In 1983, a group of dedicated individuals with a shared vision created the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island (CFRI). Their goal was to establish a non-profit foundation that would serve to ensure long-term financial stability for charitable, religious, and educational institutions within the Catholic community of Rhode Island.

From its inception, CFRI has demonstrated its commitment to the values and principles of the Catholic faith. Recognizing the importance of responsible stewardship, CFRI has made significant decisions to invest its assets solely in socially and morally responsible funds, ensuring donors’ contributions are channeled into institutions that align with the teachings of the Catholic Church; this has enabled the foundation to grow steadily in size and scope.

Through disbursements from its endowed funds, some of the most notable first funds including the Anna B. Jalbert Memorial Endowment Fund, the Father Anthony I. Robinson Memorial Scholarship Fund, and the Frances Ward Endowment Fund, the foundation actively supports non-profit organizations that have made a lasting difference in local communities. These initiatives not only address immediate needs but also contribute to the corporal and spiritual work of the Catholic Church, ensuring that its mission continues to flourish throughout Rhode Island.

While CFRI has gained recognition for its commitment to Catholic philanthropy and ethical investment practices, it aspires to become a nationally recognized steward of Catholic giving. By maintaining strong business relationships and making investment decisions rooted in the principles of the faith, CFRI continues to serve as a model for responsible and impactful philanthropy.

Throughout its history, the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island has remained faithful to its founding principles while adapting to the changing needs of the community it serves. As it looks towards the future, CFRI has committed to maintaining its legacy as a driving force behind positive change in Rhode Island, fostering growth and making a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals through its charitable endeavors

Bishop Bruce Alan Lewandowski, C.Ss.R. was appointed by the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, as the tenth Bishop of Providence on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Biography

A native of Toledo, Ohio, His Excellency was born to the late Frances (Czelusta) and Robert Lewandowski on June 8, 1967, the second of four children to grow up on their family farm. Since 2020, he has served as Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore as well as Vicar for Hispanic Catholics and Vicar for Baltimore City for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Bishop Lewandowski grew up in a parish with priests of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a missionary religious order known as the Redemptorists, and later in 1985 graduated from the order’s Saint Mary’s Seminary High School in North East, Pennsylvania. In September 1988, he entered the Redemptorist order professing first vows, and completed his formation and education at Saint Alphonsus College in Suffield, Connecticut where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, Holy Redeemer College in Washington, and then Washington Theological Union where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Bishop William Curlin, then-Bishop of Charlotte, ordained him to the Sacred Priesthood in the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on May 7, 1994.

As a Redemptorist priest, then-Father Lewandowski ministered as an Associate Pastor of Saint Cecilia Parish in East Harlem, New York (1994-1999); Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in South Bronx, New York (1999 to 2002); in missionary service as Assistant Pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, West Indies (2002 to 2005); Pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation Parish in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2005 to 2011); Vicar for Cultural Ministries for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (2011 to 2015); and Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Baltimore (2015 to 2020). In 2019, Archbishop William Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, named him archdiocesan Vicar for Hispanic Catholics.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, named then-Father Lewandowski as an Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore and Titular Bishop of Croae on June 10, 2020. He was consecrated to the episcopacy in the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore on August 18, 2020, by Archbishop William Lori, with Bishop Adam Parker and Bishop John McIntyre as co-consecrators. Drawing on a prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi later adapted by the founder of his Redemptorist order, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop Lewandowski took for his episcopal motto “because by your Holy Cross.” In 2021, Archbishop Lori named him archdiocesan Vicar for Baltimore City.

Bishop Lewandowski is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is a brother to Sister Mary Francis Lewandowski, CSSF; Paula Chupp (James); and Joseph Lewandowski. He is being installed as the tenth Bishop of Providence on this day, Tuesday, May 20, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence, Rhode Island.

Greetings, welcome to the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island’s website!

As Catholics, our faith compels us to be both charitable and hopeful for the future.  Because the Catholic Foundation perpetually funds the charities supported by Rhode Island’s Catholics, it is an enduring testament to our donors’ faith, hope and charity in action.

And while it is true that we are one of the largest Catholic Foundations in the country and that our funds are invested in a faith-consistent manner, the Foundation is far more than simply a funding vehicle.

For Rhode Island Catholics, the Foundation is a repository of our collective desire to build the Kingdom of God by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, educating young people in the Catholic faith, ensuring the vibrancy of our parishes, and encouraging vocations to the priesthood – not merely today, but for generations to come.

Established in a state whose motto is “Hope,” we call ourselves a Foundation of Hope. We witness our donors’ hope to better their community through philanthropy. And we witness grateful beneficiaries who are given hope through the Diocese of Providence’s ministries. We applaud the generosity of Rhode Island Catholics and are committed to helping fulfill their hopes and prayers for a better tomorrow.

May God bless you and your family!

Joanne Speroni-Woody, CTFA
Chair, Board of Advisors
Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island

Born into one of America’s wealthiest families, Katharine Drexel was called by her faith to act on behalf of the marginalized, particularly Black and indigenous people. During an era of entrenched segregation, she gave much of her inheritance to found schools serving these communities, including an academy in New Orleans that soon became Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black Catholic university in the United States.

Canonized in 2000, Saint Katharine Drexel also founded a religious order that continues her ministries, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

Michael F. Sabatino

Chief Financial Officer
Diocese of Providence

Michael J. Speidel, CFA
Board Vice Chair

Managing Director-Retired
Brown University Investment Office

Joanne Speroni-Woody, CTFA
Board Chair

Vice President and
Principal Trust Officer – Retired
Washington Trust Company

Michael M. Woody

Chief Executive Officer
Trans-Tex LLC

Natalie Mack

Information Specialist
401-278-4583