Cozzens installed as Bishop of Crookston Diocese

The Most Reverend Andrew Cozzens was officially installed today (Mon) as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Crookston.

The 53-year-old Denver native succeeds Bishop Michael Hoeppner, who earlier this year was asked by the Pope to resign, after a Vatican probe said he allegedly interfered with clergy abuse investigations.

At his installation Mass in Crookston’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Cozzens said, “Today is not about me, but about the church in Crookston.”

He added: “We’re all called to be missionaries and this is what the world needs from us. It’s what the people of northwestern Minnesota need from us. It’s the one thing that only we can do because it’s our mission that God gave to us – to proclaim the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ and no one is exempt from this task.”

Cozzens had served as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis since 2013. 

Bishop Richard Pates served as Apostolic Administrator for the Crookston Diocese after Hoeppner’s resignation.