April 16, 2025
The Most Rev. Richard G. Henning, STD, D.D.
Archbishop of Boston
Honorary doctor of sacred theology
The Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, STD, D.D., was appointed archbishop of Boston by Pope Francis on August 5, 2024, and formally installed on October 31. He is the 10th bishop and seventh archbishop of that archdiocese. Prior to his appointment, Archbishop Henning served as the ninth bishop of Providence, beginning as coadjutor bishop in November 2022 and becoming bishop on May 1, 2023, when Pope Francis accepted the retirement of Most Reverend Thomas J. Tobin, D.D.
Archbishop Henning was born in Rockville Centre, New York, the oldest of five siblings. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola and counts the Marianists as a major influence in his faith life and commitment to learning. He received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history from St. John’s University and trained for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. He was ordained in 1992.
Archbishop Henning was associate pastor at the Church of St. Peter of Alcantara, Port Washington, for five years before being assigned to post-graduate studies. He received a licentiate in sacred theology from The Catholic University of America and a doctorate in sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, known as the Angelicum.
He taught scripture for more than 10 years at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. In 2012, as part of the partnership for seminary formation among the dioceses of Rockville Centre, Brooklyn, and New York, he was appointed to lead the seminary through its transition to the largest retreat house in the northeast. He also was charged with establishing and leading the Sacred Heart Institute for the ongoing formation of Catholic priests and deacons. He is noted for his work with international priests serving in the United States.
In 2018, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop 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. Archbishop Henning has been active in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and has served on several boards, including those of Providence College and the Pontifical College Josephinum.
