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<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1559.jpg'>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1628.jpg'> 
Left: Canonization of Saint Pope John Paul II (Scott 1559, 2014) 
Right: Canonization of Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Scott 1628, 2016)
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The stamps at the top of this article depict two of the great saints who lived in our midst in the twentieth century: Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta) and Saint Pope John Paul II. What do they have to do with the subject of today’s Daily Email? They provide a loose connection to introduce Father James Ruggieri, a priest from Providence, Rhode Island who received an interesting phone call in February.
 
Father Ruggieri serves as the pastor for two parishes in Providence: St. Patrick’s (which has a mix of English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners), and St. Michael’s, a largely Latino parish. However, Father Ruggieri may be most recognizable to the community for his mission of feeding the poor, and that is how we can connect him to the two saints.
 
A recent article in the National Catholic Register, dated April 2, 2024, and written by Matthew McDonald (see link in the References), shows a food truck emblazoned with the images of Saint Teresa and Pope John Paul II. It also includes this passage from the gospel of Matthew (25:40):
 
<center>Truly I tell you. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.</center>
 
Father Ruggieri can be seen driving this 1980’s-vintage food truck to the neediest neighborhoods of Providence. A picture of him at the wheel shows a cluttered front seat, with the dashboard decorated with statues of about 15 saints (including two of St. Patrick). On Friday and Sunday afternoons, the truck delivers food and other necessities to the poor and homeless. Established in 2019, at the suggestion of one of his parishioners, “Project Emmanuel” lives by its motto: “We Feed People”. Father Ruggieri’s goal for 2024 was to complete the construction of a new kitchen for food preparation and to extend his current ministry to more of those in need.
 
However, on Saturday, February 3, about five minutes before he was to celebrate the 4 o’clock Mass at Saint Patrick’s Church, Father Ruggieri received a phone call from Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States. The news was stunning: he was told that Pope Francis had selected him to be the next bishop of Portland, Maine, a diocese which covers the entire state of Maine.
 
His selection as bishop is not that surprising, given other recent appointments by Pope Francis. He fits the profile of men without advanced Church degrees (he does possess a master’s degree in divinity), but his main attribute lies in his experience as a parish priest, a man we might simply call a “people-person”, a hands-on man of action with the good of his fellow brothers and sisters at the heart of what he does.
 
So, while today, April 8, will be Father Ruggieri’s last day at Saint Patrick’s, his work will certainly live on in Providence. He is scheduled to be installed as bishop of the Diocese of Portland by Cardinal Seán O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, on May 7 (the diocese of Portland is a suffragan diocese of Boston). Father Joseph Brice, the man who will be the new pastor and the current parochial vicar at St. Patrick’s, summed up the appointment by saying: “I think it’s a phenomenal choice…[He’s] always people-oriented, deeply spiritual. He loves the poor. He loves regular people. He loves the work of the parish. He’s a great administrator. He’s very serious about the Gospel.”
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Matthew McDonald, National Catholic Register, April 2, 2024, <a href='https://www.ncregister.com/features/bishop-elect-james-ruggieri-man-on-the-move?utm_campaign=NCR&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9EqSBDaOy5wg-R42fKXhc_bnb_KTAtHCsC00m0_bbqnAdxCy8MIIL4HGUmv15nNSPAHzGhMLCtWVn1KThxTNlaSqD1ZA&_hsmi=300868777&utm_content=300868777&utm_source=hs_email'>From Mobile Kitchen to Mitre: Bishop-Elect’s Food Truck Feeds Body and Soul</a>
 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search

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The Pastor and the Food Truck