| Type: | Archbishop |
| Honorific-Prefix: | His Excellency, The Most Reverend |
| Mitchell Thomas Rozanski | |
| Archbishop of St. Louis | |
| See: | Saint Louis |
| Appointed: | June 10, 2020 |
| Enthroned: | August 25, 2020 |
| Predecessor: | Robert James Carlson |
| Ordination: | November 24, 1984 |
| Ordained By: | William Donald Borders |
| Consecration: | August 24, 2004 |
| Consecrated By: | William Henry Keeler, William Clifford Newman, and William Francis Malooly |
| Birth Date: | 6 August 1958 |
| Birth Place: | Baltimore, Maryland, US |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Motto: | Serve the Lord with gladness |
| Mitchell Thomas Rozanski | |
| Dipstyle: | |
Mitchell Thomas Rozanski (born August 6, 1958) is an American Catholic 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 from 2004 to 2014.
Mitchell Rozanski was born on August 6, 1958, in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Sacred Heart of Mary School in Dundalk, Maryland, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School in Essex, Maryland. After his high school graduation, Rozanski entered the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C. He later received his seminary training at CUA's Theological College.[1]
Rozanski was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Mary, Our Queen, in Baltimore for the Archdiocese of Baltimore by Archbishop William Borders on November 24, 1984. After his ordination, Rozanksi performed pastoral assignments at the following parishes in Maryland:
On July 3, 2004, Rozanski was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Baltimore and titular bishop of Walla Walla by Pope John Paul II, becoming the youngest bishop in the United States at that time. He received his episcopal consecration 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. Rozanski selected as his episcopal motto: "Serve The Lord With Gladness."[2]
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 (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.[3]
On June 19, 2014, Pope Francis named Rozanski the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.[4] 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, 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".[5] [6] In June 2020, an investigation by retired Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis found the victim's claim "to be unequivocally credible."[7]
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. 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 concert at St. Theresa's of Lisieux Parish in South Hadley, Massachusetts.[8] [9]
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.”[10] Hoatson also called on Pope Francis to rescind his appointment of Rozanski as archbishop of St. Louis.
On June 10, 2020, Francis appointed Rozanski as archbishop of St. Louis, following the retirement of Archbishop Robert Carlson.[11] Rozanski was installed on August 25, 2020, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri.[12]
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.[13] Seven parishes filed appeals in August 2023 with the Dicastery for the Clergy in Rome, which decided to accept appeals from two parishes.[14] The Dicastery in June 2024 rejected the appeals from the two parishes.[15]