Honoring:
The Most Reverend 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 deceased. 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. Since October 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.
Bishop 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, Bishop served on the National Advisory Council of the USCCB for a 3 year term. He also served on and chaired the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee of the USCCB,
Bishop Rozanski is a member of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, a Knight Commander with Star of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Northern Lieutenancy.
Bishop Rozanski has served 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.
On June 10, 2020 Pope Francis named him as the 10th archbishop for the Archdiocese of St. Louis and his installation Mass was August 25, 2020.
Fr. Paul Whittington, O.P., the son of the late Charles and Nola Whittington, was born and raised in Marksville, Louisiana. The third of five children, he was educated by the Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans in his early years and attended the Divine Word Seminaries in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and East Troy, Wisconsin for high school. He graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1990 with a B.A. in English Education.
Fr. Paul entered the novitiate of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) in San Antonio, Texas, in 1990. He professed simple vows in 1991 as a member of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great. He then moved to St. Louis, Missouri to begin theological studies at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in preparation for ordination to the priesthood.
Fr. Paul professed solemn vows in 1995 and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology in 1997 and was ordained to the priesthood in that same year. He began graduate studies at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois and graduated in 2002 with a M.A. degree in Educational Administration.
In his 25-plus years as a Dominican friar, Fr. Paul has served in various assignments; as a high school teacher and guidance counselor, and a pastor. In internal ministry to his religious community, he has served as Prior, Sub-Prior, Vicar for Healthcare, Director of the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude and Formation Director.
Fr. Paul currently serves as the Pastor of St. Katherine Drexel in Chicago. He is also the Promoter of Permanent Formation for the Province of St. Albert the Great. In this role, he is responsible for the continuing education and formation of all Dominican friars in the Province. Fr. Paul is a member of the Intellectual Life Commission of the Province and also serves as Secretary to the Provincial Council.
Fr. Paul is blessed with an anointing on his life. As his schedule permits, he travels around the country as a revivalist, retreat director, and parish supply priest.