Redemptorist Bishop Installed: Bishop Bruce Lewandowski becomes 10th Bishop of Providence
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June 12, 2025Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, C.Ss.R. was installed as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island on May 20, 2025, six weeks after being appointed by the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, on April 8, 2025.Born on June 8, 1967, in Toledo, OH, Bishop Bruce, as he would like to be called, is the second of four children and grew up on his family’s farm. The Lewandowski’s local parish was served by the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) which led Bishop Bruce to attend the Redemptorist Saint Mary’s Seminary High School in North East, PA.He continued his college and post-graduate studies and formation with the Redemptorists, professing his first vows in 1988. In May of 1994, Bishop Bruce was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop William Curlin.
As a Redemptorist, he served the people of Saint Cecilia’s Parish in East Harlem, NY; Immaculate Conception Parish in the South Bronx, NY; Our Lady of Visitation Parish in Philadelphia, PA; and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish/La parroquia del Sagrado Corazón in Baltimore. He also went on a mission to Assumption Parish in Saint Lucia, West Indies, was the Vicar for Cultural Ministries for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Vicar for Hispanic Catholics for the Diocese of Baltimore.In June of 2020, the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, named then- Father Lewandowski as Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore and Titular Bishop of Croae. He was consecrated to episcopacy in August of the same year by Archbishop William Lori.Bishop Bruce’s Mass of Installation was festive. A hopeful and celebratory feeling radiated from the hundreds in attendance. After the Apostolic Mandate from Pope Francis was read aloud, Monsignor John Paul Pedrero asked Bishop Bruce, “Are you willing to accept this See in the tradition of the apostolic faith of the church?” Bishop Bruce responded, “With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and with the love of God in my heart, I do accept the pastoral care of the people of God in the Diocese of Providence, and I resolve to serve faithfully the spiritual needs of this local church.”
Bishop Bruce said in his first homily as bishop that our Baptism call us “to be those who knock on the doors of people’s hearts” which means “you move out of your comfort zone, that you’re brave and fearless and bold . . . that you seek out others, that you move among others to share what Jesus has done for you in your life.” He said further to the people of the diocese: “I’m going to be knocking on your doors because I want to defend and protect life. I’ll be knocking on your doors because I want you to stand with me with our immigrant brothers and sisters.I’m knocking on your door to ask you to become priests, or sisters, or a deacon or a brother, or an ecclesial lay minister, because Christ needs you. His church needs you; our diocese needs you.”He also spoke on what heaven is for each of us. “For me, heaven is ice cream, and what makes it heavenly is that you can eat as much as you want and never get full,” he continued. “But for some people, it’s white sandy beaches with crystal-clear blue water and palm trees swaying in the wind. For others, it’s a good nap. For others, it’s a winning game with the Patriots . . . or the Orioles,” he joked to the Red Sox-loving congregation. “Heaven—it’s what makes us feel good, makes us most happy—content. We’re at peace; we’re our best selves. That’s what heaven is.”Bishop Bruce honored his Redemptorist roots by closing this part of his homily where he reflected on how we might imagine heaven with a quote from the order’s founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori: “God’s heaven is your heart, and it’s the place God most longs to be.” †(Source: Diocese of Providence.)