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July 17, 2023PROVIDENCE—Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, Bishop of Providence, has made the following clergy appointments within the Diocese of Providence:- Rev. Michael Najim appointed Vicar for Priests, Diocese of Providence, effective August 1, 2023, while continuing as Pastor, St. Pius X Parish, Westerly.
- Rev. Ryan Simas appointed Vocation Director, Diocese of Providence, effective August 1, 2023, while continuing as Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Woonsocket; and Chaplain, St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket.
Father Najim, a native of Westerly, is an alumnus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville and St. John's Seminary. He was ordained a priest in 2001 and subsequently served as Assistant Pastor at St. Philip Parish, Greenville. In 2004, he became Assistant Vocation Director, succeeding as Vocations Director in 2007. He also previously served in various part-time assignments including as Chaplain to Rhode Island College, La Salle Academy, Spiritual Director at Our Lady of Providence Seminary, and on the Council of Priests and College of Consultors. In 2016, he was appointed Pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Westerly.
"I am honored and humbled that Bishop Henning has entrusted me with this ministry," said Father Najim. "I have profound love and respect for the priests of our diocese. Our priests are good, humble, and faithful men who tirelessly serve God’s people every day. As our priests have so often been an instrument of God’s grace to me, I pray that I will be an instrument of God’s grace to them in my new role as Vicar for Priests."
Father Simas, a native of Warwick, is an alumnus of Providence College and St. John's Seminary. He was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in 2015, after which he began as Assistant Pastor at St. Philip Parish in Greenville and later also Chaplain to the Smithfield Fire Department. In 2019, he was appointed Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Woonsocket and Chaplain to St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket. He also became Administrator of All Saints Parish in Warwick in 2020. Father Simas additionally serves on the Council of Priests and Youth Ministry Advisory Board.
"I am grateful to Almighty God and Bishop Henning for his confidence in me and for entrusting me with this crucial ministry in the life our Diocesan Church," said Father Simas. "Despite the increasingly-loud and distracting world in which we live, God still calls men to the priesthood in the quiet of their hearts. He calls them to selflessly and courageously lay down their lives to serve others by teaching, leading, and sanctifying God’s people. Perhaps now more than ever, men need help hearing God’s voice and discerning this incredible vocation that is both a gift and mystery. I am humbled to accept this appointment and it is not one that I take lightly."
