2005 -- H 6506 ======LC03352 ======STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2005 ______
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CONGRATULATING BISHOP ROBERT E. MULVEE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS BISHOP OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PROVIDENCE
Introduced By: Representatives Murphy, Moura, Faria, Kilmartin, and Giannini
Date Introduced: May 19, 2005
Referred To: House read and passed
1 WHEREAS, On June 30, 1957, Robert E. Mulvee was ordained to the priesthood at the
2 American College in Louvain, Belgium. The following forty-eight years led Bishop Mulvee on a
3 wondrous and fulfilling journey; and
4 WHEREAS, Following his ordination, Bishop Mulvee began his service to God as
5 Chaplain at Saint Charles Orphanage in Rochester, and working at Saint Leo Parish in Gonic and
6 Saint Peter's Parish in Farmington; and
7 WHEREAS, The subsequent years saw Bishop Mulvee gain knowledge and experience
8 through a myriad of parish positions. In addition, he furthered his education, completing his
9 doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and receiving a Master's
10 Degree in Religious Education from the University of Louvain; and
11 WHEREAS, In July of 1964, Bishop Mulvee was appointed as Assistant Chancellor of
12 the diocese. Over the course of the next few years, he served in several diocesan posts and as a
13 member and chairman of numerous commissions and councils. He accepted and embraced the
14 changes in his life through his surety in the knowledge that the Lord was always with him; and
15 WHEREAS, On February 7, 1995, Bishop Mulvee was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of
16 Providence. To the immeasurable good fortune of the citizens of Rhode Island, Pope John Paul II
17 appointed him as the seventh Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Providence on June 11, 1997.
18 Bishop Mulvee has carried out the requirements and responsibilities of this title with supreme
19 faith, absolute love, and compelling wisdom; and 1 WHEREAS, As an integral part of the solace and healing process for so many Rhode
2 Islanders, Bishop Mulvee gathered with family and friends during the tragedy of the Station
3 Nightclub fire in 2003. As a paradigm of the priesthood, he has been a role model that others
4 have chosen to emulate, with Providence seeing an increase in the number of vocations during his
5 tenure; and
6 WHEREAS, Bishop Mulvee was born in February of 1930, making him seventy-five
7 years old on his birthday this year. A provision in the Catholic Church's cannons states that
8 diocesan bishops must turn in their resignations upon completion of their 75th year; and
9 WHEREAS, On May 31, 2005, Bishop Mulvee will officially retire as spiritual leader of
10 the Providence Diocese, and it is fitting and just that this milestone be celebrated and
11 acknowledged. He will continue to reside in his third floor apartment in the Catholic Rectory and
12 will hold the title Bishop Emeritus. While he has no immediate plans for his future, there is no
13 doubt that Bishop Mulvee will continue to be a vibrant spiritual light, and the insight and
14 guidance he has so generously bestowed on Rhode Islanders will continue to shine in his post-
15 retirement years; now, therefore be it
16 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
17 Providence Plantations hereby congratulates Bishop Robert E. Mulvee on the occasion of his
18 retirement as Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Providence. We wish him good health, spiritual
19 fulfillment and continued success in all his future endeavors; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to
21 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Bishop Robert E. Mulvee.
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