Mitchell Thomas Rozanski (born August 6, 1958) is an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate who has served as Archbishop of St. Louis since 2020. He previously served as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts from 2014 to 2020 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore () is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland in the United States. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore. The Archd ...

from 2004 to 2014.

Biography

Early life and education

Mitchell Rozanski was born on August 6, 1958, in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He attended Sacred Heart of Mary School in

Dundalk, Maryland Dundalk ( or ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 67,796 at the 2020 census. In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Mar ...

, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School in Essex, Maryland. After his high school graduation, Rozanski entered the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

(CUA) in Washington, D.C. He later received his seminary training at CUA's

Theological College A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

Ordination and ministry

Rozanski was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen, in Baltimore for the

by Archbishop William Borders on November 24, 1984. After his ordination, Rozanksi performed pastoral assignments at the following parishes in

: * Assistant pastor at St. Michael in Overlea in 1984 * Assistant pastor at the

Cathedral of Mary Our Queen The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a Roman Catholic cathedral located Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It was completed in 1959. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore. It replaced the Basilica of the National Shrine of t ...

in Baltimore in 1985. * Associate Pastor at St. Anthony in Baltimore in 1985 * Associate pastor at St. Isaac Jogues in Baltimore in 1990 * Administrator of Holy Cross and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Baltimore in March 1993, before being appointed pastor there in October 1993 * Temporary administrator of Immaculate Conception in

Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...

in January 2000 * Temporary administrator of St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, becoming pastor on November 28, 2000

Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore

On July 3, 2004, Rozanski was appointed 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. ...

of Baltimore and titular bishop of Walla Walla by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, becoming the youngest bishop in the United States at that time. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

at the Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen, on August 24, 2004, from Cardinal William Keeler, with Bishops William Newman and W. Francis Malooly serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

. Rozanski selected as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

: ''"Serve The Lord With Gladness."'' As an auxiliary bishop, Rozanski was appointed as vicar for Hispanic ministries. He also served as the Seton vicar, supervising parishes in Anne Arundel, Howard, Carroll, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. The

United States 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 C ...

(USCCB) announced on April 18, 2011, that Rozanski would succeed Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, as co-chair of the Polish National Catholic-Roman Catholic dialogue. He was named to the post by Archbishop Wilton Gregory. On November 12, 2013, Rozanski was elected as chair of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts

On June 19, 2014,

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 ...

named Rozanski the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. He was installed on August 12, 2014. In September 2018, a Diocesan Review Board notified Rozanski that it had found an allegation of sexual abuse by former Springfield Bishop Christopher Weldon to be credible. The board cited a

Chicopee, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in western Massachuset ...

, resident who said that Weldon had abused him a child. The board later split on the case, with several members saying that the victim did not name Weldon directly. Three other board members maintained they had witnessed otherwise. In June 2019, Rozanski met with the victim, saying he found the allegations "deeply troubling". In June 2020, an investigation by retired Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis found the victim's claim "to be unequivocally credible." After the Velis' findings were released, Rozanski asked Trinity Health of New England to remove Weldon's name from its rehabilitation center, the former Farren Memorial Hospital in

Montague, Massachusetts Montague is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,580 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area. The villages of Montague Center, Montague City, Lake ...

. Weldon's remains were disinterred and moved to more secluded spot in the cemetery. Rozanski ordered the removal of all photographs, memorials and other mentions of Weldon from all diocesan facilities, schools and churches. In December 2019, Rozanski banned the Pioneer Valley Gay Men's Chorus from singing in a Christmas

caroling A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). ...

concert at St. Theresa's of Lisieux Parish in

South Hadley, Massachusetts South Hadley (, ) is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts. South Hadle ...

. In June 2020, Robert M. Hoatson, co-founder of Road to Recover Inc. for survivors of clerical sexual abuse, called on Rozanski to resign. Hoatson described Rozanski's handling of sexual abuse allegations against Weldon to be “woefully deficient.” Hoatson also called on Pope Francis to rescind his appointment of Rozanski as archbishop of St. Louis.

Archbishop of St. Louis

On June 10, 2020, Francis appointed Rozanski as archbishop of St. Louis, following the retirement of Archbishop Robert Carlson. Rozanski was installed on August 25, 2020, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Ronzanki is the Grand Prior of the USA Northern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. In May 2023, Rozanski announced All Things New, a plan to reduce the number of parishes in the archdiocese from 178 to 134 with closures and mergers. Seven parishes filed appeals in August 2023 with the

Dicastery for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regardin ...

in Rome, which decided to accept appeals from two parishes. The Dicastery in June 2024 rejected the appeals from the two parishes.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Official Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rozanski, Mitchell T. 1958 births Living people Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Massachusetts Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic Church in Maryland Religious leaders from Baltimore American people of Polish descent Catholic University of America alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre