Robert Charles Evans (born September 2, 1947) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who served as

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the

Diocese of Providence The Diocese of Providence () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Rhode Island in the United States. The diocese was erected by Blessed Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872. The Diocese of Providence is a suffragan diocese of the Ar ...

in Rhode Island from 2009 to 2022.

Biography

Early life

Robert C. Evans was born September 2, 1947, in

Moultrie, Georgia Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County, Georgia, United States. It is the third largest city in Southwest Georgia, behind Thomasville and Albany. As of the 2020 census, Moultrie's population was 14,638. It was origina ...

, the son of Ivey Evans and Lolita Baldisseri. After the family moved to

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, Evans attended primary school in the

Providence Public School District The Providence Public School Department is the administrative force behind the primary public school district of Providence, Rhode Island. As of July 2022, it serves about 21,700 students in pre-K through 12th grade. It has 21 elementary school ...

. He then entered Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School in Providence, graduating in 1965. Evans received a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...

degree from Our Lady of Providence College Seminary in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

, in 1969. Evans then attended the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...

in Rome, where he completed his priestly formation in 1973.

Priesthood

Evans was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

into the priesthood for the Diocese of Providence at

St. Peter’s Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially ...

in Rome by then Bishop James A. Hickey on July 2, 1973. After his ordination, Evans was assigned as assistant pastor at St. Pius X Parish in

Westerly, Rhode Island Westerly is a New England town, town on the Coast, southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a List of municipalitie ...

. He was moved in 1974 to be assistant pastor of Holy Angels Parish in

Barrington, Rhode Island Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, approximately southeast of Providence. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 17,153. Barrington was founded by Congregationalist separ ...

and chaplain at

Roger Williams College Roger Williams University (RWU) is a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams. The school enrolled approximately 4,400 undergraduate and ...

in Bristol, Rhode Island. In 1978, Evans was reassigned as assistant chaplain at Rhode Island Hospital and Roger Williams Hospital in Providence and as assistant pastor of St. Lawrence Parish in

North Providence, Rhode Island North Providence is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 34,114 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town of North Providence has a total area of , of which ...

. In 1979, Evans moved from St. Lawrence to St. Mark’s Parish, in

Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of ...

, as assistant pastor. After four years at St. Mark's, he was appointed in 1983 as administrative secretary to the bishop. Evans returned to Rome in 1987, where he entered the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

; he was awarded a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law (; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate is the title of a person who ...

in 1989. After returning to Providence that year, Evans was appointed as vice-chancellor with residence at St. Margaret’s Parish in

Rumford, Rhode Island Technically, Rumford, RI, as such, isn’t “a thing”, as Rumford is actually just the northern section of the city of East Providence, Rhode Island, US. The Rumford section of East Providence borders Seekonk, Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Rhode ...

. In 1991, Evans was appointed pastor of St. Anthony’s Parish in

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

, as well as diocesan chancellor and director of the Office of Priests’ Personnel. He was transferred in 1992 to be pastor at St. Joan of Arc Parish in

Cumberland, Rhode Island Cumberland is the northeasternmost town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1746. The population was 36,405 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-largest municipality and the largest ...

, staying there for five years. In 1997, he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in

East Greenwich, Rhode Island East Greenwich is a New England town, town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within ...

. In 2001, Evans went again to Rome, this time to serve as director of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the Pontifical North American College. He was also a teacher at the college. Evans returned to the United States in 2005 to become secretary at the

Apostolic Nunciature An apostolic nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See that is equivalent to an embassy. However, it neither issues visas nor has consul (representative), consulates. The head of the apostolic nunciature is called a ''nuncio ...

in Washington, DC. He was reassigned to Rhode Island in 2007 to serve as pastor of St. Philip Parish in

Greenville, Rhode Island Greenville is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Smithfield, Rhode Island, Smithfield in Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 8,658 at the 20 ...

, and as

adjunct faculty An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is ge ...

member of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence.

Auxiliary Bishop of Providence

Evans was appointed

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Aquae Regiae and auxiliary bishop of Providence on October 15, 2009, by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

. He was consecrated on December 15, 2009. At a November 13, 2018

US Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Co ...

meeting on the handling of the

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

allegations by the church, Evans made this defense of how bishops had previously handled these claims: "Many bishops, I would say almost everyone, did the best they could according to the best lights of the time"

Retirement

On November 23, 2022,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

accepted Evans resignation as auxiliary bishop of Providence after he reached the retirement age of 75.

References

External links

Diocese of Providence

Episcopal succession

1947 births Living people People from Moultrie, Georgia Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Religious leaders from Rhode Island Catholics from Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-RC-bishop-stub