Brett Smiley, having been officially sworn in as Mayor of Providence at 12:01am at his residence on the first Monday in January, as per the City Charter, began a day of inaugural events joining faith leaders from across the city for an Interfaith Prayer Breakfast at the Providence Public Library Auditorium in downtown Providence.

A dozen faith leaders, from an assortment of denominations, prayed for the new Mayor’s success. Towards the end of the breakfast, Mayor Smiley offered some closing words, giving a sneak peak at the more expansive comments he would make later that day during his inaugural speech, but also acknowledging the importance, as he sees it, of faith communities in our state.

“Government alone can’t solve all our problems and can’t reach all of our people,” said Mayor Smiley, reflecting on his time as Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo‘s Chief of Staff during the height of the covid pandemic. “So when we have major issues and opportunities for people to come together, it requires the faith community. Only by working together can we meet the needs of our entire city…

“Several people talked about how we live in a place where the interfaith dialogue is strong, where the peace between our communities is real and sincere,” said Mayor Smiley. “That’s not the case everywhere. In a nation dealing with real challenges, where we see a rise in antisemitism and so much hate, we have been shielded from some of that. But I’m cognizant and humbled by the fact that that doesn’t always have to be the case. We must remain vigilant…

“We must, as so many people have brought up this morning, continue to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Mayor Smiley, moving on to social justice issues. “We must care for the poor. We must educate our children. We must provide safe environments for [children] to grow up. [We need] economic opportunity to lift people out of poverty, to give dignity through work and provide a platform through which this generation can raise the next generation.”

After the Inaugural Prayer Breakfast Uprise RI was able to ask Mayor Smiley about the optics of holding a prayer breakfast in the very city where the concept of separation of church and state was first encoded into law.

“I think it’s actually totally appropriate,” said Mayor Smiley. “This state was not founded on no religion, it was founded on no state religion and freedom from religion for those who choose not to worship. What you saw this morning is consistent with my beliefs which is: There is a role for all in our community.

“We had the widest possible array of faith leaders here today – non of which is the City’s religion – and yet they continue to provide moral clarity and comfort to their congregations and I respect and appreciate the work that they do,” continued Mayor Smiley.

Mayor Smiley went on to note the important role churches played in spreading the word about vaccinations and masking during the height of the covid pandemic, echoing comments he made during his public comments minutes earlier.

Here are all the comments made by religious leaders at the Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, starting with Reverend Rebecca L. Spencer, Senior Minister at Central Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, who acted as emcee.

• Raymond Two Hawks Watson, Chippinuonk Sagem, Mashapaug Nahaganset Tribe
• Swami Yogatmananda, Minister, Vedanta Society of Providence
• Imam Muyideen Abiyemi, Muslim Community Center of Rhode Island
• Bishop James Keith, Beloved Tabernacle of God
• Reverend Antonio Aquino, President, Interfaith Dialogue Coalition
• Reverend Israel Mercedes, Iglesia Vision Evangélica
• Reverend Kenneth Sicard, O.P. – President of Providence College
• Bishop Nicholas Knisely, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
• Emmett Goodridge, Trinity United Methodist Church
• Rabbi Michael Few, Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, introduced Mayor Smiley.
• Rabbi Barry Dolinger, Congregation of Beth Sholom, supplied the closing benediction.