The Most Reverend James Thomas Ruggieri was named the 13th bishop of Portland by His Holiness Pope Francis on February 13, 2024, and was ordained and installed as Bishop of Portland on May 7, 2024, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

Bishop Ruggieri was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on January 12, 1968, to the late John A. Ruggieri, Jr. and Irene (Paolino) Ruggieri. The youngest of four sons, he was educated in the Barrington, Rhode Island, public school system.  He is a 1986 graduate of Barrington High School.

He attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, then Providence College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies in 1990. Following his undergraduate education, he went on to receive a Master of Divinity from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1994. He was ordained a deacon on April 23, 1994, at the seminary by Most Reverend Joseph J. Gerry, OSB, the Tenth Bishop of Portland, Maine. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Providence on June 24, 1995, at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul by the Most Reverend Louis E. Gelineau.

Bishop Ruggieri was the pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Providence from 2003-2024 and St. Michael the Archangel Parish, also in Providence, from 2020-2024. In 2009, he, along with parishioners and supporters, founded St. Patrick Academy, a Catholic college-preparatory high school in Providence. St. Patrick Academy has been recognized for its mission of accepting students regardless of their families’ financial situations.

Prior to St. Patrick Parish, Bishop Ruggieri was an assistant pastor at Holy Spirit Parish in Central Falls (2001-2003), All Saints Parish in Woonsocket (1998-2001), and St. Matthew Church in Cranston – his first assignment following ordination.
Bishop Ruggieri served in several administrative and leadership capacities, including on the Diocese of Providence’s Presbyteral Council and as a diocesan dean (vicar forane).

During his time in Providence, Bishop Ruggieri was recognized with awards such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Award from Providence College and the Lumen Gentium Award for Evangelization from the Diocese of Providence. In addition, St. Patrick Parish was honored with the Loyola Press Opening Doors Parish Award for providing a welcoming environment for people with disabilities.

While a priest of Providence, Bishop Ruggieri was known for his work to feed the poor and for his frequent travels around the city in his food truck. His engagement in the community was the hallmark of his ministry in his home state.
Bishop Ruggieri is fluent in Spanish, a language he learned so he would be able to serve Providence’s inner-city parishes.

Since his ordination and installation in 2024, Bishop Ruggieri has traveled all over the state getting to know Maine’s faithful. He has outlined strategic priorities and started a number of initiatives to build the reign of God in the state, mostly notably the Mother Cabrini Maine Catholic Education Initiative, which includes the establishment of two classical, Catholic high schools.