparation of the altar as a powerful spiritual by the Archdiocesan Black Catholic Choir. The Haitian Community and Lithuanian Choirs offered musical praise during the service. The Redemptoris Mater Seminary Choir offered Gregorian chant during the liturgy. It also blended various ethnic cultures, with the first and second readings proclaimed in Portuguese and Haitian Creole, respectively, and the petitions were read by members of the Catholic community in various languages.
Upon processing back through the cathedral at the close of the Mass, Archbishop Henning stopped at the front pew to greet his parents, Richard and Maureen Henning, in an emotional embrace.
Richard could only profess of his son: “Pride, pride, pride. This is wonderful.”
Maureen also struggled to express her sentiments on such a joyous day. “It’s hard to put into words, it’s just amazing and we all are so very blessed.”
Eight of Archbishop Henning’s former parishioners and friends from Long Island attended the installation, including Joan Dlouhy.
“He’s such a good friend and we went to see him in Providence,” she said.
She and her husband Barry first met him 25 years ago when he was the weekend assistant at St. Patrick Church in Bayshore, Long Island, while he also served on the faculty of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. Additionally, he served as a parish priest at Ocean Beach, Long Island during his two years as auxiliary bishop.
“He’s such a good friend, but more importantly, he’s such a faithful and inspiring shepherd of his people,” Joan said. “We were so sad to lose him from New York, but so happy for the people of Providence, and we now know how the people of Providence must feel at him leaving, losing him, but we look at it as sharing him. He needs to be shared with so many more Catholics because he just reaches out to so many of them and is able to embrace them, and they embrace him back.”
Her husband, Barry, agreed. “He’s truly a shepherd who not only gathers and takes care of his own sheep; he gathers new ones to become part of the whole culture, the whole flock and the whole belief of the Church. And he is going to be very important here in Boston for that.”
At the installation, Archbishop Henning mentioned his proficiency in speaking Spanish, and how that skill would be needed in his new position. Carlos and Graciela Bernal, themselves bilingual, praised him for the enthusiasm and energy he brings to the Church.
“It’s going to be hard to keep up with him,” Carlos said of the pace Archbishop Henning keeps in his ministry.
Graciela added, “I’m so excited, I’m so happy to be here. He’s so sweet, he’s so gentle, he’s special.”
Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez attended Archbishop Henning’s Mass of Welcome as Bishop of Providence last year and was in attendance again just over a year later.
“The archbishop coming to Boston is a great appointment. He’s a wonderful man of the Church with a wonderful pastoral heart. I know that for the people of Rhode Island it’s a great loss. I was there for his Mass of Welcome, and he was received with such great joy. And he loved being in Rhode Island, he really loved it. But in obedience to the Holy Father, he is here now, and we know he will do an incredible job here as he did in Rhode Island as well.”
Although Hartford Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne said he “only had a chance to meet him a couple of times officially when I was metropolitan when he was the Bishop of Providence,” he got to know Archbishop Henning while on retreat.
He called the archbishop “a kind and gentle man,” stating that: “these people are going to love him. I think he’s going to be a shepherd to the priests most especially here in Boston, which is something that is so helpful and good to the diocese.”
Carmelite Sister Marie Paul, sacristan of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, told Rhode Island Catholic she is pleased that Archbishop Henning is a “big listener.”
“He’s compassionate, he understands and has a big heart,” she said.
“So that’s what we need, a good shepherd, and I hope he will shepherd us with compassion and understanding. God will do it through him. He has to be confident and just surrender to God’s leadership. He will lead him, and through him, he will lead us.”
Knights of Columbus State Deputy Joseph Carrignan lead a contingent of Rhode Island knights to Archbishop Henning’s installation.
“It’s a special day. We’re losing a great bishop, but Boston is gaining a great archbishop,” Carrignan said.
Following the Mass, a reception was held at the nearby SoWa Power Station, where guests could enjoy hors d’oeuvres and greet the new archbishop in a reception line.
Among the attendees were Rhode Island Serra Club President Lisa Kline and her son Joshua, a senior and student leader at Bishop Hendricken High School.
“He’s beloved to all of us so we did not want to miss today to be able to support Archbishop Henning in prayer, with our presence, the same way he’s blessed us with his prayers and presence for the people of Rhode Island so we couldn’t wait to be here for him today,” Lisa Kline said.
Joshua Kline said that Archbishop Henning was always a wonderful leader and supporter of the flock in Providence.
“He was the shepherd of us in Providence, the sheep, and just like the shepherd, he’s moved to another pasture with different sheep now.”
“It’s like the Prayer of Jabez in the Bible: ‘Lord bless me and expand my territory,’” Lisa Kline said. “That’s what the Lord has done for him. God’s got great plans for him and his people.”
