Bruce Lewandowski

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type =

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend

| name = Bruce Alan Lewandowski

| honorific-suffix = CSsR

| title = Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore
Bishop-elect of Providence

| image =

| imagesize =

| alt =

| caption =

| church = Catholic Church

| archdiocese = Baltimore

| province =

| metropolis =

| diocese =

| see =

| appointed = June 10, 2020

| enthroned = August 18, 2020

| ended =

| predecessor =

| opposed =

| successor =

| other_post = Titular Bishop of Croae

| ordination = May 7, 1994

| ordained_by = William George Curlin

| consecration = August 18, 2020

| consecrated_by = William E. Lori

| cardinal =

| created_cardinal_by =

| rank =

| previous_post =

| motto = Because by your holy cross

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|6|8}}

| birth_place = Toledo, Ohio

| death_date =

| death_place =

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| nationality = American

| religion = Roman Catholicism

| residence =

| parents =

| alma_mater = St. Alphonsus College
Washington Theological Union

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}}

{{Ordination

| denomination = Roman Catholic

| ordained deacon by =

| date of diaconal ordination =

| place of diaconal ordination =

| ordained priest by =

| date of priestly ordination = May 7, 1994

| place of priestly ordination = Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

| consecrated by = William E. Lori

| co-consecrators = John J. McIntyre
Adam John Parker

| date of consecration = August 18, 2020

| place of consecration = Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore

| elevated by =

| date of elevation =

| sources = {{cite web|title=Resignations and Appointments|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/06/10/200610b.html|date=June 10, 2020|accessdate=June 10, 2020|work=Holy See Press Office|publisher=Holy See}}{{cite news |url=http://www.usccb.org/news/2020/20-88.cfm |title=Pope Francis Names New Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore |accessdate=June 10, 2020}}

}}

{{Infobox bishopstyles

| name = Bruce Lewandowski

| dipstyle = His Excellency
The Most Reverend

| offstyle = Your Excellency

| relstyle = Bishop

| image = Template-Bishop.svg

| image_size = 200px

}}

Bruce Alan Lewandowski, CSsR (born June 8, 1967) is an American Catholic prelate who serves as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Providence on April 8, 2025. He is a member of the Redemptorists.

Early life

Bruce Lewandowski was born in Toledo, Ohio, on June 8, 1967, to Robert and Frances Lewandowski. He grew up on a family farm in Lima, Ohio, with his four siblings. Lewandowski attended St. Gerard Elementary School in Lima and the minor seminary at St. Mary’s College in Erie, Pennsylvania.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-02|title=Bishop Bruce Lewandowski's formative years colored by rural pursuits|url=https://catholicreview.org/bruce-lewandowski-formative-years-colored-by-rural-pursuits/|access-date=2021-09-16|website=Catholic Review|language=en-US}} He subsequently attended Saint Alphonsus College in Suffield, Connecticut, and Holy Redeemer College in Washington, D.C.

Starting in 1988, Lewandowski studied theology at Washington Theological Union in Washington. Lewandowski also learned Spanish in anticipation of being assigned to missions run by the Redemptorists in the Dominican Republic or Paraguay.{{cite news|title=Pope names Highlandtown Redemptorist as new auxiliary bishop for Baltimore|url=https://www.archbalt.org/pope-names-highlandtown-redemptorist-as-new-auxiliary-bishop-for-baltimore/|first=Christopher|last=Gunty|date=June 10, 2020|accessdate=June 12, 2020|newspaper=The Catholic Review}}

Presbyteral ministry

On May 7, 1994, Lewandowski was ordained by Bishop William Curlin to the priesthood for the Redemptorist order at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

After his 1994 ordination, the Redemptorists assigned Lewandowski as parish vicar at St. Cecilia Parish in Manhattan. Two years later, they transferred him to Immaculate Conception Parish in the Bronx in New York City. He was subsequently assigned as a missionary to Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia in 1998, remaining there until 2000.

The Redemptorists brought Lewandowski back to the United States to become pastor at St. Boniface Parish in Philadelphia. He then served as pastor of the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Kensington, Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2011.

Lewandowski was appointed vicar for cultural ministries in Philadelphia in 2011, then in 2015 was as assigned as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Baltimore.{{cite news|title=At Sacred Heart, goodbye to 'anchor' of Baltimore's Latino community|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-latino-priest-20151227-story.html|first=Natalie|last=Sherman|date=December 27, 2015|accessdate=June 10, 2020|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun}}{{cite news|title=Installation of Father Bruce Lewandowski|url=https://www.archbalt.org/installation-of-father-bruce-lewandowski/|first=William E.|last=Lori|date=April 16, 2016|accessdate=June 10, 2020|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore}} He also became a leader in Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD),{{cite news|title=Hundreds are still being turned away for coronavirus tests at a predominantly Latino church in Baltimore|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-build-covid-testing-20200606-ubyqfzc5dra5hbj5zkcho3ir34-story.html|first=Colin|last=Campbell|date=June 6, 2020|accessdate=June 12, 2020|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607074207/https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-build-covid-testing-20200606-ubyqfzc5dra5hbj5zkcho3ir34-story.html|archivedate=June 7, 2020}} and collaborated with the group in October 2018 to create a parish identity card.{{cite news|title=Archdiocese of Baltimore will offer 'parish ID' to immigrants and others who have trouble obtaining legal ID|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/10/11/archdiocese-baltimore-will-offer-parish-id-immigrants-others-who-have-trouble-obtaining-legal-id/|first=Julie|last=Zauzmer|date=October 12, 2018|accessdate=June 12, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612111012/https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/10/11/archdiocese-baltimore-will-offer-parish-id-immigrants-others-who-have-trouble-obtaining-legal-id/|archivedate=June 12, 2020}}{{cite news|title=With city support, Baltimore parish will issue IDs to undocumented parishioners|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/39680/with-city-support-baltimore-parish-will-issue-ids-to-undocumented-parishioners|date=October 19, 2018|access-date=June 12, 2020|first=Jonah|last=McKeown|agency=Catholic News Agency|publisher=EWTN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612111418/https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/with-city-support-baltimore-parish-will-issue-ids-to-undocumented-parishioners-99637|archive-date=June 12, 2020}} This was especially beneficial for parishioners at Sacred Heart who were undocumented immigrants. Lewandowski described planned raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in June 2019, which would target immigrant communities, as "an act of domestic terrorism".{{cite news|title='People are really, really afraid': Mass-deportation threat strikes fear into Baltimore immigrants|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-immigration-reaction-20190623-story.html|first=Colin|last=Campbell|date=June 24, 2019|accessdate=June 12, 2020|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612102113/https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-immigration-reaction-20190623-story.html|archivedate=June 12, 2020}} He became Archbishop William Lori's interim delegate for Hispanic ministry on August 22, 2019.{{cite news|title=Father Bruce Lewandowski takes new role in the Archdiocese of Baltimore|url=https://redemptorists.net/features/father-bruce-lewandowski-takes-new-role-in-the-archdiocese-of-baltimore/|date=August 20, 2019|accessdate=June 10, 2020|publisher=The Redemptorists|archive-date=June 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610112103/https://redemptorists.net/features/father-bruce-lewandowski-takes-new-role-in-the-archdiocese-of-baltimore/|url-status=dead}}

Episcopal ministry

=Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore=

Lewandowski was appointed auxiliary bishop of Baltimore and titular bishop of Croae on June 10, 2020 by Pope Francis.{{cite news |url=https://www.wbal.com/article/463568/124/pope-appoints-new-auxiliary-bishop-of-archdiocese-of-baltimore |title=Pope Appoints New Auxiliary Bishop Of Archdiocese Of Baltimore |accessdate=June 10, 2020}} He was consecrated by Lori on August 18, 2020, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore.{{cite news|title=Pope Francis names new auxiliary bishop for Baltimore|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/44811/pope-francis-names-new-auxiliary-bishop-for-baltimore|date=June 10, 2020|access-date=June 11, 2020|agency=Catholic News Agency|publisher=EWTN}} Lori named Lewandowski as urban vicar for the archdiocese in September 2021, succeeding Denis J. Madden.{{cite news|title=Bishop Madden will step down as urban vicar, Bishop Lewandowski to succeed him|url=https://catholicreview.org/bishop-madden-will-step-down-as-urban-vicar-bishop-lewandowski-to-succeed-him/?fbclid=IwAR22oBSW4Cj4SwsoIoCxYCN76RXmtu0X5MBZ5Cd8qCueWhGH8pZwlH7uEsE|first=George P.|last=Matysek Jr.|date=September 1, 2021|accessdate=December 26, 2021|newspaper=The Catholic Review}} He remained pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.{{Cite web |last=Swift |first=Tim |date=2020-06-13 |title=Baltimore parishioners overjoyed as they keep a pastor and gain a bishop |url=https://catholicreview.org/baltimore-parishioners-overjoyed-as-they-keep-a-pastor-and-gain-a-bishop/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Catholic Review |language=en-US}}

In May 2024, Lewandowski led a large public meeting at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen that presented the archdiocese's plan to shrink the number of parishes in Baltimore from 61 to 26.{{Cite web |last= |title=Archdiocese of Baltimore concludes traumatic ‘listening sessions’ |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257558/archdiocese-of-baltimore-concludes-traumatic-listening-sessions-around-restructuring-plan |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}

=Bishop of Providence=

On April 8, 2025, Pope Francis appointed him as bishop of Providence. He is scheduled to be installed on May 20, 2025.{{cite news |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/04/08/250408a.html |title=Resignations and Appointments, 08.04.2025 |accessdate=April 8, 2025}}{{cite news |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2025/04/08/providence-bishop-most-rev-bruce-alan-lewandowski-prepares-to-lead-ris-catholics/82990367007/ |title='It brings the tears': RI will soon have a new bishop. Here are his plans and priorities |accessdate=April 8, 2025}}