Andrew Harmon Cozzens (born August 3, 1968) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as Bishop of Crookston since 2021. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 2013 to 2021.
Andrew Harmon Cozzens | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Crookston | |
 Cozzens celebrating Mass in 2022 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Crookston |
| Appointed | October 18, 2021 |
| Installed | December 6, 2021 |
| Predecessor | Michael Joseph Hoeppner |
| Previous post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 31, 1997 by Harry J. Flynn |
| Consecration | December 9, 2013 by John Clayton Nienstedt, Harry J. Flynn, and Paul Sirba |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 3, 1968 |
| Motto | Praebe nobis cor tuum (Give us your heart) |
| Styles of Andrew Harmon Cozzens | |
|---|---|
 Azure, a St. Andrew’s cross Or charged at center with Sacred Heart of Jesus of Gules, bordered with threefold cord of Or, in chief mountains Azure to pale Azure, from base wavy field of seven of Azure on Argent, to dexter a garb of Immaculate Heart of Mary of Gules with roses Argent, to sinister a garb of Pure Heart of St. Joseph of Gules with lily Argent.[1] | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Biography
editEarly life
editAndrew Harmon Cozzens was born on August 3, 1968, in Denver, Colorado, to Jack and Judy Cozzens. After graduating from high school, Cozzens entered Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, in 1991. While in college, Cozzens helped found an anti-abortion student group and a charismatic prayer group. In 1990, Cozzens was arrested several times for blocking access to facilities that provided abortion services, at one point spending ten days in jail.[2][3][4]
After finishing at Benedictine, he spent time traveling across the United States serving as a missionary for NET Ministries. In 1992, he joined Companions of Christ in St. Paul, Minnesota, and worked leading bible study groups for college students. Cozzens entered the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul in 1993.[4][5]
Priesthood
editCozzens was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn on May 31, 1996, at St. Mary's Chapel in Saint Paul Seminary.[6][7] The archdiocese assigned Cozzens as an associate pastor at the following parishes in Minnesota:
- Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul (1997 to 2000)
- Divine Mercy in Faribault, Minnesota (2000 to 2002)[4]
In 2003, Cozzens traveled to Rome to attend the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, where he earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology that same year. Cozzens earned his Doctorate of Sacred Theology from St. Thomas in 2006 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.[8]
After returning from Rome, Cozzens was appointed as an assistant professor of sacramental theology and director of liturgy at the Saint Paul Seminary.[9]
Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
editCozzens was appointed titular bishop of Bisica and as an auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis on October 11, 2013, by Pope Francis. He was consecrated a bishop at the Cathedral of Saint Paul on December 9, 2013, by Archbishop John Nienstedt, with Flynn and Bishop Paul Sirba acting as co-consecrators.[6][7]
Cozzens was part of an archdiocesan team that in 2014 investigated allegations of misconduct on the part of Nienstedt. Cozzens in 2022 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."[10]
At the June 2021 meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 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 national. He said that the goal was to foster new and existing devotion to the eucharist.[11]
Bishop of Crookston
editOn October 18, 2021, Pope Francis named Cozzens as bishop of Crookston.[12][13] He was installed there on December 6, 2021.[14][7]
In response to the sexual abuse allegations surrounding former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Cozzens in 2022 advocated the establishment of a national review board, composed of clerics and lay members, to investigate allegations of misconduct against American bishops.[10] Cozzens serves as the chair of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress.[15]
Cozzens was the board chair of the organizing committee of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress and led the opening and closing benediction.[citation needed]
In July 2024, Cozzens joined other Catholic bishops in condemning a controversial scene in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics. It appeared to recreated Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper painting, with drag queens as the apostles and a DJ as Jesus.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Heraldic Description of Most Reverend Andrew H. Cozzens Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis" (PDF).
- ^ "State v. Cozzens". Justia Law. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Wiering, Maria (25 November 2015). "Bishop fields queries on vocations, jail time in Google Hangout". TheCatholicSpirit.com. The Catholic Spirit. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Riddel, Jackie. "Most Rev. Andrew Cozzens". Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ "Auxiliary bishop named for Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis". The Catholic Spirit. October 11, 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Auxiliary bishop named for Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis". Catholic Spirit. October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Bishop Andrew Harmon Cozzens [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ Cozzens, Andrew H. (2008). Imago vivens Iesu Christi sponsi ecclesiæ : the priest as a living image of Jesus Christ the bridegroom of the church through the Evangelical Counsels. Pontificia Studiorum Universitas a Sancto Thoma Aquinate in Urbe. OCLC 276887439 – via WorldCat.
- ^ "Reverend Andrew Cozzens Named Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis". Archdiocese of Saint Paul and MInneapolis. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
- ^ a b "Bishop Cozzens: Nienstedt investigation was 'doomed to fail'". Catholic News Agency. August 31, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "'Eucharistic Revival' to begin in 2022: 'We want to start a fire, not a program'". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 18.10.2021" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. October 18, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ The Pillar (October 18, 2021). "Cozzens tapped to lead embattled Crookston diocese". www.pillarcatholic.com. The Pillar. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ "Diocese of Crookston installs Andrew Cozzens as eighth bishop". Grand Forks Herald. December 6, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "Bishop Andrew Cozzens - Speaking at the National Eucharistic Congress". www.eucharisticcongress.org. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Catholic leaders join French bishops in condemning Last Supper scene". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
External links
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