Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski
Bishop of Springfield
Mitchell Thomas Rozanski was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 6, 1958. A Baltimore native of Polish-American descent, he lived with his family in Fells Point, MD 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 2 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. He is a graduate of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School (Essex), 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 November 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. 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 November 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.
Bishop Rozanski serves as the Roman Catholic Co-Chair of the Polish National Catholic/Roman Catholic Dialogue since November 2017. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee of the USCCB, and the National Catholic Partnership on Disability.
Bishop Rozanski served on the National Committee for the Protection of Youth and Young People from January 2007 until June 2014. From October 1, 2012 until September 30, 2018, he served as the Episcopal Moderator of the National Association of Holy Name Societies. From 2012 until March, 2015, Bishop served on the National Advisory Council of the USCCB for a 3 year term.
Bishop 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 and the Massachusetts Catholic Conference.
Currently, Bishop Rozanski serves as bishop for the diocese of Springfield, a position he was appointed to on June 19, 2014 by Pope Francis. He was installed on August 12, 2014, by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap.
