Providence and RI was in the diocese of Hartford at that time - 1850. See notes, Timeline of the Catholic Churches in RI 1808 - 1840, online at: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/RI/misc.html Search the 2001 archives for timeline to see the full message. The Diocese of Providence has history online at: http://www.providiocese.com/info/history.html Bishop O'Reilly was the incumbent in the 1850's. The first church in Newport was founded early on whilst the area was still in the Diocese of Boston. Many records are in local custody, and some "locals" will not let them be seen! St. Mary's Newport has a web page with history http://www.rc.net/providence/stmary/ HTH, Ann