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PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island Catholic, which began and flourished for nearly all of its 150 years as The Providence Visitor, celebrates its sesquicentennial in 2025.
The venerable newspaper of the Diocese of Providence, the fourth oldest Catholic newspaper in existence in the U.S., has won hundreds of national Catholic press awards, as well as many secular honors for its coverage of local, regional and national issues, including more than 100 awards in the last five years alone.
Father Robert W. Hayman, Ph.D., diocesan archivist, said that few of the more than 100 newspapers and magazines that made their appearance in Rhode Island during the 19th century have survived to mark their 150th anniversary.
“That the Providence Visitor — now Rhode Island Catholic — has survived and flourished all these years can be attributed to the fact that it was founded to serve a special purpose,” said Father Hayman.
“During its long history, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Providence has endured because it continues to give the Catholic community in Rhode Island news of their Church, to instruct them in the truths of their faith, to encourage them in the practice of it, and to defend the Church and the faith when necessary.”
Father Hayman, a former professor of history at Providence College, said when that The Visitor first made its appearance on Oct. 9, 1875, it was also intended to serve the Irish-born immigrants of the state and their American-born children by providing news of their homeland. He said the launching of the Visitor in 1875 was but one sign of the growth and increasing importance of Rhode Island’s Irish population.
Throughout this year Rhode Island Catholic will celebrate its storied history in these pages, reinforcing its strong commitment to bringing the news of Faith, Family and Life to your doorstep each week.
We are also planning to feature profiles of those from across the diocese who make a difference in their parishes, schools and organizations. To that end, we are welcoming our loyal readers to suggest such individuals that we could feature. Please send us your ideas for these unsung heroes to Editor@thericatholic.com.
It will be an exciting year for Rhode Island Catholic as we mark this special milestone and we are pleased to be able to share it with all of you.
