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.[4]
Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts
Coat of arms as bishop of Springfield
On June 19, 2014, Pope Francis named Rozanski the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.[5] 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".[6][7] In June 2020, an investigation by retired Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis found the victim's claim "to be unequivocally credible."[8]
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.[8]
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.[9][10]
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.”[11] Hoatson also called on Pope Francis to rescind his appointment of Rozanski as archbishop of St. Louis.[11]
Archbishop of St. Louis
On June 10, 2020, Francis appointed Rozanski as archbishop of St. Louis, following the retirement of Archbishop Robert Carlson.[12] Rozanski was installed on August 25, 2020, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri.[13]
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.[14] Seven parishes filed appeals in August 2023 with the Dicastery for the Clergy in Rome, which decided to accept appeals from two parishes.[15] The Dicastery in June 2024 rejected the appeals from the two parishes.[16]
Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski blessing a live Nativity in De Soto, Missouri December 19, 2021.
^Voghel, Jazquelyn (January 7, 2020). "Pioneer Valley Gay Men's Chorus says diocese barred them from concert". The Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Then, about two weeks before the concert, the group was informed that Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of the Springfield diocese would not allow them to perform...
^Bourne, Alden (January 3, 2020). "Gay Singing Group Says Springfield Bishop Prevented It From Taking Part In Concert". New England Public Radio. Springfield, Mass. The Pioneer Valley Gay Men's Chorus is crying foul after it says it was told it couldn't sing at a church holiday concert on orders from the Catholic bishop in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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