Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski’s biography
Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozanski was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on Aug. 6, 1958. A Baltimore native of Polish-American descent, he lived with his family in Fells Point, Maryland, where they attended Holy Rosary Parish. He is the oldest of three sons born to Alfred and Jean Rozanski, both still living. His first brother Kenneth and his wife Lisa have two daughters and a son. His youngest brother Albert and his wife Danielle have one son. All of the family members reside in Maryland.
When he was 8 years old, the family moved to Dundalk and the parish of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Graceland Park, where he attended the elementary school. After graduating from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School (Essex), he received his undergraduate degree from the Catholic University of America before entering the Theological College at the Catholic University of America, where he received seminary training.
He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on Nov. 24, 1984. He served as an associate pastor at St. Michael, Overlea, in 1984, and then the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. He was appointed associate pastor at St. Anthony of Padua, Baltimore, in 1985, and St. Isaac Jogues, Baltimore, in 1990. He was appointed administrator of Holy Cross and St. Mary Star of the Sea parishes in Baltimore, in March 1993, before being appointed pastor there in October of that year. In January 2000, he was appointed temporary administrator of Immaculate Conception, Towson, and in June assumed the same duties at St. John before being named its pastor on Nov. 28, 2000. On July 3, 2004, he was named by Pope John Paul II as auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and was ordained on August 24, 2004, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Upon his ordination as bishop he was named vicar general and episcopal vicar for the Seton Vicariate of the Archdiocese. He also served on the College of Consultors for the Archdiocese and as the Vicar for Hispanics. At the time of his ordination as a bishop in 2004, he was the youngest bishop in the United States.
Archbishop Rozanski has served as the Roman Catholic co-chair of the Polish National Catholic/Roman Catholic Dialogue since November 2017. Since Oct. 1, 2012, he has served as the episcopal moderator of the National Association of Holy Name Societies. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, and the National Catholic Partnership on Disability.
Archbishop Rozanski served on the National Committee for the Protection of Youth and Young People from January 2007 until June 2014. From 2012 until March 2015, Archbishop Rozanski served on the National Advisory Council of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for a three-year term. He also served on and chaired the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee of the USCCB. Archbishop Rozanski is a member of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Northeast Lieutenancy. Archbishop Rozanski served as bishop for the Diocese of Springfield since he was appointed on June 19, 2014, by Pope Francis. He was installed on Aug. 12, 2014, by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap.
On June 10, Pope Francis named him as the 10th archbishop for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.