Pope Francis has appointed the Diocese of Crookston a new bishop, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens, following the resignation of Bishop Michael Hoeppner, who was part of the pope’s investigation into the mishandling of sexual abuse allegations in 2019. 

Cozzens was formerly elected chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2019. 

“I am humbled and honored to be asked by the Holy Father to be the next Shepherd of the Diocese of Crookston. I look forward to getting to know the priests, deacons, consecrated religious and many faithful laity of the diocese. I pray that together we can grow to be Christ’s faithful disciples who make present his love in Northwestern Minnesota,” Cozzens said in a release from Angelus News. 

The Diocese of Crookston includes a total of 17,210 square miles in Minnesota and serves nearly 35,000 Catholics. 

Cozzens was born in 1968 and attended the Benedictine College. He joined the St. Paul Seminary in May 1997 and served as a parish vicar for the Cathedral of St. Paul from 1997-2000, and then Faribault Catholic Community from 2000-2002. He was named auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese on Oct. 11, 2013 by Pope Francis. 

Cozzens’ installation Mass will be held on Dec. 6.