Michael John Izen (born January 12, 1967) is an American bishop of the

Roman 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 has been serving as an

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. ...

for the

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

in Minnesota since 2023.

Biography

Early life

Michael Izen was born on January 12, 1967, in

Fairmont, Minnesota Fairmont is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Minnesota, Martin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,487 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Fairmont was platted in 1857. The city was so name ...

, to John and JoAnna Izen. He is the youngest of six children, and is of Lebanese descent. He attended Fairmont High School. After high school, Izen entered St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he received a degree in mathematics and computer science. After finishing college, Izen worked nine years for

3M Company 3M Company (originally the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) is an American multinational conglomerate operating in the fields of industry, worker safety, and consumer goods. Based in the Maplewood suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota, ...

as a systems analyst. Having decided to become a priest, Izen left 3M to attend

Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...

in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a Master of Divinity degree from the seminary.

Priesthood

Izen was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on May 28, 2005, by Archbishop Harry Flynn at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota. The archdiocese assigned Izen as associate pastor at Divine Mercy Parish in

Faribault, Minnesota Faribault ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 24,453 at the 2020 census. Faribault is approximately south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highwa ...

. In 2007, the archdiocese transferred Izen to St. Timothy Parish in

Maple Lake, Minnesota Maple Lake is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,159 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 55 serves as a main route in the city. History Maple Lake was laid out in 1886, and named for its location ...

, to serve a pastor there. He was moved in 2012 to serve as pastor of St. Raphael's Parish in

Crystal, Minnesota Crystal is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States that is about 5 miles from Downtown Minneapolis. The population was 23,330 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 100 and County Road 81 are two of the main routes ...

. After three years at St. Raphael's, Izen became pastor of St. Michael and St. Mary's Parishes in

Stillwater, Minnesota Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), S ...

, serving there until 2023.

Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

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 ...

appointed Izen as an auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on January 5, 2023. On April 11, 2023, Izen was consecrated as a bishop at the Cathedral of Saint Paul by Bernard Hebda, with Andrew Cozzens and Joseph A. Williams serving as co-consecrators.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Official Site

Episcopal succession

1967 births Living people American Roman Catholic priests Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Clergy from Minneapolis American people of Lebanese descent College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis {{US-RC-bishop-stub