Bishop Richard Henning, appointed to lead Providence’s Catholic Diocese in 2022, did not have much time to get to know Rhode Island before moving although people here came to know him well.

Bishop Henning, 59, was appointed to the position of archbishop of the Boston Diocese by Pope Francis last weekend, succeeding Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who is retiring.

Still, in that period, central Rhode Island’s Catholic leaders said that he made an impact.

“The first thing he did when he got here was give us his cell phone so we could call him directly,” said Father Robert Marciano, the pastor at St. Kevin’s Church and president of Bishop Hendricken High School. “And when he came to Hendricken, and one of the students said, ‘Bishop, what if a priest abuses that privilege?’ he just said, ‘I’ll block him.’ The kids loved it.”

Bishop Henning’s quick wit stood out to Fr. Marciano, who described the bishop as a warm person who is easy to talk to.

His devotion to local parishes, Fr. Marciano said, was immediately evident, noting that he couldn’t think of any parish in the state that Bishop Henning hadn’t visited at some point.

“He was everywhere,” Fr. Marciano said. “And he loved going to public events. He visited fire stations, he came to the swearing in of Brad Connor as the president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association. Bishops don’t usually do those things because they’re so busy to begin with.”

Multiple pastors said Bishop Henning’s presence in local communities is what they will remember most about him. Fr. Thomas Woodhouse, pastor of St. Paul Church in Cranston, said Bishop Henning was a comforting presence whose legacy will be the way he connected with different groups throughout the state, especially Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities.

Fr. Woodhouse said the memory of Bishop Henning that stood out most in his mind was when he went to St. Paul School’s mass celebrating the school’s 100th graduating class just two months after arriving in Providence.

“He came right in, and you never would have known it, the way he composed himself and celebrated a beautiful mass,” Fr. Woodhouse said.

Bishop Henning’s biggest accomplishment, according to Fr. Marciano, was making decisions on consolidating and closing some local parishes.

“That’s a very difficult thing to do for a bishop or a pastor, but he’s making those decisions based on data he received,” Fr. Marciano said. “A big part of his ministry was reshaping the diocese for the future.”

At the moment, local priests do not know who is set to succeed Bishop Henning. Fr. Woodhouse hopes that Bishop Henning’s successor will be someone who will continue his legacy of community involvement.

“I’d like to see more of the same,” Fr. Woodhouse said. “I was very comfortable with him at the helm, and I’m hoping that his successor will be the same- just a good, genuine, holy priest.”

As he heads to Boston, Fr. Marciano and Fr. Woodhouse wished Bishop Henning well, and hope that he will see success leading the Boston diocese.

“I’m sure he’ll be a great shepherd up there,” Fr. Woodhouse said. “They’re lucky to have him.”