Salvatore Matano was born on September 15, 1946, in Providence, Rhode Island to Salvatore and Mary (née Santaniello) Matano. He attended La Salle Academy in Providence and Our Lady of Providence Seminary College, where he obtained his Bachelor of Philosophy degree.
Diocese of Providence
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence ( la, Dioecesis Providentiensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872 and originally comprised the entire state of Rhode ...
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 Gregorian University in Rome.
Matano served as assistant pastor in Johnston, Rhode Island, from 1972 to 1973 and as a professor at Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School from 1972 to 1977. In 1977, he became the director of priest personnel for the Diocese of Providence. In 1980, Matano was named diocesan assistant
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
.
Matano returned to Rome for graduate studies. receiving his
Doctor of Canon Law
Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...
degree in 1983. After returning to
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, he served as vicar for administration and co-chancellor. He was raised to the rank of
honorary prelate
A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour.
They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.apostolic nuncio of the United States, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan in Washington, D.C. In 1992, Matano was named vicar general and
moderator of the curia
Moderator of the curia is a top administrative position held by a Catholic priest in a diocese under the supervision of the bishop. The moderator coordinates the exercise of the administrative duties and oversees the office holders, or curia, in ...
for the Diocese of Providence. He was designated by the Vatican as
protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...
in 1993.
In 1995, Matano became a special
lecturer
Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...
for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Theology at
Providence College
Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...
. In 1997, Matano gave up his positions in the church hierarchy to become a parish priest at St. Sebastian's Parish in Providence. In January 2000, Matano was named secretary to the new apostolic nuncio of the United States, Archbishop Gabriel Higuera.
Bishop of Burlington
On March 3, 2005, Matano was appointed
coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...
of the Diocese of Burlington by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on April 19, 2005, from Archbishop Higuera, with Archbishop Seán O'Malley and Bishop Kenneth Angell serving as co-consecrators. Matano succeeded Angell as the ninth bishop of Burlington on November 9, 2005. In December 2008, Matano attended a trial in
Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
in order to hear about unresolved clerical abuse cases that occurred within the diocese in the 1970's.
Bishop of Rochester
On November 6, 2013, Pope Francis named Matano to succeed Bishop
Matthew H. Clark
Matthew Harvey Clark (July 15, 1937 – January 22, 2023) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in Upstate New York from 1979 until 2012.
Clark's 33-year tenure as bishop was the ...
as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester. Matano's installation took place on January 3, 2014. On August 18, 2018, Matano sent a letter to all parishioners in the diocese, expressing his outrage on the sexual abuse of children and young adults by diocese priests:
"I cannot express adequately my sorrow for the pain, suffering and turmoil endured by the victims of child sexual abuse, especially when it is committed by the very ones who were so trusted and so grievously betrayed that very trust."
On September 1, 2019 Matano returned to St. Augustine’s Parish in Providence, where he had served as a priest. He celebrated the 9:30 am Mass with parishioners. In July, 2021, Matano attended a forum in Auburn, New York, for parishioners who were concerned about plans to close four churches in that city. He made this statement: "As has been mentioned tonight, we are like a family. But how many times do families have to make sacrifices?" Matano currently sits on the board of trustees of St. John's Seminary in Boston.
On August 31, 2021, Matano announced that he would be submitting a resignation letter to Francis in line with the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops. As of February 2023, his successor had not been appointed.