Archbishop Carlson left some big shoes to fill, but newly appointed Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski is ready to take up the challenge of leading one of the premiere Archdioceses in the country.

As of August 25, 2020, Archbishop Rozanski has been the archbishop of St. Louis. He may be new to our community, but this is not his first go-round, as he was the youngest bishop in the U.S. when he was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2004.

After serving in Baltimore, Archbishop Rozanski served in Springfield, Massachusetts, a smaller diocese, for six years. He served as their bishop and brought their community together. Although St. Louis is a much larger diocese, Archbishop Rozanski is working hard to build relationships throughout the area.

“It is taking me more time to meet the priests, religious men and women and the laity whom I ministry in this large archdiocese,” Archbishop Rozanski said, “I have been celebrating Masses at different parishes and visiting many different ministry sites meeting the good people here in southeastern Missouri.”

From moving all around the country, the Archbishop has learned different ways to run a big city. Archbishop Rozanski had served as priest for over 20 years in Baltimore, then two more as the auxiliary bishop. This experience has helped him formulate many goals and ideas for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

“My main goal is to make the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of all we do,” Archbishop Rozanski said.

Whether it is reaching out to those who have stopped practicing their faith, welcoming those who feel called to the Church, strengthening the commitment of the Catholic witnesses to love the world, or interacting with the youth of the community, the archbishop is working to make sure everyone feels loved and welcomed in his archdiocese.

“The word ‘bishop’ is from the Greek language, ‘episkopoi’ which means ‘overseer.’ I am called to be one who oversees that the Church is faithful,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “The mission that Jesus has given us is to be faithful until He returns again at the end of time.”

Along with his goals, the archbishop has many visions for the future of our Archdiocese, but will be patient.Throughout his years in the Church, he has learned to always follow God’s plans, even if they are a bit surprising.

“It is crucial to have that attitude that I am assigned where God wants me to be. The call to come serve in St. Louis was a total surprise to me, yet I feel as if this is where God wants me to be,” Archbishop Rozanski said.

Being the archbishop is time consuming and energy draining, but he does it all for the people and to show them the love of God, an important part of his ministry.

“As I begin my ministry here in St. Louis, please keep me in your prayers that the Holy Spirit will guide me in the ways the Lord Jesus wants me to go,” Archbishop Rozanski said.

At every stop along his ministry road, Archbishop Rozanski has relied on the people he serves for prayers and their support. In this, let us support one another and seek one another to build God’s kingdom. It’s also important that we support and pray for the archbishop as he settles in and takes on all of his responsibilities here in St. Louis.