Funeral Schedule for the Most Reverend Robert E. Mulvee
Reception of the body will be on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 3PM, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Fenner Street, Providence.
Visitation in the Cathedral follows until 7PM.
Evening Prayer on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 7PM, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence.
A Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 11AM in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence. Burial will follow in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston.
Any donations in memory of Bishop Mulvee can be made to support either the diocesan homeless shelter Emmanuel House, or to The Most Reverend Robert E. Mulvee Fund for the Education of Seminarians. (c/o Stewardship and Development Office, 1 Cathedral Square, Providence, RI 02903)
Statement of Bishop Thomas J. Tobin on the passing of Bishop Mulvee.
December 28, 2018
“It is with profound sorrow that I share the sad news that after a brief illness, Bishop Robert E. Mulvee, retired Bishop of Providence, passed away at St. Antoine Residence, North Smithfield, today, December 28, 2018.
Bishop Mulvee was a good and gentle shepherd of God’s people. He was a faithful follower of Christ who served the Church with dignity and compassion. Please pray for the peaceful repose of his soul, and for the consolation of all those who mourn his loss.”
Let us pray:
“Grant we pray, almighty God, that the soul of your departed servant Bishop Robert Mulvee, to whom you committed the care of your family, may enter into the eternal gladness of his Lord. Amen.”
Bishop Emeritus of Providence
“As One Who Serves”
February 15, 1930 - December 28, 2018
The Most Reverend Robert E. Mulvee was born February 15, 1930 in Boston, the son of the late John F. and Jennie T. Mulvee. He prepared for the priesthood at Saint Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut; Saint Paul Seminary at the University of Ottawa, Canada; and the American College at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He was ordained for the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire on June 30, 1957 at Louvain.
He served at a number of parishes in New Hampshire for several years before returning to Europe to do graduate work. In 1964 he completed his doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and also received a master’s degree in religious education from the Catholic University of Louvain. Later that year, he was named assistant chancellor of the New Hampshire Diocese and began a career in which he held numerous diocesan and parish positions.
Pope Paul VI named him a Papal Chamberlain with the title of Monsignor, in 1966. In 1977, he was named the first Auxiliary Bishop of Manchester. In 1985, Bishop Mulvee was appointed the seventh Bishop of Wilmington, Delaware.
Bishop Mulvee’s tenure in Providence began in 1995 when he was named Coadjutor Bishop of Providence. He became the seventh Bishop of Providence on June 11, 1997. Since 1997, Bishop Mulvee has served on many national and regional boards and committees.
February 15th, 2005, upon the occasion of his 75th birthday, Bishop Mulvee requested retirement from the Office of Bishop of Providence. Pope John Paul II accepted his retirement March 31st, 2005, and designated Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, then-Bishop of Youngstown, OH, to be installed as the 8th Bishop of Providence. Bishop Mulvee became Bishop Emeritus of Providence on May 31, 2005. He died on Friday, December 28, 2019 at the St. Antoine Residence in Smithfield, RI at the age of 88.