Andrew Harmon Cozzens (born August 3, 1968) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston in Minnesota since 2021. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

in Minnesota from 2013 to 2021.

Early life and education

Andrew Harmon Cozzens was born on August 3, 1968, in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

to Jack and Judy Cozzens. He graduated from

Benedictine College Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, United States. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College (founded 1858) for men and Mount St. Scholastica College (founded 1923) for ...

Atchison, Kansas Atchison is a city and county seat of Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri ...

, in 1991. During his time there, Cozzens helped found an

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respo ...

student group and a

charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...

prayer group. In 1990, Cozzens was arrested several times for blocking access to clinics providing abortion services to women, spending ten days in jail. After serving as a missionary with NET Ministries in 1991 and 1992, Cozzens entered the

Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Roman Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on ...

Priest

Cozzens was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn on May 31, 1996. He served as associate pastor at the Cathedral of Saint Paul Parish from 1997 to 2000 and then at Divine Mercy Parish in Fairbault, Minnesota, from 2000 until 2002. He earned an

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

from the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

(the Angelicum) in Rome in 2002 and began full-time doctoral studies the same year. Cozzens earned his

Doctorate of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic ...

in 2008 with a dissertation entitled ''Imago Vivens Iesu Christi Sponsi Ecclesiæ: The Priest as a Living Image of Jesus Christ, Bridegroom of the Church, through the Evangelical Counsels''. From 2006 to 2013, Cozzens was an assistant professor of

sacramental theology A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the re ...

and director of liturgy at the Saint Paul Seminary.

Auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Cozzens was appointed

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Bisica and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on October 11, 2013, by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

. He was consecrated a bishop on December 9, 2013, by Archbishop John Nienstedt. Cozzens was part of a team that investigated allegations of misconduct on the part of Archbishop Nienstedt. Cozzens later remarked on the investigation:

"It was doomed to fail. We did not have enough objectivity or experience with such investigations. Nor did we have authority to act. Throughout our efforts, we did not know where we could turn for assistance, because there was no meaningful structure to address allegations against bishops."

In response to the former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick scandal, Cozzens advocated for a national review board of both clerical and lay members to investigate allegations of misconduct against American bishops. From August to December 2018, he served as the interim rector for the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. At the June 2021 meeting of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

, Cozzens, as chair of the Evangelization Committee, announced a nationwide Eucharistic Revival to begin in 2022. He said that the revival would focus on small local units such as families. The organization would be in three levels: parish, diocesan, and the whole United States. He said that the goal is to foster new and existing devotion to the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

Bishop of Crookston

On October 18, 2021, Pope Francis named Cozzens as bishop of the Diocese of Crookston. He was installed there on December 6, 2021.

References

External links