New academic year begins at Our Lady of Providence Seminary, welcoming new rector Father Ryan Connors

PROVIDENCE — As dozens filled the small chapel to pray for seminarians as they begin a new academic year of continued formation at Our Lady of Providence, the Wednesday evening Mass also served as an opportunity to welcome and install Father Ryan W. Connors as the new seminary rector and director of pre-ordination formation.
Father Connors is a native of Riverside and a graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick. He has previously served as a professor of moral theology at St. John’s Seminary, Boston. He is also an author on theological topics and a graduate of Boston College (B.A.), the Pontifical Gregorian University (S.T.B.), and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (S.T.L., S.T.D.)

“I feel privileged to work in priestly formation. It is a real honor to accompany men on their path to the altar,” said Father Connors regarding this new role. “We are blessed that God continues to call men to be his priests. Seminarians today are men of integrity. They are convinced Christians really are on fire with the truth of the Gospel. They are generous and desire to give their lives to Christ and his Church. They depend upon the prayers of God’s holy people whom I know desire priests after the heart of Christ.”
The college and pre-theology formation program of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence is a spiritual, human, intellectual and pastoral formation process designed to prepare college students and college graduates for admission to theological studies in preparation for priestly ministry.
There are currently 18 seminarians from eight different dioceses, including Providence, Boston, Manchester, Rochester, Brooklyn, Rockville Centre, Fall River and Worcester. Fifteen seminarians are attending Providence College and three attend Rhode Island College and will transfer to Providence College next year. Representatives of these dioceses were present during the Mass of the Holy Spirit, as was Father Ken Sicard, O.P., President of Providence College.
In his homily, Archbishop Richard G. Henning spoke to the seminarians about the importance of friendship with God and with their peers.
“One of my hopes for you here in this seminary is that you will grow closer in friendship to the Lord Jesus,” he said, adding that holy and healthy friendships are a gift of God.
“This year, I’d like us all to think about that gift of friendship, the joy of walking with others on that mission and of turning together towards the presence of the Lord in our lives and in our hearts.”
The archbishop also acknowledged how much joy and hope he feels entrusting this mission of rector to Father Connors.
“He is, as you know, a good friend of Jesus. You will find him as a compass that will point you towards the truth and towards the person and the grace of Jesus Christ. I feel the highest confidence in him, and it gives me great comfort to know that he will be your shepherd here.”
After Mass the seminarians presented Archbishop Henning with a framed photo of the seminary to recall his service in Providence.
Father Connors expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Henning for assigning generous priests to this faculty.
“They often have many other assignments, but serve the seminarians generously. The world today needs priests. We need courageous and gentle shepherds, men aware of human weakness and convinced in the power of the Gospel. The priests of tomorrow want to walk with people, encourage them, and draw them into a deeper friendship with the Lord, especially through the sacraments.”
Father Connors succeeds Father Christopher J. Murphy who faithfully served as rector of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence since September 4, 2019. Father Murphy has been appointed as a spiritual director at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. As one of the spiritual directors at the college, he will work with men from dioceses across the country as they deepen their understanding of and gratitude for their call to the priesthood.